Pirana London: where it is, what it is, and the dress code

PIRAÑA is an entertainment-led Nikkei restaurant, which is to say Japanese and Peruvian cooking with a live DJ every night and a room designed to be photographed. It is run by Strongarm Hospitality, who have been operating in the area since 2017.

It bills itself as Mayfair, and it is on the edge of it.

Where it actually is

Checked on the operator’s own site on 9 September 2026. 7-9 St James’s Street, London SW1A 1EE. That is St James’s rather than Mayfair proper, a couple of minutes from Green Park station and walkable from Piccadilly Circus. If you are meeting people and someone says Mayfair, this is the corner of it they mean.

The hours, which are the point

Tuesday to Thursday 7:00pm to 1:00am. Friday and Saturday 6:00pm to 1:00am. Sunday 1:00pm to 6:00pm and again 8:00pm to 1:00am. It is closed on Mondays.

Running to one in the morning every night it opens puts it in a small group of London restaurants that are still serving when the kitchens elsewhere have shut. Our after dark page lists what else is still going, and late night food covers the wider question.

The dress code

Chic and sophisticated, in the restaurant’s own words, and it is enforced. This is the most common reason a table goes wrong here. It is an entertainment-led room rather than a quiet dinner, so dress for a night out rather than for a meal.

What the food is

Nikkei is the Japanese-Peruvian fusion that came out of Japanese migration to Peru, and it is having a long moment in London. Expect raw fish with Peruvian heat and acidity, plates designed for sharing, and cocktails doing at least as much work as the kitchen.

There is a Sunday bottomless brunch, and private dining is available. The restaurant has been given a Best Luxury Dining and Entertainment Experience award in both 2025 and 2026.

Nearby

Things to do in London at night covers the evening hour by hour, cabaret and drag shows cover the entertainment-led rooms, and bottomless brunch covers the Sunday version.