October 10, 2026
Sketch restaurant in London is what happens when a venue decides that dinner alone is not enough. It wants art, staircases, bathrooms, colour, ceremony, Champagne and, somewhere within all that, a very serious kitchen.
The Conduit Street townhouse contains several different versions of itself. The Lecture Room & Library is the three-Michelin-starred dining room. The Gallery is the famous art-led brasserie and afternoon tea room. The Glade is the woodland fantasy. The Parlour does all-day dining and cocktails. The East Bar waits like a glossy little spaceship.
It is absurd, expensive and often brilliant. Nobody comes to Sketch by accident.
At a Glance
Best for: Special occasions, afternoon tea, Michelin-starred dining, cocktails and theatrical Mayfair dinners
Cuisine: Modern French at The Lecture Room & Library; modern European and brasserie-style dining elsewhere
Location: Conduit Street, Mayfair
Price: High to very high, depending on the room
Signature experiences: Lecture Room tasting menu, Gallery afternoon tea, Glade cocktails and East Bar drinks
Atmosphere: Opulent, eccentric, art-led and unapologetically theatrical
Nearest station: Oxford Circus
Booking tip: Choose the room before booking. Sketch is not one single restaurant experience.
What Is Sketch?
Sketch was created by restaurateur Mourad Mazouz and chef Pierre Gagnaire, and it remains one of London’s most distinctive dining addresses.
The house works almost like a private members’ club for people who do not need membership. Each room has its own mood, menu and level of formality. You can come for breakfast in The Glade, afternoon tea in The Gallery, cocktails in The Parlour, or the full three-star performance upstairs.
The Lecture Room & Library is the culinary headliner. It has held three Michelin stars since 2019 and serves contemporary French tasting menus with Gagnaire’s characteristically elaborate, multi-part style.
The Atmosphere and Design
Sketch’s great strength is that it still feels strange. Many London restaurants become dated once their design has been photographed too often. Sketch simply changes costume.
The Gallery, redesigned by artist Yinka Shonibare and designer India Mahdavi, replaced the old millennial-pink room with a warmer, coppery palette and African-inspired artworks. It remains one of London’s most recognisable dining rooms.
The Glade is more intimate: a forest-like bar and dining room that feels built for breakfast, afternoon tea and cocktails after dark. The Lecture Room & Library is the grandest space, all colour, upholstery and theatrical formality. Even the bathrooms are part of the mythology, which tells you quite a lot about the place.
The Menu
At Sketch, the menu depends entirely on which room you book. The Lecture Room & Library is the serious version: a multi-course Modern French experience that might involve Cornish mackerel mosaic, poached line-caught cod with mussels and black garlic, salt-marsh lamb with Vadouvan spices, or elaborate fruit and meringue desserts. This is cooking as theatre, often arriving in several parts and rarely content with one idea per plate.
The Gallery is easier to enter and easier to love. It serves dinner, set menus and afternoon tea, with the kind of polished, slightly eccentric brasserie food that suits a room designed around art, conversation and spectacle.
The Glade handles breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and cocktails, while The Parlour is the all-day, more informal option. None of this is casual in the ordinary sense. Even Sketch’s lighter rooms know they are part of the performance.
Drinks & Wine
Drinks are not secondary at Sketch. The bars are essential to the building’s rhythm, especially The Glade, The Parlour and East Bar. At The Lecture Room & Library, wine pairing is the natural route if the budget allows. Elsewhere, Champagne and cocktails often make more sense than pretending this is a restrained evening.
What to Order at Sketch
Best fine-dining experience: The Lecture Room & Library tasting menu
Best first visit: Afternoon tea in The Gallery
Best room for cocktails: The Glade or East Bar
Best relaxed option: The Parlour
Best special occasion: Dinner in The Lecture Room & Library
Best design moment: The Gallery
Best advice: Decide whether you want food, theatre, cocktails or all three before booking
For a first visit, The Gallery is the safest choice. For a serious celebration, go upstairs to The Lecture Room & Library. When drinking well, The Glade has more atmosphere than most hotel bars could dream of.
Who Is Sketch Best For?
Sketch is best for diners who want restaurants to feel like occasions. It works for birthdays, anniversaries, glamorous afternoon tea, client entertaining, London visitors and anyone who enjoys food wrapped in design, art and theatre.
It is less suited to people who dislike spectacle. Sketch does not do quiet modesty. It never has.
Is Sketch Worth Visiting?
Yes, if you choose the right room. Sketch remains one of London’s most memorable dining addresses because it understands that restaurants are not only about food. They are also about entrances, rooms, lighting, service, bathrooms, stories and the feeling of being somewhere.
The Lecture Room & Library is the serious culinary draw. The Gallery is the more accessible spectacle. The bars are useful for a shorter, less expensive visit.
It can be wildly pricey and occasionally ridiculous. That is also the point.
Practical Information
Address: 9 Conduit Street, London W1S 2XG
Area: Mayfair
Nearest station: Oxford Circus
Cuisine: Modern French, modern European, afternoon tea, cocktails and all-day dining
Lecture Room & Library lunch: Friday to Saturday, 12pm–1.30pm
Lecture Room & Library dinner: Tuesday to Thursday, 6.30pm–9pm; Friday to Saturday, 7pm–9pm
Gallery afternoon tea: Monday to Thursday, 12pm–4pm; Friday to Sunday, 11am–4.30pm
Gallery dinner: Sunday to Thursday, 5.30pm–9pm; Friday to Saturday, 5.30pm–10pm
Dress code: Smart casual for The Lecture Room & Library
Best for: Special occasions, Michelin-starred dining, afternoon tea, cocktails and design-led London dining
FAQs
What type of restaurant is Sketch?
Sketch is a multi-room Mayfair dining townhouse with restaurants and bars. It includes the three-Michelin-starred Lecture Room & Library, The Gallery, The Glade, The Parlour and East Bar.
Does Sketch have Michelin stars?
Yes. Sketch’s Lecture Room & Library holds three Michelin stars. It is the most formal and expensive dining room within Sketch.
Where is Sketch London?
Sketch is at 9 Conduit Street, London W1S 2XG, in Mayfair, close to Oxford Circus, Regent Street and Bond Street.
What should I book at Sketch?
For a first visit, book The Gallery for afternoon tea or dinner. In the case of a major special occasion, book The Lecture Room & Library. For cocktails, choose The Glade, The Parlour or East Bar.
Is Sketch expensive?
Yes. Sketch ranges from expensive to very expensive, depending on the room. The Lecture Room & Library is the highest-priced experience, while The Gallery, Glade and Parlour offer more accessible ways into the building.
Is Sketch good for a date?
Yes, especially if the date wants theatre, design and a sense of occasion. The Gallery and The Glade are better for a lighter date, while The Lecture Room & Library is better for a serious celebration.
Is Sketch good for afternoon tea?
Yes. The Gallery is one of London’s best-known afternoon tea rooms, with service available daily and a setting that feels more theatrical than most hotel afternoon teas.
Sketch Restaurant London Bookings
Capital A List members can make bookings for Sketch below.
