A food hall inside a church in central London: what it is and how to get in

Central London has a food hall inside a working church building: Mercato Mayfair occupies St Mark's Church on North Audley Street, W1K 6ZA. The building carries the highest level of protection, Grade I. Stained glass, pointed arches, and beneath them kitchens from around the world.

What is inside

The site has run since 2019 and spans three levels. The main floor is where the pews once stood. The crypt holds bars and restaurants. The first-floor gallery has more restaurants and seating. And there is a rooftop terrace on top of that.

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The cuisines are international, and the operation leans on fresh, sustainably sourced ingredients. Among the residents are the Italian deli Frico, the Roman pizzeria La Rosetta, a terrace bar and dessert counters.

Opening hours

Open seven days a week including bank holidays. Monday to Thursday, 9am to 11pm. Friday and Saturday, 9am to midnight. Sunday, 9am to 10.30pm.

Which means you can come for breakfast and coffee at nine in the morning or for a late dinner.

About tables

The venue warns about this itself: Mayfair gets very busy, and table bookings are only accepted for parties of six or more. You cannot reserve for two or four — you turn up, and the team does its best to find space for walk-ins.

The practical conclusion: if you want to be certain of a table, come on a weekday or before one in the afternoon. On a Friday or Saturday evening a place like this feels like a station concourse.

If Mayfair is full

The same group has two more London sites, and both are larger.

Elephant & Castle, 42 Newington Causeway, SE1 6DR, is one of London's largest sustainable community food markets: 17,000 square feet and more than forty independent traders. It has outdoor piazzas, indoor warehouses and a garden area with bars and seating.

Wood Wharf, 6 George St, E14 9QG, sits in Canary Wharf's new riverside neighbourhood and has run since May 2022. Five indoor and outdoor spaces, including private garden igloos overlooking the river and a basement karaoke suite. The hours differ: Sunday to Wednesday 11am to 11pm, Thursday to Saturday 11am to midnight. Breakfast and coffee start earlier — 9am on weekdays, 8am at weekends.

Why go at all

The main reason is not the food but the building. Eating under the stained glass and stone vaulting of a nineteenth-century church is an experience with almost no equivalent in London, and there is no charge to walk in.

The second reason is practical: this is one of the few decent ways to eat in Mayfair without a restaurant bill. The area is expensive, and a food hall works on the principle of picking a counter and paying that counter — so you control the budget yourself.