Behind a Mayfair shopfront, Automat is reviving the speakeasy
Discreet, dark and a little mysterious, this new London diner has all of the essential ingredients.
A good speakeasy is difficult to come by but, done well, the format can still enrapture, with nondescript doors leading to dimly lit hideaways with a hint of Prohibition-era secrecy and decadence. You’ll find (or might easily miss) one such venue on Mayfair’s Mount Street.
Automat is technically a reboot: until 2012, there was another nearby under different management. It is now concealed behind leather goods shop Tanner Krolle (look for the knowing security guard and the wooden door). Inside, you can choose from a streamlined menu of comforting Anglo-American classics, including a toastie of gooey cheddar coddled between crustless white slices with a little truffle on top. There’s also chicken pie, burgers and New York-style cheesecake. Guests can enjoy martinis while congratulating themselves on getting a table.
The concept is a nod to the American automat, a precursor to vending machines that offered hot meals to workers for a nickel – though sadly the old prices haven’t survived the update. The idea was a byword for technological efficiency in the US in the early 1900s, when its high sales volume and low running costs (without any waiting staff to pay) seemed set to change the way people dined out.
Mercifully, this contemporary take does have waiters. There’s also something thrilling about the mood. The other key ingredient of a good speakeasy? A sense of discretion – so don’t tell too many people about this one.
automatdining.com
This article is from Monocle’s March issue, The Monocle 100, which features our editors’ favourite 100 figures, destinations, objects and ideas.
Read the rest of the issue here.
