The Audley Public House in Mayfair sounds very good indeed

The Audley Public House in Mayfair has been a long time coming and it finally reopened this week after a lengthy restoration by the hospitality group Artfarm. 

As expected, the bar and dining room have been ‘faithfully restored’, ‘remaining true to the original, listed interior’ which dates back to the 19th century. 

Inside, the pub has its original features, one of which is a striking ceiling clock with ‘The Audley’ carved into it. A Monday announcement from Artfarm – the company behind The Roth Bar & Grill in Somerset and The Fife Arms in Braemer – said it took ‘a team of six French polishers eight weeks to bring it back to life’. 

The food at The Audley, meanwhile, is ‘far from that served at a gastropub’, with a menu designed by head chef Jamie Shears. Daily dishes are displayed on a chalkboard behind the bar and include smoked eel and horseradish on toast, a traditional soup of split peas and ham hock, and a fish finger sandwich with tartare sauce.

Snacks? Scotch eggs, sausage rolls, crab on toast, London Particular (that old classic soup with bacon), and half a pint of prawns. Sandwiches too, don’t worry. 

On the bar are local beers from the independent Sambrook’s Brewery, as well as London Pride and Guinness, and on the ceiling is ‘a bright and exuberant artwork by acclaimed British artist Phyllida Barlow’. There are also works by Martin Creed, Rodney Graham, and Don McCullin.

Artfarm CEO Ewan Venters said: ‘The word Audley is English Anglo Saxon for ‘old friend’ and the pub has been an old friend to people who live and work in Mayfair, ever since it opened in Edwardian times. 

‘We wanted it to remain just that. This area is so rich in culture and history, and where better for those stories to continue than at the local pub?’

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