Ресторан Gymkhana в Лондоне требует бронирования за два месяца из-за ажиотажа

Londoners hoping to dine at one of the city's most sought-after restaurants might need to plan months ahead. Gymkhana, located on Albemarle Street in Mayfair, has become one of the capital’s hardest reservations to secure, especially for those wanting a table on a Friday or Saturday night. Reservations open two months in advance, and popular dinner slots can vanish quickly. Recent booking guidance suggests that weekend tables are snapped up within an hour. Weekday lunches, on the other hand, are generally easier to secure. One of London's most acclaimed Indian restaurants Gymkhana opened in 2013 and is inspired by the private clubs, known as gymkhanas, associated with colonial India. It has since become one of London’s best-known destinations for high-end Indian cooking and currently boasts two Michelin stars. READ MORE: - The London bus routes affected by timetable changes this week - The hidden passengers making life miserable on the London Underground - Charing Cross and Waterloo East reopen after huge upgrade The Michelin Guide describes its cooking as predominantly Northern Indian in style, commending the "balance, sophistication, and depth" of the dishes. Some of the restaurant’s best-known dishes include its tandoori masala lamb chops and kid goat methi keema, both singled out by Michelin. The lamb chops, in particular, have garnered something of a cult following, with restaurant guide The Infatuation calling Gymkhana a London landmark and one of the best places to eat in the capital. The restaurant itself The appeal of Gymkhana extends beyond its food. It is spread across two floors, with booths on the ground floor and a more intimate basement dining room below. The interiors draw inspiration from old Indian gymkhana clubs, creating a darker, more atmospheric setting than many traditional fine-dining restaurants. Michelin notes that the ground-floor booths are particularly well-suited for lunch, while the red basement offers a more intimate atmosphere. Its location places it right in the heart of Mayfair, at 42 Albemarle Street, close to Green Park. The challenge of booking a table The high demand for dinner and weekend reservations makes it challenging to secure a table at Gymkhana. The restaurant’s official website states that all availability is displayed online, meaning diners hoping for a particular date are dependent on the slots shown through its booking system. Current booking guides indicate that reservations are released around two months in advance, with Friday and Saturday dinner slots among the first to disappear. This means the idea of a "months-long waiting list" is slightly misleading. Rather than simply joining a queue and waiting months for a table, diners often need to book as soon as reservations for their chosen date are released. Gymkhana’s popularity has previously even led to issues with bots and reservation resale websites. In 2025, the restaurant stated that cancellations, no-shows, and reservation reselling were among the reasons it introduced a minimum spend for dinner. For those determined to visit, a weekday lunch appears to offer a better chance of getting a table than a prime Saturday night reservation. Gymkhana is located at 42 Albemarle Street, Mayfair, London, W1S 4JH. It is open for lunch from 12pm until 2.30pm and dinner from 5.30pm until 10.30pm, seven days a week.