What an anomaly: in 14 years of reviewing restaurants, your author must have been to the Wolseley at least 14 times but has hitherto failed to review the venue. Oversight, or simply an inadvertent error? It’s sometimes easy to forget just how consistently good the Wolseley is, making dining look effortless ever since its opening in the early 2000s.
If it were easy to capture what makes a winning formula for a restaurant, then one in two new openings would not shutter within 12 months in Westminster. High rents, poor working capital management, and changing fashions make for obvious culprits. Located next to the Ritz on Piccadilly, rent is unlikely to come cheap for the Wolseley. Equally, the venue makes no effort to be anything other than what it always has been – a London take on a European grand café. The Wolseley does not concern itself with fashion, giving the impression of being above such things. In spite (or because) of these dynamics, the venue is packed constantly.
To book a table at for lunch on a Friday with three weeks’ notice requires – as your reviewer found – a bit of luck, and even then, we were only able to secure a sitting at 1.30pm. Part of the charm of the Wolseley – or its winning formula – is its welcoming vibe. It matters not whether you’re a first timer or a celebrity, all guests appear to be greeted with the same warmth and familiarity. Service works like well-oiled machine at the Wolseley with a myriad of staff constantly on hand.
One major reason why diners keep returning to the Wolseley is simply to take in the wonderful building – an art-deco classic that formerly housed both a bank and a car showroom. The central dining area pays homage to when the venue served as a banking hall, with its grandeur heightened by the soaring ceiling, supported by Venetian-inspired pillars. Marvel too at the marble floor. There is not a bad table in the house.
What of the food? Your reviewer has fond memories of prior breakfasts – kippers – at the Wolseley, but another ingredient behind the venue’s success is the scope to dine at any time of the day. Whatever you want, whenever you want it, the Wolseley delivers. Afternoon teas are a sight to behold, and pre-dinner cocktails hit the spot running. On our most recent visit, the Wolseley exhibited quintessential Britishness with its lunch options: grouse (pictured) for your reviewer, and liver & bacon for his dining comrade. Both were washed down with a lovely bottle of Portuguese red. Happy days, and long may they endure.