By James Whitmore, Editor-in-Chief
Last updated: 7 October 2026
The Mistress of Mayfair dress code is smart and elegant, and the door applies it strictly: dressed-up evening wear for women, a collared shirt, tailored trousers and proper shoes for men, and no trainers, hoodies, caps or sportswear for anyone. This guide sets out exactly what to wear, what gets refused, how the door works, the ID rules, when to arrive and whether to come on the guestlist or with a table, as of October 2026.
Mistress of Mayfair sits below street level at 48-49 St James's Street, SW1A 1JT, a couple of minutes' walk from Green Park station. Time Out describes a dark, Parisian-inspired restaurant and lounge of red velvet and chandeliers serving modern French food. The room is small (around 250 capacity in London Night Guide's venue data), which is one reason the door is selective: in a basement this size, how a group looks and behaves changes the room for everyone else.
The Mistress of Mayfair dress code in one line
Smart and elegant, dressed for an evening in Mayfair rather than a night in a warehouse club. London Night Guide's venue data and the booking-desk data we work from give the same code, and the booking data describes it as strict. If an outfit would look out of place at a smart restaurant in St James's, it will look out of place at this door.
The simplest test is the shoes. Smart shoes or heels almost always pass; trainers almost never do, however expensive or clean they are.
What women should wear
For women, the code means evening wear with some polish:
- Dresses: a cocktail dress, a slip dress or a smart midi all suit the room. Red velvet and chandeliers reward something a little glamorous.
- Elegant trousers: tailored or wide-leg trousers with a chic top are just as acceptable as a dress, and they are the practical choice in winter.
- Shoes: heels or dress boots are what the code names. If you choose anything flatter, make sure it looks like evening wear, not daytime shoes.
- Layers: a smart coat for the walk from Green Park. There is no benefit in arriving cold in a thin dress, and a good coat reads as part of the outfit.
What to avoid: anything that looks like sportswear or gym wear, hoodies, baseball caps and trainers, including fashion trainers.
What men should wear
Men are where most refusals happen at smart London doors, so it is worth getting this right:
- Shirt or knit: a collared shirt, buttoned and tucked or well fitted, or a fine-knit jumper or polo. A blazer is optional but never wrong.
- Trousers: tailored trousers are the safe choice. The booking desk data also accepts dark denim, but it has to be clean, dark and well cut; faded, ripped or baggy jeans are a gamble you do not need to take.
- Shoes: leather shoes, loafers or smart boots. No trainers.
- No: sportswear, tracksuits, football shirts, hoodies, caps or shorts.
For a December night out, a dark overcoat over a shirt and knit is the easiest way to look right at the door and stay warm on St James's Street.
What gets refused at the door
The data is consistent on the items that are not permitted:
- trainers of any kind
- hoodies and sweatshirts
- caps and hats worn as streetwear
- sportswear, tracksuits and gym clothes
- casual attire in general: think daytime T-shirts, shorts and flip-flops
Clothing is only half of it. The door also turns away guests who have clearly pre-drunk too much, and that rule applies however well dressed the group is.
The door, ID and age
Mistress of Mayfair runs a door selection policy. In the booking data, mixed groups and couples are preferred, and all-male groups are assessed at the door, which in practice means a group of men without a booking should expect questions and possibly a refusal. Arriving together, sober and dressed to the code is what gets a group in.
Age and ID. Entry is for over-18s only, and every guest needs a valid physical photo ID, so bring the card or passport itself rather than a photo of it on your phone. Expect it to be scanned at the door: ID scanning is a condition of the venue's licence.
What changed in 2026. Westminster City Council suspended the venue's premises licence in August 2026 after a serious incident and breaches of licence conditions, pending a full review (Westminster City Council statement). At that review in September 2026 the council allowed Mistress of Mayfair to keep trading under stricter conditions, including restrictions that stop it operating as a dancefloor, an earlier end to alcohol sales on Sundays and door staff in clearly identifiable clothing. For guests, that means a firmer door, ID scanned on entry and a night built around dinner, drinks and the room rather than a dancefloor. If dancing is the point of your night, plan a second stop.
When to arrive
The night has a dinner-and-lounge rhythm, and Time Out lists Mistress of Mayfair as opening from 7pm, Wednesday to Saturday. Arrival works best in two ways:
- With a dinner or table booking: arrive at the time on your confirmation. Tables are held for an arrival window, and a group that turns up together and on time is seated faster than one drifting in over an hour.
- On the guestlist: earlier is better. In London Night Guide's guestlist data, entry is free or reduced before midnight and costs more later; the booking desk data puts entry anywhere from complimentary to around 30 pounds depending on the night and time, as of October 2026.
Because the licence conditions changed in September 2026, finishing times and Sunday hours may differ from older listings online. Confirm the format and the last entry time for your night when you book.
Guestlist or table?
The guestlist suits women and small mixed groups who want to see the room without committing to a spend. It is free to join through the Mistress of Mayfair guestlist page, and guestlist guests still have to meet the dress code and the door policy in full. The booking desk data treats the guestlist as ladies only, so men and mixed groups should not rely on it.
A table is the dependable route for men, mixed groups, birthdays and anyone with a fixed plan. A table guarantees entry for the people on the booking, comes with bottle service and a host, and takes the door question out of the night. London Night Guide's Mistress of Mayfair table booking page lists normal-night minimum spends from 500 pounds on Thursdays and Sundays to 1,000 pounds on Saturdays as of October 2026; the current minimum for your date is confirmed when you book. For small private groups, Time Out notes two semi-private dining rooms for up to 20 guests.
If you want to dance afterwards
Since the venue can no longer operate as a dancefloor, many groups will want somewhere to go next. Other rooms with the same smart and elegant standard include Dear Darling and Selene, both open Thursday to Sunday in London Night Guide's venue data; check the Dear Darling dress code before you go, since an outfit that passes at Mistress of Mayfair will pass there too. For the general rules across London's smarter clubs, see our guide to London club dress codes.
Book Mistress of Mayfair
Send us your date, group size and what kind of night you want, by WhatsApp or through the guestlist and table pages. We confirm the dress code, the door policy and the format for your night before you set off, so nobody in the group is turned away for the wrong shoes.