Aulis London is an intimate, highly creative 12-seat chef's-table experience with exceptional cooking and hospitality, but its £195 menu, costly pairings, restrictive booking terms, and occasional dietary-service shortcomings make it a serious splurge.
Aulis London delivers exceptional food quality and service excellence that justify its Michelin-starred reputation, with knowledgeable staff and precise execution across most courses. Consistency between snacks and mains occasionally wavers, and the intimate counter setting, while charming, lacks the visual drama that would elevate the experience further. At this level, the premium pricing reflects the caliber of cooking and attentive hospitality rather than any operational shortfall.
Tucked into a small Soho lane, Aulis feels more like entering a working culinary studio than a conventional dining room. The evening begins in a lounge before moving to an intimate counter where the chefs cook and plate within arm's reach; guests describe the atmosphere as relaxed, warm, and quietly theatrical. With only about 12 seats, it is personal by design, though the shared setting means your neighbors can influence the mood. The cooking is modern British at its most experimental: British seafood, farm-linked produce, fermented elements, smoke, acidity, and playful desserts arrive as a long sequence of carefully explained bites. The beetroot and eel, lobster, cheese-based dessert, and non-alcoholic drinks receive especially enthusiastic mentions, while a minority of diners find some courses repetitive, overly smoky, salty, or less accomplished than the snacks. The £195 menu is not casual dining money; pairings can push the bill dramatically higher, so the experience needs to be the occasion rather than an incidental meal. This is not a natural choice for children or conservative eaters. The menu contains sophisticated seafood, raw beef, fermented flavors, unusual textures, and highly composed desserts rather than familiar kids' staples; reviews provide no evidence of a children's menu. Families with adventurous older teenagers might enjoy the theatre, but the price, long tasting format, tiny shared room, and reservation pressure make Aulis best suited to adults celebrating something or pursuing a serious food experience.
Area vibe: Vibrant, nightlife-focused central district with a dense mix of dining and entertainment venues.
Safety: Busy and well-lit at night though pockets can be noisy and crowded; stay aware of pickpockets on busy streets.
What's nearby: Close to Oxford Street, Regent Street, Soho theatres, bars, and dense restaurant streets like Frith Street and Dean Street.
The tasting menu’s standouts include beetroot with eel, Dorset blue lobster, and a playful fig leaf dessert, with an £89 non-alcoholic pairing available.
Expect a prepaid, highly experimental tasting experience in a tiny room, with substantial extra costs and limited flexibility for conservative or restricted diets.
A relaxed lounge-to-counter experience puts you close to the chefs, though the tiny shared room and long tasting format are better suited to adults than children.