London’s love affair with polished minimalism has gone too far, and all we’re left with is soulless stone counters, concrete floors and fifty shades of beige. Which is why The Parlour at Great Scotland Yard truly does stand out.

Not only is this place the epitome of maximalism (mixed with style and comfort), it now offers a brand-new all-day menu for breakfast through to dinner. The menu reimagines British comfort through a modern, Swedish lens and, lucky us – we got to try it. Read on for a review of the space and dining menu.

The Parlour

Tucked inside the grand five-star hotel, The Parlour is the kind of dining room that makes you exhale before the first sip of wine. Think dim lighting, plush upholstery, velvety pillows, and landscape wallpaper. It’s brimming with greenery and personality.

It’s a small space with only a few tables but it has the air of a sumptuous grandmother’s dining room (if your grandmother were a very elegant woman with a taste for silverware and martinis). The setting is opulent but not intimidating. Much the opposite, actually: it really invites you to sit down, relax, and enjoy your meal.

What’s new?

You may know The Parlour at Great Scotland Yard for its afternoon tea (if you don’t – it’s worth Googling). But this season, it’s had something of a glow-up. The hotel has introduced a new all-day dining concept that carries you from breakfast to dinner, with a homely yet inspired menu.

Breakfast has been reimagined by Michelin-starred chef Niklas Ekstedt, best known for his wood-fired Nordic cooking at Ekstedt at the Yard. Here, he’s brought a touch of Sweden to Westminster. Dishes include:

• Smoked Juniper Salmon Smørrebrød stacked on rye and caraway bread
• Toast Skagen with shrimp in dill mayonnaise
• Cinnamon Eggy Bread served with berry jam and vanilla crème fraîche

Alongside them come buttery pastries, yoghurt with fermented berries, and a few healthy extras like kombucha and detox shots. No sad cereal bowls here.

The weekday set menu is the same for both lunch and dinner. Starters include baked scallops with leeks, beef carpaccio, and roast beetroot for the vegetarians out there (more on this one below). These lead into comforting mains like Dover sole with samphire, black leg chicken stew, and a British classic: butcher’s banger and mash.

Vegetarians can go for the Wild Mushroom & Stilton Trofie Pasta and add truffle (real truffle, let’s just confirm) for £15. Desserts are the definition of British comfort food, particularly the “proper sticky toffee pudding” (more on that below). There’s also the cake of the day, a chocolate and salted caramel delice, and a lemon posset. You can see the full menu here.

Our review of the dining menu

Now that we covered the vibe check, it’s time to talk about what we were actually there for: the food. We tried the Roast Beetroot – a neatly layered cylinder of ruby beets sitting on a base of hazelnut cream, topped with golden beet slices, candied walnuts, dill and watercress. The beets were cooked to that sweet spot between firm and yielding, and the smooth, nutty cream underneath softened the earthiness. Beetroot is always a winner, but this dish elevated it – it was clean, balanced, and made the humble veg shine. A generous portion, too.

The Wild Mushroom & Stilton Trofie Pasta followed. The only veggie course on the menu, but where there’s truffle, there’s happiness. The pasta was not just visually stunning but perfectly al dente, with just the right bite to it. It was mixed with wild mushrooms and folded through a Stilton cream that was rich and, oddly enough, far from heavy. The truffle shaved over the top added some warmth and depth, but admittedly, it didn’t taste quite truffley enough (especially considering you have to pay an extra £15 for it). It wasn’t the best pasta we’ve ever had, but then again, after a few trips to Italy, no pasta will be.

Dessert, however, was a proper comfort act. The Sticky Toffee Pudding came in a wide, dark bowl with a puddle of glossy molasses caramel and a scoop of clotted ice cream melting slowly into it. The sponge was dense and sticky in all the right ways. Buttery, deeply flavoured, and balanced by the cool cream.

And because nothing truly satisfies a sweet tooth, we tried the cake of the day too. On that day, it was a classic baked cheesecake topped with berry compote – much lighter than the pudding: smooth, slightly tangy, and just sweet enough.

Drinks-wise, you’ll be pleased to know there are plenty of great wines on offer. The menu includes Whispering Angel if you enjoy rosé, Chianti and Argentinian Malbec for reds, and Veuve for sparkling.

The verdict

Dinner at The Parlour feels like dining on a film set. There’s the old, the ornate, and the indulgent all stitched together with warmth. And while the food nods to tradition, there’s enough modern polish to keep it interesting. The Parlour manages to be both grand and genuinely cosy – for once, a restaurant with character that lives up to how it looks.

The Parlour at Great Scotland Yard Hotel, 3–5 Great Scotland Yard, London SW1A 2HN
All-day dining now open | Breakfast by Niklas Ekstedt served daily 7:30–11:30am | Lunch and Dinner 12:00–20:00
Follow @gsy_london and visit the official website for bookings.

See also our review of Clays Soho, Angela Hartnett’s new Covent Garden restaurant, and Solaya in Shoreditch.