The MAINE Mayfair will take over a Georgian Grade II listed townhouse built in 1720…

With three successful restaurants under its belt, The MAINE New England Brasserie has officially set its sights overseas. Just after its most recent addition, The MAINE Land Brasserie, was crowned What’s On Dubai’s Newcomer of the Year, the brand has announced an expansion into London.

While each of the three MAINE restaurants has a distinct look and feel, along with a different menu focus, and The MAINE Mayfair will have its own persona too. Found in Hanover Square, a recently renovated development with centuries of history, the restaurant will embody the heritage of its new home.

The restaurant will be divided across three levels with five distinct rooms and a 350-seat capacity, making it the brand’s biggest venue to date. Previously the home of the Duke of Montrose, the building dates back to 1720 and preserving the integrity of its former glory is something the team are painstakingly working on.

Opening in September 2021, MAINE owner and gastropreneur, Joey Ghazal, shares that opening a restaurant in London has been 20 years in the making. “I lived and worked in London in my early 20s – working as a waiter at the original Soho House on Greek Street in 2000.

“I was like a sponge at that age, absorbing everything that was happening around me, the energy in London back then was electric. Going back now to open my own restaurant there is very much ‘a full circle moment’ for me –  a return to where it all began,” Ghazal tells What’s On Dubai.

As far as the menu is concerned, the team are looking forward to experimenting with London’s local ingredients, likening the experience to ‘being a conductor and going from a quartet to an orchestra’. While we’re not sure of any specific dishes just yet, we’re told to expect fresh seafood and poultry from British farms.

The MAINE Mayfair, 20 Hanover Square, London, opens September 2021. @themainedxb

Images: Jason Knott