There’s a quiet cobbled lane in Marylebone that, come summer, somehow feels closer to Saint Tropez than W1. Tucked just off the bustle, 108 Brasserie has thrown open the doors to its Summer Terrace with Maison Mirabeau, and it’s pure Côte d’Azur in the capital. Provence blooms spill over canopies. Glasses of blush pink rosé catch the light like they have been staged for an Arcadia shoot. And the soundtrack? Laughter, clinking cutlery, and the low hum of a lunch that is stretching just a little too long.
The terrace menu is built for lingering. Start with crisp, golden gnocchi tossed with sun dried tomato, burrata and basil hummus, or order the seabass crudo and watch it disappear faster than you can say “just one bite.” If decadence is the goal, the brioche lobster sub roll arrives smoky with paprika and generously stuffed, the kind of sandwich that has no business being this extra. For bigger appetites or shameless sharers, there is the whole butterflied sea bass with rosemary potatoes and citrus mayo, or the 108 Seafood Platter, a glossy, ice laden tribute to coastal indulgence.
Dessert keeps the Riviera mood going. Think strawberries and cream for classicists, or an Eton Mess strawberry summer sundae that is all nostalgia and whipped cream clouds. It is the sort of setting where you order another bottle just to keep the moment from ending.
But 108 is not just about sunlit lunches. On the last Saturday of every month, it turns up the volume for the Saturday Jazz Brunch. This £75 feast comes with unlimited antipasti, desserts, champagne, and a live soundtrack from some of London’s best jazz musicians. The spread is nothing short of outrageous: endless oysters, artisan breads, sausage rolls still warm from the oven, fresh seasonal salads, and enough cold cuts to make your Italian nonna proud.
Mains include slow braised short rib ragu with pappardelle, cod puttanesca, or a whole butterflied sea bass to share. Then it is onto the dessert bar, where lemon meringue, salted caramel apple pie, tiramisu, and a decadent cheese selection dare you to go back for seconds or thirds. It is part brunch, part performance, and entirely worth making the group chat commit to.
When the sun drops, you do not go home. You head inside to The Cocktail Bar at The Marylebone, where the new menu is as much theatre as mixology. Every drink is a love letter to Marylebone itself, and each one has a backstory worth savouring.
Eau de Perfume nods to Selfridges’ beauty hall, layering tequila, Italicus, jasmine, pineapple, and lime like a fine fragrance, complete with an Oggs foam finish stamped with three tiny hearts. Sherlock, all smoke and spice under a dramatic cloche, takes its cues from Baker Street’s most famous resident, with Irish whiskey, ginger, mezcal, and Pinot Noir air. Inner Circle is summer in a glass, inspired by Queen Mary’s Gardens, built on Belvedere, Amaro Santoni, Cocchi Rosa and a fragrant rose lemonade fizz. Even the alcohol-free Natural Remedy, a floral, chrysanthemum led spritz, feels like something Florence Nightingale would have prescribed for the soul.
Between the rosé soaked terrace, the story driven cocktails, and a jazz brunch that knows how to throw a party, this little corner of Marylebone has mastered the art of transporting you. One minute you are in a Provençal daydream, the next you are sipping with Sherlock, but either way, you are not ready to leave.
108 Marylebone Ln, London W1U 2QE
