Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley

Marcus Wareing’s two-Michelin-starred restaurant is among our members’ favourite London venues

Members choose Marcus Wareing:

To dine at a two Michelin-starred restaurant where you actually can experience the named chef cooking in the kitchen.
To impress: whether it’s lunch with clients or a first date, this is a venue for a memorable meal. And with no turnaround on the tables it’s one that you can take your time over.
For the chef’s table. It’s one of our favourites in London, and offers a chance to ask the star chef for some cooking tips.

What’s in a name?

After a decade at the helm of Gordon Ramsay’s Petrus, where he earned two Michelin stars, Marcus Wareing left his mentor behind in 2008. Ramsay kept the Petrus name, but Wareing kept the restaurant, the staff and almost everything else.

'Petrus was among our members’ favourite restaurants,' says Hernan Castro-Vidal, one of our restaurant experts. 'Despite being owned by Ramsay, it was emphatically Wareing’s venue, so it was no surprise to find the only thing that changed was the name above the door.' Wareing has retained his two Michelin stars (and is hotly tipped for a third) and the cooking is as precise as it ever was.

Classic French technique emphasises the flavours of seasonal ingredients with a British influence, presented with a modern, theatrical flourish. Wild sea trout comes with a nettle salsa, the foie gras is complemented with a smoky dose of lapsang souchong, and toast foam accompanies the quail.

Unlike other celebrity chefs, Wareing prefers the heat of the kitchen to the glow of the spotlight. 'Marcus is a super hands-on chef,' says Hernan. 'If you book the chef’s table you’ll see him in the kitchen. The entire table can let the chef know their likes and dislikes and he will create a fabulous menu. Let the sommelier advise on wines to match the chef’s table menu. It makes for a great dining experience – pure culinary theatre.'

The decor too remains luxurious, swathed in the same rich claret as before. Large windows flood the space with light during the lunch service and as the evening draws in the venue takes on a suitably seductive tone.

It’s a restaurant as well suited to a business lunch as it is to an impressive first date or anniversary dinner, and the private dining room can seat 16 for a special occasion. It’s called the Pomerol Room, named after the appellation in which Château Pétrus makes its wine. An irreverent aside aimed at the venue’s former owner? Perhaps, but as Wareing said, 'You're not eating the name – to me it's irrelevant to what is inside.'

Insider tips

Member offer: Marcus Wareing will prepare a six-course surprise tasting menu for our members featuring dishes that aren’t on the à la carte. Ask us to arrange.
Get there early: the table’s yours for the whole evening. 'The last time I went I arrived at 6.30pm and left at 11pm,' says Hernan. 'No-one’s rushing you to turn the table around. This is a venue where you can really spend time.'
Leave room for the bon bon trolley. 'The rock salt and caramel truffle is divine,' says Hernan.

Guide price

Lunch menu – £38 for three courses. À la carte – £75 for three courses. Prestige tasting menu – £95 for seven courses. Gourmand tasting menu – £115 for nine courses.