Last Updated on July 27, 2026
Sparkling Dining at Selfridges, Oxford Street
4.0 out of 5.0 starsI used to be a West End girl, shopping in Selfridges and hopping on a Routemaster home – heck, I even had a Sears card when that was a thing, although I mainly used it in the Miss Selfridge concession. Twenty years later and I’m an East End girl, oddly more familiar with Galerie Lafayette in Paris than Oxford Street’s most iconic department store.
My previous dining experiences in Selfridges were limited to frequent sushi belt visits and vague bucket list intentions of eating salt beef sandwiches at The Brass Rail. I knew they had a swish rooftop venue (Alto by San Carlo), but honestly, my main interest in Selfridges was always the food hall or stationery and French magazines in the basement; I don’t think I’d even been upstairs there since 2004.
Brasserie of Light is a sparkling portal to a more glamorous plane, yet still affordable luxury. Conveniently accessed via an escalator in the designer handbag room, although you don’t need the store to be open as there’s a separate Duke Street entrance outside of store hours. Open since 2018, it’s under the same Caprice Holdings umbrella as The Ivy and Sexy Fish, with collaboration from the architect who redesigned Annabel’s and a giant crystal Pegasus sculpture courtesy of Damien Hirst. The Art Deco-style mirrored panels bounce flattering light from east-facing windows the height of two double-decker buses. It’s like eating with a photographer’s reflector showing diners off at their best angles.
I was invited to try their new Greek-inspired Dreams of Olympus menu, sailing on the breeze of Odyssey fever. More typically, the Brasserie of Light menu offers a broad mix of British classics and more global dishes – lobster spaghetti, a Malaysian curry, Bang Bang chicken. Something for every taste.
The clientele were a broad mix of retired lady shoppers, eyelash-batting young influencer types and tourists. We squeezed into our bar-height mirrored table, our vertically challenged legs dangling from stools and raised banquette seating. Not ideal – I’d have preferred one of the lower tables but were told none were available. Nor were there handbag hooks, but you don’t hang a Lady Dior, darling. Our table wobbled badly for most of our meal (although our server obligingly fixed this once we drew it to her attention) and comfort-wise we felt slightly at sea. I prefer my feet on the ground to eat, no matter how heavenly the food may be.
For the table we ordered an appetiser of Bol Taramosalata which arrived in a ceremonially-grand Pegasus silver goblet alongside flatbreads nibbed with nigella seeds. The pink dip wasn’t overly fishy and coral-coloured fish eggs bobbing on top upped the glam factor. Whilst I sometimes find the texture of taramosalata a little grainy, this was smooth to the point of almost being liquid foam. As a shared appetiser it worked well, although for a starter you might want more structure.
I certainly got this with my Loukanik traditional Greek sausages: a pair of chargrilled juicy bangers cut lengthways and languishing on a bed of tahini yoghurt with soft cushions of roast vegetables. I would gladly have eaten this as a main alongside another side and regretted not entirely finishing it – lest I leave room for what else was to come.
Meanwhile, my companion had Burrata Me Suka Kai Rodi with rocket pesto and caramelised figs. Beautifully presented with an elegant coil of rocket leaves reminiscent of laurel crowns on ancient Greeks’ heads – but in hindsight, the ball of white cheese, when cut open, didn’t ooze tempting cheese curds as it was more mozzarella-like. I was so enamoured with my sausages I wasn’t paying much attention, but when she commented on the tartness of the burrata, I tasted it myself and picked up the kind of spark you’d not want in your hummus.
My main dish, Harissa and Pomegranate Aubergine, did not disappoint: a half roasted aubergine piled with black rice, edamame, pistachio and yoghurt on a red bed of harissa and tapenade. Not too spicy but plenty going on in terms of texture and colour. Whilst eating it, I thought it was scant on pomegranate seeds, although the picture proves otherwise. It felt both satisfying and slightly virtuous to eat.
Chargrilled Tuna, ordered by my companion, looks less runway-ready in the photo but a solid crowdpleaser. Alongside braised fennel and a colourful salsa, the tuna fillet steak was seared with stripes outside whilst retaining a hint of pink inside. A summery light main course perfect for ladies who lunch.
We tried two low-starch sides: sprouting broccoli and peas with broad beans. Each gleamed as five-a-day emerald jewels to adorn our mains; I liked how the silver dishes picked up light bouncing off the mirrored tables.
Time for dessert and the description of Pagoto Greek Yoghurt underplayed this cute bundle. Comprising a nest of crispy Kataifi and a coronet of candy floss fluff sandwiching frozen parfait and strawberries, it was an impactful dessert without being overly heavy or cloying.
Dessert Island presented an equally bountiful exotic fruit platter on ice; generous segments freshly cut, no dry pieces and included less obvious choices such as dragonfruit and physalis. With mochi ice cream and a shot glass of coconut cream with mango, it was a more memorable fruit salad than most.
Drinks-wise, we’d each opened with one of the cocktails created alongside the Dreams of Olympus menu; they both came in coupe glasses and looked fairly similar but tasted very different. My Gift of Athena fused Tanqueray dry gin with St-Germain elderflower liqueur and olive oil – a fully three-dimensional floral take on a gin martini. A Thousand Ships was also gin-based but with fig and citrus flavours. The in-house mixologist greeted us at the table; Brasserie of Light has a good fifteen house cocktails and ten spritzes on the standard menu, and several are also offered as non-alcoholic versions.
I always make a point of asking for Greek wine in Greek restaurants as Greece produces lovely wine to complement its cuisine but rarely springs to mind as a wine-producing country. I enjoyed Assyrtiko, Terre Grec, Tyrnavos 2024, a crisp dry Greek rosé with red fruit notes, ideal for a summery lunch and in particular my strawberry dessert.
Brasserie of Light feels like an elevated option, ideal for a girls’ get-together after shopping or celebrating birthdays or, better still, divorces. I loved the staff livery with diamanté letters on the back of black waistcoats; many of them sported giant Pegasus brooches on their lapels. The deer-head sized Pegasus on various pillars looked like they were on holiday from the Christmas department, but the pink Pegasus woven napkins were understatedly chic. A lot of effort has gone into creating a stage-set experience here.
If I were going again – and at some point I surely shall – I’d book a blow-dry first and ask for a low table under the Damien Hirst sculpture. There’s some kind of dry ice silver winged-horse spectacle that theatrically arrives as afternoon tea, after which you’d probably find me bundled into a black cab with black-handled yellow carriers and my most Patsy-like pal breezily bound for Holland Park. The Lizzy line to Leytonstone hasn’t got the same ring, has it?
Brasserie of Light
Floor 1, Selfridges
400 Oxford Street
Duke Street
London
W1A 1AB
Tel: 020 3940 9600
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