Last Updated on July 30, 2025
A glorious tribute to Art Deco glamour, complemented by excellent food and cocktails.
4.0 out of 5.0 starsIf you love a little retail therapy, Selfridges is a great place to start. And, if you need a little sustenance, then you should head to The Brasserie of Light. An iconic building on Oxford Street, Selfridges is a gloriously decadent department store that American architect Daniel Burnham designed in a grand Beaux-Art style and that opened in 1909. Grade II listed, the outside of the store features massive Ionic columns. Inside, it’s a retail paradise. The inspiration for the TV drama series Mr Selfridge was the American founder of the store, Harry Gordon Selfridge.
On the first floor, tucked into a corner to the rear of the store, the entrance to the Brasserie of Light is a tribute to Art Deco glamour, a stunning, glass-panelled space that leads into the restaurant’s front of house and restrooms before you reach the elegant bar. Sleek and full of theatrical flair, it matches the restaurant’s grand Art‑Deco-meets-contemporary décor.
Restaurant tables surround the central bar and extend along the floor-to-ceiling windows, which were added during the refurbishment of Selfridges’ rear section. And, there’s a stunning 24-foot, crystal-encrusted Pegasus sculpture, suspended in mid-air, looking out at the sky. Designed by Damien Hirst, it dominates the main dining area.
You’d think all this glamour would come at a price, but the Brasserie of Light offers a set menu at £24.95 for two courses or £29.95 for three. We went along to try it out after indulging in a bit of window shopping on the way.
Sitting on the comfy leather seating, looking out at the world and enjoying a glass of fizz and a Crodino spritz (the best non-alcoholic alternative to an Aperol spritz I’ve found), it was the perfect place to meet up for the evening. A large bowl of healthier-than-the-potato-option zucchini fritti was an excellent accompaniment.
My starter of Bang Bang Chicken Salad was excellent. Crispy wonton shards topped the peanut butter and chilli sauce laced salad, which was packed with chicken, crunchy vegetables and cashew nuts. Just a hint of spice made this a dish that was accessible to all but still nicely balanced and beautifully presented.
My companion opted for the vegan Shaved Vegetable Salad and was delighted by the delicious mixture of vegetables, salad leaves and edible flowers, and particularly impressed by the avocado hummus base. Topped with a seed mix and a light mustard dressing, this was a healthy and refreshing starter.
I picked the recommendation from our waiter as my main and thoroughly enjoyed the Malaysian Prawn Curry, a dish that was packed with plump, tender prawns, served in a fragrant lightly spiced peanut and coconut milk sauce with pak choi and mangetout, topped with crisp vermicelli noodles and plenty of steamed coconut rice.
My companion’s cumin and oregano chicken was equally tasty, laced with smoky cumin and herbaceous oregano. The tender chicken breast came with hummus, pomegranate, radish, fennel and a chilli and coriander dressing.
We didn’t order sides, but there was a good range of salads, vegetable dishes, fries and rice on offer. There were also vegan and vegetarian options for each course.
Two main dessert options and a selection of ice-creams and sorbets made up the sweet part of the menu. For me, the Chocolate Bubbles was a heady mix of Valrhona Guanaja dark chocolate, with dark chocolate mousse, chocolate brownie, vanilla ice cream and chocolate pearls. A dream come true for any self-respecting chocoholic, this was best washed down with a strong Americano.
My companion opted for the Summer Blossom, which was a complex mixture of coconut and passion fruit mousse, crispy meringue, white chocolate, mango and bee pollen, garnished with edible flowers and a sugarcraft decoration. Although delicious, it was rather overwhelming and something of a sugar rush.
Neither of us had been to the Brasserie of Light before. In-store restaurants can be disappointing, but the Brasserie of Light, which opened in late 2018, is from the same people who run The Ivy, Ivy Asia, Harry’s and more. It’s really worth having in your address book. A perfect place to take a break from shopping, it is also somewhere where I’d be happy to meet friends or family for lunch or after work. With an excellent cocktail list, reasonable pricing and the kind of healthy food on the menu that won’t leave you feeling that you need to diet for the next few weeks, why not try for yourself?
Brasserie of Light
Selfridges,
400 Oxford St,
London W1A 1AB
020 3940 9600
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