Automat is open again, this time behind the Tanner Krolle shopfront on Mount Street. Minimal signage, little indication from the street that anything sits behind it, but worth tracking down. This is the 2025 return of the famous Automat, gone quiet since its Dover Street days, now back like it never left.
The dining room runs low-lit and close. The cocktails come straight from the Autobar, classic and signature. The food is American, tidied up for a Mayfair postcode. Summer crudites arrive intertwined with ice, stacked around a pool of whipped feta. The pizzette comes with whole blistered cherry tomatoes, basil wilting from the heat and chilli flakes sprinkled as an added kick. Automat’s chicken nuggets with a large helping of chive ranch and a spoon of Oscietra on top, the caviar catching you off guard against the fried batter. Red prawn tartare sits glossy with olive oil, Amalfi lemon cutting through the sweetness, the prawn cut thick enough to still have bite.
The absolute no brainer is the house cheeseburger. Holding its shape under melting American cheese, house sauce dripping down the side of the bun before you’ve even picked it up, with half an enormous pickle for when you need respite from the richness. The roasted half chicken comes with Frenchie’s mustard mayo pooled at the edge of the plate, skin crackling under the knife. Apple pie arrives last, a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting fast against the warm package.
Records keep spinning long after the last plates go, 9-inch records stacked by the bar for late joiners and those who stick around. An Automat Margarita or a Negroni does the job early, a Peach Whisky Sour or Cosmopolitan later on when conversation drops to whoever’s across the table.
