A yesteryear type of fun that wraps around punters like a blanket

An elegant, old-school boozer with a restaurant on a corner just off Piccadilly has garnered such hectic attention over the past 12 months (its anniversary is on Bonfire Night next week) that it’s quite hard to remember that this is just a pub. Yes, just a pub with Guinness, steak and chips, and sticky toffee pudding, rather than a magical, celeb-sprinkled fairy tale kingdom where the likes of Ed Sheeran and Lewis Capaldi have been known to lead the nightly singing session in the back room, while Nigella and Margot Robbie tuck into chocolate mousse upstairs.

In a short space of time, the Devonshire has already won several awards, been splashed across a thousand YouTube and TikTok channels, and caused foodies from all over Europe, Japan and North America to wage war over every spare table, which are as rare as hen’s teeth. This is the number one place that friends tap me up for about tips on getting a table. Try midweek, I say, late, late afternoon – and pray that a Beckham or Jon Bon Jovi doesn’t want your spot.