Private Dining Rooms In The City

The City is one of the few places where the business lunch and dinner is still thriving and the sheer volume of restaurants, both established and new, is testament to how important networking and doing deals over a bit of good food remains.

But with so many places available, it can be hard to know where’s best to go for certain types of events – celebrating a deal, a quiet board meeting or post meeting dinner – so here’s our pick of the top private dining rooms in the City restaurants for great business lunches and dinners.

Broadgate Circle

We can’t mention City dining without covering Broadgate Circle, the newest addition to the area and packed with exciting restaurants from the classic Aubaine, which has a great semi-private area at the back with a separate entrance and linked outside space, to the funky basement of the Crab Tavern complete with TV screens and views into the kitchen, for more relaxed business dining. While at the top of the circle sits Yauatcha, the perfect space for more intimate dining, with sections of its semi-circular space able to be partitioned off to suit the size of the gathering.

Hotels

Hotels are another excellent source of stylish rooms designed for all manner of meeting-dining combos. Andaz has seven separate and totally different restaurant spaces with private areas as well as more traditional private meeting rooms – providing the ideal combination of state of the art meeting facilities with exciting and individual spaces for meals. Threadneedles Hotel has three well equipped meeting rooms and is a discrete hotel space well suited to private meetings and dinners for between 8-20 guests. There’s always the option of heading to the public restaurant and bar within afterwards if a bit of atmosphere is desired. South Place Hotel also provides five excellent smaller private dining rooms for business lunches and dinners, as well as their larger function spaces.

Formal Gastro & Brasserie

Other corporate-leaning spaces with excellent private rooms for business dining can be found at The Gherkin, run by Searcy’s or the Master Innholders Hall, run by the former Michelin-starred Herbert Berger. The Old and New Courtrooms are ideal for smaller lunches or dinners up to 26 guests with packages starting at around £60pp.

Of course Herbert’s former culinary home – 1 Lombard Street is also a perennial favourite, it has two private rooms, The Botanical Room a bright and airy street level space for up to 40 with stunning windows and the 1776 boardroom for up to 55 downstairs. Both cater well for a variety of business occasions, from formal dinners to more casual lunches.

Next to Saatchi & Saatchi’s new HQ is The Chancery and its private room for 35 provides a superb location for quiet business dinners and lunches. Arrived at through its own entrance, it provides ultimate privacy, while for more relaxed and public business dining, the back of the restaurant can be hired for up to 25 guests as a semi-private space.

Similarly, The Snug at Chiswell Street Dining rooms from ETM group is another excellent semi-private option, although there are also five other private rooms to choose from should more discretion be needed for groups ranging from 12 to 70.

Wine Bars and Pubs

One of the City’s favourite hospitality genres is a subterranean wine bar and Canto Corvino’s candle lit private room in the wine cellar (for 24) is the embodiment of this. Similarly iconic City brand Davy’s offers private rooms which are perfect for smaller lunches and dinners at Bottlescrue (6-28), at Woolgate for 10 in the Boardroom or for 12 at Holborn. Jumping back to popular bar group ETM, The Jugged Hare also offers its Josephine Room for 10-50 guests and wine tastings can even be arranged as an ice-breaker.

The Sign of the Don is another City favourite with three private rooms for various sizes of party – from 10 in the Bistro Vault to 46 in the larger rooms. It’s often rammed at lunchtimes, so a private room can be a good way to ensure a degree of privacy and calm and assure your group a space.

Best of the Rest

For Indian cuisine Cinnamon Kitchen’s private room for up to 18 offers set menus as well as street food canapes and a separate outside terrace for post-event relaxation. Chinese aficionados can’t go wrong with HKK from Hakkasan group with its Michelin-starred banquet-style dining. By Broadgate Circle, its private dining room seats an elite 14 around a rectangular table and has views into the kitchen.

Italian cuisine always remains a popular, easily accessible business choice. La Tagliata’s seven private and semi-private areas for between 6- 18 guests are perfect for business lunches over a juicy steak fresh from Spitalfields. Other meat-feast lunch and dinner options at Hawksmoor and Gaucho also have private rooms for more secluded dining, while Hixter Bankside has a boardroom-style space in the basement for 12 guests which is ideal for a brainstorm and private chicken & steak meal.