Private Dining London

Two private dining venues in central London: Mayfair and Soho

Bocconcino has two private dining venues in central London. Mayfair sits at 19 Berkeley Street, with dedicated private dining rooms across the lower ground floor. Soho is at 59 Great Marlborough Street, with private dining configurations within the restaurant and the option to combine with Sotto Bar downstairs. Both venues run on the same regional Italian menu, the same 300-plus bottle Italian wine list, and the same standard of kitchen and floor service. The difference between the two is the atmosphere and the format, and the right venue depends on the kind of private dinner you are planning.

Mayfair: a more formal private dining setting

Bocconcino Mayfair on Berkeley Street is the more formal of the two private dining venues. The lower ground floor has dedicated private dining rooms with capacity from a small dinner party (eight) up to larger seated events (up to forty depending on the configuration). The rooms can be combined for a single larger event or used independently for smaller dinners. The setting suits a corporate dinner, an anniversary, a milestone birthday or a wedding rehearsal dinner.

Mayfair works for both formal seated dinners and higher-energy dinners with live music, with the two atmospheres available across the ground floor and the lower ground floor private dining rooms. Board dinners, corporate client entertainment, milestone birthdays in the 40-plus bracket, wedding-related dinners and other special occasions all land naturally at Mayfair. The Italian tasting menu can be arranged in advance with sommelier-led wine pairings, and bespoke menus and audio-visual setups are available on request. See /private-dining-mayfair for the venue-specific page.

Soho: more flexible, with a basement bar

Bocconcino Soho on Great Marlborough Street is the more flexible private dining venue. Capacity runs from small private dining configurations within the restaurant (eight to twenty) up to larger group bookings (forty seated, higher on standing receptions). The option to combine the restaurant with Sotto Bar downstairs makes the venue a strong fit for events that want both a dinner space and a separate drinks space in the same building.

Soho is the right venue for the higher-energy private dining formats: hen parties, group birthdays in the 25-to-45 bracket, brunch parties on Saturdays, corporate Christmas parties that want a livelier setting, and standing receptions that need both a restaurant and a bar. The Saturday brunch service is one of the most popular private dining slots at Soho, with bottomless prosecco and a resident DJ. See /private-dining-soho for the venue-specific page.

Choosing between Mayfair and Soho for private dining

The two venues serve different formats. Mayfair works for both a more formal seated dinner with sommelier-led wine pairings and a higher-energy dinner with live music, with the two atmospheres available across different floors. Soho is the better choice for brunch parties, hen parties and events that want a dinner-and-drinks setup combined with the basement Sotto Bar. The food is largely the same: both kitchens run the regional Italian à la carte and both can prepare bespoke menus on request. The wine list is shared. The difference is the room.

For groups that are unsure which venue suits, the events team will usually recommend a short conversation about the format of the booking before pointing at one or the other. For corporate Christmas parties in December, both venues run a strong programme but the right answer depends on whether the group prefers a more formal dinner or a livelier evening with after-dinner drinks. For wedding-related dinners, Mayfair is the standard answer. For hen parties, Soho is the standard answer.

Formats available across both venues

Seated private dinners. Standard seated private dinners run a three or four-course menu with wine pairing. The menu is built from the regional Italian à la carte and confirmed in advance with the host. Pairings are arranged by the sommelier team. Most bookings run two and a half to three hours.

Tasting menus and bespoke dinners. For longer dinners, the kitchen can arrange a tasting menu in advance, typically five to seven courses with paired wines. The tasting menu draws on the regional Italian tradition and can be tailored to the host’s preferences (more seafood-led, more Sicilian, more Tuscan, vegetarian-only). The sommelier team builds the wine flight from the 300-plus bottle list, with the option to focus on a particular Italian region or producer if the host wants.

Standing receptions. Standing receptions run on a canape service from the kitchen. The receptions can be standalone or paired with a seated dinner that follows. Drinks packages are tailored to the booking, with options ranging from a Champagne welcome through to full open bar with a curated cocktail list. Capacity for standing receptions is higher than for seated dinners and varies by configuration.

Brunch parties and group celebrations. Saturday brunch services at both venues can be booked privately for group celebrations. The format is bottomless prosecco, an Italian brunch menu, and live music or a DJ depending on the venue. Sunday Il Grande at Mayfair can also be booked privately. Brunch private dining tends to suit hen parties, group birthdays in the 25-to-45 bracket, and family celebrations.

Bespoke menus, drinks packages and extras

Tailored menus are available for any private dining booking. The events team works with hosts on the menu in advance, drawing from the standard à la carte and adapting courses, portion sizes and pricing to suit the format. Drinks packages run in three standard tiers (house, premium, super-premium) and can be tailored further on request. Extras such as a Champagne welcome, a cocktail upgrade, a printed personalised menu, flowers on the table, a tailored cake, or audio-visual equipment for a presentation are all standard items the events team handles.

Lead times and how to enquire

Private dining enquiries are handled through the events team and can be made through the enquiry form on this site, or by email through the contact page. Standard lead time is one to two weeks for smaller bookings; the busier periods (December for corporate Christmas, the spring and summer hen party and wedding seasons) need three months or more for the most popular dates. The team will confirm availability, the right venue, the right room configuration and a tailored quote within a working day or so of an initial enquiry. Minimum spend levels apply at peak times and on full restaurant hire.

For corporate clients with regular bookings, the events team can set up ongoing private dining arrangements alongside the standard business lunch service at Bocconcino Mayfair, with pre-agreed menus and packages.

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