Why Novikov Is a Favourite with Our London Companions
There are certain London restaurants where dinner is only part of the attraction. The location, the clientele, the atmosphere and the sense of occasion all matter just as much as what arrives on the plate. Novikov, on Berkeley Street in Mayfair, is very much one of them.
It is also a restaurant that several of our Babylon Girls companions know rather well.
For an evening with a beautiful companion in London, Novikov has many of the ingredients we look for when recommending somewhere special: a prestigious Mayfair address, excellent food, glamorous surroundings and enough atmosphere to make a dinner date feel like a proper night out.
A Little Russian Influence in the Heart of Mayfair
The name provides a clue to Novikov's origins. The restaurant was established in London by Russian restaurateur Arkady Novikov, who had already built an extensive restaurant business in Moscow before bringing the Novikov name to Mayfair. Yet anyone expecting a traditional Russian restaurant may be surprised.
Rather unusually, Novikov offers two distinct restaurants under one roof: Italian and Asian. Downstairs, there is also the Lounge Bar, allowing dinner to turn naturally into cocktails and a considerably later evening.
That international mixture is perhaps one reason Novikov feels so at home in Mayfair. London at its most glamorous has never belonged to just one nationality. For some of our Russian companions in London, the Novikov name and its cosmopolitan atmosphere are already very familiar. The restaurant has long had an international reputation and attracts the sort of diverse clientele that makes Mayfair such an interesting place to spend an evening.
Novikov Asian
For a livelier dinner, the Asian restaurant would probably be our first choice. The room has a darker, more contemporary feel, with an open kitchen and a striking display of fresh seafood and vegetables inspired by an Asian food market.
The menu itself takes inspiration from Chinese and wider Pan-Asian cooking, with seafood, sushi, dim sum, meat and fish among the choices. It is sophisticated without feeling overly formal, which makes it particularly well suited to a date. There is enough happening around you to create atmosphere, but dinner still feels like an occasion shared between two people.
Our Asian companions may be able to offer their own verdict on the authenticity of individual dishes, but Novikov isn't really trying to recreate one particular country. It is a luxurious Mayfair interpretation of contemporary Asian dining – and it works especially well when you want somewhere glamorous and energetic.
Or Spend the Evening in Italy
The Italian restaurant offers a noticeably different experience. Here the imposing wood-fired oven immediately catches the eye, while oak, suede, rustic chandeliers and warmer Mediterranean influences create a softer environment. The menu concentrates on regional Italian dishes given the polished Novikov treatment.
For a romantic dinner, we might actually give the Italian side the edge. There is something naturally intimate about good Italian food, a bottle of wine and an evening when nobody is particularly interested in watching the clock. It isn't difficult to understand why some of our Italian companions in London enjoy Novikov.
And having an Italian beauty sitting opposite you certainly wouldn't do much to spoil the ambience.
Don't Necessarily Go Home After Dinner
One of Novikov's biggest advantages for a date is downstairs. The Lounge Bar means there is no need to finish dinner and immediately start deciding where to go next. Instead, the evening can simply continue over cocktails.
The bar has its own identity, with music, DJs and a decidedly late-night atmosphere. Dinner at eight can therefore quite easily become drinks at eleven without leaving the building. That makes a difference on a companion date. Constantly moving between venues can interrupt the evening; sometimes the best nights are those allowed to develop at their own pace.
Dress for the Occasion
Novikov isn't somewhere we'd choose for trainers, a hoodie and an impromptu bite to eat. The restaurant describes its dress code as smart and elegant, and that suits the surroundings perfectly.
For gentlemen accompanying one of our Babylon Girls, we'd suggest treating that as part of the enjoyment rather than an inconvenience. A smart jacket, a good shirt and proper shoes won't feel remotely out of place. And it’s what any of our Mayfair escorts would expect, after all.
Likewise, this is exactly the kind of restaurant where an elegant dress and heels can come out of the wardrobe. When your dinner companion has made an effort to look spectacular, it is only reasonable to return the favour.
Is Novikov Expensive?
Yes – and that's rather beside the point. Novikov is a premium Mayfair restaurant. This isn't somewhere to choose because you're looking for the cheapest dinner in central London. You're paying for the location, ingredients, service, atmosphere and the experience of spending an evening in one of London's established luxury dining destinations.
Add good wine or champagne, cocktails afterwards and perhaps a few of the more indulgent choices from the menu, and this can become an expensive evening quite quickly. But Novikov isn't trying to compete with the neighbourhood trattoria.
It is selling Mayfair/
A Babylon Girls Favourite
There are newer restaurants in London and certainly restaurants with more Michelin stars, but longevity counts for something in Mayfair. Fashionable venues appear remarkably quickly in this part of London and sometimes disappear just as fast.
Novikov has endured because it understands its audience. It is glamorous without becoming painfully formal. The crowd is international. You can choose Italian or Asian depending upon your mood, and when dinner finishes there is a bar downstairs waiting to continue the evening.
Most importantly, it is somewhere our companions actually enjoy visiting. And that matters to us.
A dinner date should never feel as though you've simply selected the most expensive restaurant Google could find. The best choice is somewhere both of you can relax, enjoy yourselves and perhaps allow dinner to become a much longer evening than originally planned.
With the right company, Novikov is very good at that.
Novikov Restaurant & Bar
50A Berkeley Street
Mayfair
London W1J 8HA
Italian Restaurant | Asian Restaurant | Lounge Bar