Before tasting menus and expensive pints of Guinness, there was fire. There was meat. There was the primal and simple pleasure of gathering around a table with a big appetite and good company. Cordelia’s, Mayfair’s newest steakhouse, returns us to these origins: British beef, unapologetically generous cuts, and charcoal-grilled cooking. It knows exactly what a steakhouse should be.
Gathering Around the Open Flame
When you step inside, the kitchen is the first thing you notice. At the very heart of the restaurant is a kitchen that puts its primary technique on display, and there’s a certain integrity about that. All in your direct field of view is smoke curling into the rafters, the sense of heat radiating outward, the chef’s gaze fixed on the metamorphosis of flesh to feast, and the inevitable result landing warm and fragrant on your table. Led by Head Chef Jordi Sebastianelli (formerly of Le Petit Beefbar Chelsea), you are presented with a concise menu influenced entirely by quality ingredients, careful sourcing, and the warmth and intensity of charcoal cooking. We really loved the menu, actually. SUPER clear and no room for misunderstandings. The menu made us immediately feel at home.
Sourcing, Provenance & Quality
At the heart of Cordelia’s grill is a commitment to ethical sourcing and full pasture-to-plate traceability, starring British beef from trusted UK farms where cattle are raised naturally on open pasture. Upon arrival at the kitchen, the beef undergoes in-house dry aging to deepen its flavor and tenderize the meat to its peak. Beyond these native cuts is a selection of world-class beef from further afield, most notably the famed Miguel Vergara Black Angus. Raised in pristine conditions between Salamanca and León in Spain, these grain-fed cattle are celebrated for exceptional animal welfare and high intramuscular fat marbling. This delivers a buttery, melt-in-the-mouth quality when seared over open charcoal embers.
Choosing Your Cut
Naturally, British beef is the basis of the menu, and that level of commitment to quality shows in every bite. The menu is designed to suit a range of appetites from the soloist craving a small individual cut, right through to the big hearty steak that you’ll surely have to share with the rest of the table. The grill features all the classics, with the British fillet, ribeye, and sirloin at its core. British cuts really (fillet, ribeye and sirloin). The fillet is pure class, lean, soft, and delicate, with an extremely subtle mineral sweetness and a faint hint of charcoal smoke. The sirloin is quite a different proposition, much more substantial, with a thick strip of outer fat that renders into a rich, beefy flavour.
For the sheer show and more complex flavour profiles, go for the British Wagyu X T-bone. It’s a bone with two very different characters: on one side, the very soft, delicate grain of the tenderloin; on the other, the deeply flavoursome, well-marbled sirloin. The Miguel Vergara Black Angus bone-in ribeye is the cut for the flavour purist. It’s extremely marbled with intramuscular fat and bastes itself as it cooks. Over high charcoal heat, it develops a crisp crust and a melt-in-your-mouth centre with incredible buttery richness.
First Bites: Giant Prawns, Warm Crusts, and Caviar
The menu is by no means restricted to steaks. Before the main event, the table fills with casual nibbles: warm focaccia with homemade butter, Halkidiki olives, smoked almonds, and fresh Carlingford oysters. From there, the opening courses provide a much more diverse introduction to the kitchen. Cornish crab tacos with Oscietra caviar bring the sweetness of the crab into play with the salty tang of the caviar. The giant tiger prawns come in a spicy bisque, their size matched by the richness and warmth of the sauce. Beef tartare arrives with bone marrow mayonnaise and a Parmesan crisp, bringing a familiar classic into the fold before attention turns to the charcoal grill. For something a bit unexpected, you can even reach across for crispy aubergine karaage or mini brisket sliders smothered in smoked cheddar and onion jam.
Heaping the Table High: Sides & Sauces
The grill extends beyond beef, too: whole rotisserie chicken for the purists, sea bass with lemon butter for those who prefer their meal aquatic. You’ll want to heap the table high with sides of golden rosemary fries, punched new potatoes, smooth truffle mash, and the classic mac and cheese. To balance the richness, add smoky greens like charred tenderstem broccoli, charred courgettes, or baby gem lettuce, all alongside generous pours of peppercorn, chimichurri, or blue cheese sauce to finish your cut.
This is a menu designed for conviviality. Begin with a scattering of small plates, progress to a communal centrepiece, and order loads of sides so that there’s no need to fight over the last bite. The bigger steaks in particular are ideal for this approach where the enjoyment is as much in the sharing of the meal as it is in the choice of what to eat
Polished, and Deep Plush Banquettes
The room understands this social aspect of the steakhouse. It’s a stunning room that is designed to be both bold and intimate, with 80 seats set amongst viola marble, dark walnut, antique mirrors, and deep red and green leather banquettes. The effect is Mayfair opulence, without being at all overly formal. The contrast is part of the appeal: the surroundings are carefully considered, but the food is shaped by a necessarily physical, immediate, and slightly unpredictable process.
Hibiscus, Smoldering Cognac, and Date-Infused Bourbon
The drinks programme is equally focused on character and depth. Head of Bar, Iván Eduardo Martínez Mora, brings together classic cocktail foundations and more unusual flavour combinations. Anhelos de Frida is a fever dream of hibiscus-infused sotol, tequila, St-Germain, vermouth, yuzu, and whey protein—floral, citrus, and unapologetically spirited. Cordelia’s Ember smolders with cognac, dry vermouth, melon, strawberry, absinthe, Dom Bénédictine, and Peychaud’s bitters. The Date Old Fashioned, bourbon steeped in dates with orange and Angostura, is a noirish riff on the familiar. For those who prefer their sparkle with a side of subversion, Rosita brings Jaffelin Blanc de Blancs Crémant Brut Rosé to the party. Our favourite was a coconut martini with rum, gin, sake and vermouth. A very clever take on a classic. One of the best martinis we have had this year.
A wine list, curated with the same discernment as the beef, completes the picture. Here, wine plays a practical role as well as a ceremonial one: the right pour slices through the richness of a rib-eye or nestles up to the smoky depths of a sharing cut. Cocktails bookend the meal with their own narrative, ensuring every chapter has its proper libation.
Simple Fire, Rich Hospitality
Cordelia’s, named for a paragon of quiet strength and generosity, is built on the old-fashioned notion that hospitality is best measured in warmth and detail. From the monogrammed napkins to the elegant marble the cuts are presented on, detail is paramount here.
The open fire is both hearth and invitation, drawing people together with equal reverence for sourcing, cooking, and service. The ambition is simple, but one which absolutely requires every single detail to be just right, from the quality of the beef and the timing of the grill through to the balance of the side dishes and the natural flow of the dining room.
At 6 Clarges Street Cordelia’s is the new address for those who simply want a great steak and a first-rate experience. There’s the performance of an open kitchen, a menu that makes space for seafood as well as brilliant cocktails, and a full table of things to pass around in a dining room that is absolutely worth your time. Ultimately, success here comes down to simple elements executed well: quality beef, real fire, and genuine hospitality.
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All images courtesy of Cordelia’s Mayfair.