The Wolseley
The Wolseley review: the all-day Corbin and King brasserie on Piccadilly is still the most London-ly lunch in London. Breakfast, tea, dinner; a grand.
The Wolseley is the grand all-day cafe of London. It opened in 2003, inside a former car showroom, and has been fully booked at every sensible time of day since.
The room
Enormous, marbled, black-and-white, double-height, with mezzanine galleries. Waiters in white aprons, brass fittings, velvet banquettes.
What to order
Breakfast is the best meal here. Full English, kippers, a Viennoiserie basket, scrambled eggs with smoked salmon. Afternoon tea, between 15:00 and 18:30, is the correct move.
The drinks list
Long, safe, priced gently for where it is.
What you will pay
Breakfast per head: around £30. Afternoon tea: around £45. Dinner: £70-£90 a head.
The verdict
Book breakfast at 08:00, sit in one of the alcoves, read the paper, and do not rush.
Clara Whitfield
Editor and restaurant critic
Clara Whitfield is the editor and lead restaurant critic of Vivi. She has eaten through the London restaurant scene professionally for over a decade, contributing reviews and features to regional and national food publications.
She writes Vivi's weekly restaurant review and the Saturday essay. She prefers early dinners and a table facing the room.
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