Michelin-starred OMA (pictured left) and Soho gastropub The Devonshire (pictured right) both serve 'feasting menus'.
Feasting Menus In London: Behind The Trend
Anyone who has eaten out with me knows that I'm a sucker for small plates. The best friends of the indecisive and anyone who wants to try a little bit of everything, these sharing dishes have become a mainstay of dining out in the UK, with an ever-increasing popularity to rival the more traditional a la carte menu.
Along a similar vein, group dining is being taken over by 'feasting menus'; a scaled-up version of the sharing plates trend, but as a set menu designed to feed larger numbers. Imagine tables laden with the restaurant's signature dishes, often served family-style to delve out among yourselves. Thanks to minimal decision-making needed and a reasonable price tag compared to dining a la carte, these feasting concepts are proving quite the hit - rolling out to some of the biggest brands and top restaurants in the business.
With group dining and restaurants for groups searches up 28% on DesignMyNight in the last 6 months, there are more of us than ever looking for the perfect meal to have alongside friends and family. So, if you want to try out a feasting menu, find more information and my recommendations of where to book below.
What Is A Feasting Menu?
Feasting menus are usually:
- set menus for groups.
- served family-style, with dishes spread across the table for everyone to share between them.
Where Can I Find A Feasting Menu In London?
1. The Devonshire
- Location: 17, Denman Street, Soho W1D 7HW
- Why I recommend: The Devonshire offers elevated pub food that's perfect to share with a group, all served at a proper British boozer that also boasts exceptional pints of Guinness
- Menu: from white crab salad and Iberico pork chop to lamb cutlets, creamed leaks and duck fat chips, alongside sticky toffee pudding and bread and butter pudding after, this spread of gastro grub is ready to fill you up with classic British dishes done right
- Price: £90 per person
The Devonshire's private dining room (pictured) makes the perfect setting for their feasting menu of British gastro grub.
2. OMA
- Location: 3 Bedale Street, Borough SE1 9AL
- Why I recommend: OMA is a Michelin star Greek restaurant that promises exceptional quality and a gorgeous, contemporary setting, with a very reasonable price tag for their feasting menu - considering their reputation
- Menu: Cornish seabass crudo with ladolemono and crispy leek, porchetta souvla with salsa verde, and oxtail giouvetsi alongside bone marrow pangrattato make up just some of the modern Greek dishes on OMA's feasting menus
- Price: £65 or £85 per person, depending on your chosen tier
Expect Michelin star quality from your family-style meal at Greek restaurant OMA, from trios of dips (right) to porchetta (left).
3. Amazonico
- Location: 10 Berkeley Square, Mayfair W1J 6BR
- Why I recommend: for a feasting menu celebrating South American flavours in an aesthetically beautiful, Amazonian-themed setting, Amazonico is the top choice
- Menu: the Asado menu, available at weekend lunchtimes between 12 and 4pm, features dishes like their Espetada (Brazilian-inspired grilled chicken thighs), Mexican-style stone bass ceviche with avocado cream and jalapeño, Lomo de Aguja (Chimichurri-marinated Denver steak) and the iconic Pão de Queijo (Brazilian cassava cheese bread)
- Price: £65 per person
Feasting menu dishes at Amazonico (pictured) are as vibrant as the setting.
4. JANG
- Location: The Mezzanine, The Royal Exchange, City of London EC3V 3LQ
- Why I recommend: this Korean-Japanese fusion feasting menu of quality BBQ meats is perfect to eat while overlooking the mezzanine into The Royal Exchange - making it special occasion-ready
- Menu: the JANG feast is a BBQ platter to share, featuring duck breast, spicy gochujang lamb rack, dry-aged sirloin and sides ranging from rice to seaweed salad
- Price: £95 for every two to three people
Dig into your BBQ feast (pictured left) while gazing out from on-high at JANG's mezzanine location at The Royal Exchange (right).
5. Milk Beach Soho
- Location: Ilona Rose House, Manette Street, Soho W1D 4AL
- Why I recommend: Milk Beach is my pick for a modern Australian take on the feast menu, which includes a blend of Pan-Asian and Pacific Rim influences - just like at restaurants Down Under
- Menu: there are two tiers of large sharing group menus here, with dishes spanning the likes of sliced yellowfin tuna with fresh peach and basil, Szechuan aubergine karaage, Belted Galloway ribeye in oyster and tarragon butter, and burrata with grilled apricot, black olive and almonds
- Price: £56 or £69 per person, depending on your chosen tier
Milk Beach has modern Australian dishes designed for sharing on their large sharing group menu (pictured).
6. Dishoom
- Locations: Battersea, Canary Wharf, Carnaby, Covent Garden, Kensington, King's Cross, Shoreditch
- Why I recommend: groups of 10 or more searching for mountains of classic dishes from Bombay won't be disappointed by this ever-popular restaurant's menu, which also happens to be the most affordable on my list
- Menu: a choice of non-veg, vegetarian and vegan group feasting menus packed with house favourite dishes, such as black daal, chicken ruby, and mattar paneer
- Price: from £39.00 per person for lunch; from £52 per person for dinner
Dishoom's Bombay Irani cafes boast lunch and dinner feast menus (pictured) catered to meat-eaters, vegans and vegetarians.
7. Bacchanalia
- Location: 1 Mount Street, Mayfair W1K 3NA
- Why I recommend: when you're looking to splash the cash on a special occasion, surrounded by odes to Greek and Roman mythology in a drop-dead gorgeous space, there's no better
- Menu: a luxury experience is on the cards for groups of seven and more, with two tiers of group feasting menu including salt crust sea bass and lobster paccheri pasta with a black truffle and creamy bisque sauce
- Price: £75 or £120 per person, depending on your chosen tier
Bacchanalia oozes elegance on all fronts, including Greco-Roman-inspired interiors (pictured left) and luxury feast menus (right).
8. Elliot's
- Location: 12 Stoney Street, Borough Market SE1 9AD & 121-123 Mare Street, Hackney E8 3RH
- Why I recommend: seven or more guests can sit down at the two different Elliot's locations in London for a prime British meal, cooked with ingredients sourced daily from suppliers within Borough Market and using English wood and charcoal. Plus, there's even handy pre-paired wine options to add to your meal too
- Menu: both the feasting and premium feasting menus here feature some of the restaurant's best dishes, like potato flatbread with trout roe, crème fraîche and chive butter or the ex-dairy bone-in sirloin with red wine, shallot and lardo
- Price: £55 or £90 per person, depending on your chosen tier
Scandi styling at Elliot's (Hackney restaurant, pictured left) complements feasts made of local produce, served family-style (right).
Discover more recommendations for special group occasions with the best restaurants for private dining in London.
