There are restaurants worth booking. There are restaurants worth crossing a city for. And then there are restaurants worth boarding a flight for. MA/NA, newly arrived in Mayfair, belongs firmly in the latter category.
If London has always excelled at reinvention, then MA/NA feels like its latest sleight of hand: a restaurant that begins in Kyoto and ends somewhere around midnight in 1970s Tokyo, with a martini in hand and absolutely no intention of checking the time.
Tucked into the capital’s most coveted postcode, this is the newest opening from the Thesleff Group—the hospitality force behind Los Mochis, JUNO, LUNA Omakase and Sale e Pepe—and it arrives with all the confidence of a venue that already knows it will be impossible to secure a table in six months’ time.
The name derives from the Japanese philosophy of mana, the belief that every ingredient possesses an invisible power. It sounds wonderfully mystical, but it wisely avoids becoming a meditation retreat disguised as a restaurant. Instead, it channels that philosophy into something far more seductive: exceptional food, faultless cocktails and an atmosphere that evolves as the evening unfolds. The room itself is reason enough to book the Eurostar.
Designed by Los Angeles studio OV&CO, the interiors strike a delicate balance between serenity and spectacle. Think Ginza in autumn colliding elegantly with Kyoto after dark. A dramatic dragon-shaped banquette coils through the dining room like a scene-stealing Bond villain, while a molten hand-blown lighting installation glows overhead with cinematic intent. It is luxurious without shouting about it—a rarity in modern London.
Then comes the food.
Executive Chef Leo Tanyag has created a menu that moves confidently between Japanese tradition and contemporary refinement. The O-Toro Tartare arrives as a masterclass in restraint, allowing fatty bluefin tuna, fresh wasabi and truffle soy to perform their own quiet theatre. The Avocado Aburi, meanwhile, proves that even the most overexposed ingredient can still surprise when paired with teriyaki mushrooms and just enough heat to keep things interesting. And then there is the A5 Wagyu Ishiyaki.
Presented on a Himalayan stone and seared tableside, it possesses the sort of effortless glamour that feels almost impossible not to photograph. Yet unlike many luxury dishes, this one delivers on the promise. MA/NA is also among the select few restaurants in London officially certified to serve genuine Kobe beef, sourced exclusively from the revered Tajima strain of Japanese Black cattle raised in Hyōgo Prefecture. Order it. Obviously.
But perhaps the cleverest thing about MA/NA is that dinner is merely the first act.
As plates disappear, the restaurant subtly transforms. The lights lower. The music deepens. Conversations linger longer than intended. Suddenly, what began as a refined Japanese dining experience becomes one of Mayfair’s most compelling cocktail destinations.
The bar program, overseen by Pietro Collina—whose résumé includes Viajante87, NoMad, Side Hustle and Eleven Madison Park—is rooted in the precision and ritual of Japanese bartending, yet infused with a distinctly glamorous 1970s Tokyo energy.
The Noble Martini is exactly the sort of drink one imagines ordering before receiving highly classified information. The Goya Sour arrives with tropical brightness and elegant complexity. The Bamboo Piña Colada is perhaps the evening’s most charming surprise: playful enough to be fun, sophisticated enough to avoid cliché.
Resident DJs take over as the night progresses, gently nudging the room from dinner destination to after-dark sanctuary. It’s a transition that feels seamless, almost inevitable. Which is ultimately what makes this dining destination so compelling.
In a city crowded with excellent restaurants, it offers something increasingly rare: a complete evening. Not merely somewhere to eat, but somewhere to disappear into. A place where exceptional cooking, world-class cocktails, thoughtful design and a touch of fantasy coexist under one roof.
So if you’re traveling to London for one restaurant this year, make it MA/NA.
After all, flights can be rebooked.
Reservations, increasingly, cannot.
Visit www.MANArestaurants.com to book your table.
By: Lucas Raven
