Private Dining Rooms In The City For Office Christmas Parties

Office Christmas Party Venues In The City Of London

There has been a sudden transition from Summer to Autumn over the last week or so, and there’s no denying that thoughts of Christmas are most certainly setting in. There will be a plethora of secretaries and corporate event planners across the UK, suddenly taking to the internet in order to source a location big enough to house their office’s seasonal soiree.

For those that work in The City, there might be an added pressure to broaden horizons and host your company party somewhere further flung than your own doorstep. But this begs the question: why? Not only is The City a convenient spot, being that it’s a stone’s throw from your office door, but at Christmastime this region of London can be at its most spectacular. Awash with street decor and twinkling Christmas street lights, all melting together with the glassy skyscrapers and glimmering traffic of the area. Amidst it all, you’ll find quaint, historic monuments and buildings (like St Paul’s Cathedral for example) which do nothing but add to the traditionalism of the festive period. And tucked in between all of this, there is a vast array of fantastic venues that are perfect for your office event.

The Folly, on Gracechurch Street, can host up to 70 guests in its private dining room, for a semi-raucous office party; or it can house 1200 for a grander do. This botanically themed venue comes alive at Christmas with its floral accents, hanging swing-chairs, and alcoves stuffed with bobbing candles. Their 2013 menu boasts such seasonal dishes as pumpkin and chantarel tart, pork loin with red cabbage and drunken winter fruits; and their bar offers up an unrivalled range of spirits, an array of grape, and skinny cocktails to be created at the mixology table.

For what can only be described as English traditionalism and seasonal excellence combined, The Jugged Hare offers the opportunity to dine in its exclusive Josephine Room, or to indeed hire the property as a whole. With a clue in it’s name, this venue prides itself on game. With the season at its peak at Christmastime, the menu at The Jugged Hare offers delicacies that are tricky to source in the heart of The City. Such treats come in the form of moorhen, golden plover, black grouse, venison, wild boar and squirrel. At the top of the list comes the beast that the place takes its name from. Order up an 18th Century speciality in the form of a Jugged Hare – a slow-braised dish cooked in a lofty flagon which positively screams wintertime. If you’d rather keep to their set Christmas menu, sit your guests in the Josephine Room with its restored champagne racks (and named after the infamous maker of bubbly, Joseph Perrier) and enjoy a dinner of suckling pig terrine, red legged partridge and redcurrant eggnog trifle (amongst other things) for just £55 per head. And if you miss the boat in December, enjoy this deal at 25% off if you choose to host a post-Christmas party in January 2014.

For an almost ethereal feel, choose L’Anima in the financial district. It’s a haven amidst the industrialisation of the capital; the main private room at this venue is awash with cream and green marble, which at Christmas brings alive a feeling of being in a snowy forest. There’s even a running waterfall at one end of the table. L’Anima prides itself on its soulful calmness, which is positively wintry. The option is there to corner off a section of the bar for a pre-dinner reception before wondering through into the private room to enjoy a deer pot roast or a lamb ricotta mousse. This is a less traditional yet more unique seasonal experience, and is conveniently close to the major financial HQs in the The City.

The Brewery on Chiswell Street boasts a brand new private dining room in the form of its Sugar Room. It overlooks the Whitbread Brewery’s infamous courtyard which was the hub for London beer distribution for 225 years. There’s a nice little reason in itself to entice any overworked gentlemen from your office to let their hair down at the office Christmas party, with an insight into the British world of ale. If that’s not enough of a reason to choose this  venue, how’s this: The Sugar Room can house 100 people and offer several Christmas packages to accommodate the most elaborate or demure plans of your resident office party organiser. There’s a traditional banquet style of dining here, and a choice of circular tables or long rectangular ones. Christmas is where things really kick off at The Brewery – the staff overturn the entire restaurant into the theme of the year (2013s will be a dedication to the Electric Flamingo club in Miami) and the place is known as one of the best places to be over the festive period. The themes are often risque and outrageous, with fantatsic sound, lighting and art displays, designed to your taste and featuring bespoke menus. If the entire venue is hired, it can host up to 1500 of your company’s employees.

There’s a lot to be said when it comes to being able to spill out of your offices and quickly nip across the road or down the street, or even somewhere that’s a convenient cab ride away or one stop on the tube, to congregate for your Christmas event. Those working to the wire, with end of year deadlines looming, won’t feel so guilty having to leave the office earlier than usual. But its Christmas after all, so why not do that anyway, and get an extra cocktail in for good measure.