Private Dining Rooms

Overview

Founded in 1982 by Simon Parker Bowles and situated in the heart of St James’s, Green’s Restaurant and Oyster Bar is considered by many to be a great British institution.

The restaurant is well positioned between the art galleries of St. James’s and Mayfair, Theatreland, the shops on Bond Street and nearby parks.

Green’s combines the intimacy of a club with the elegance of St. James’s, for a dining experience that is faultless and memorable.

You can choose to enjoy the delights of Green’s in private in the St. James’s Private Dining Room that seats up to 36 guests or 40 for a standing reception.  The room can be divided to create two smaller, intimate private dining rooms to seat up to 10 or 14 guests respectively.  Using both rooms, up to 24 guests can be seated at one long table.

The menu offers British food, prepared well – fresh fish, meat and seasonal game.  Naturally, a range of fresh native and rock oysters are available, according to the season.

The Oyster bar also boasts an inspired wine, beer, cocktail and spirits selection.

It is worth noting that a traditional “brunch” menu is available on Saturdays from 11am.  Enjoy an aperitif, main course and unlimited tea and coffee in true British style, before starting out on the universally recognised tradition of “Saturday-shopping”.

Situated between Green Park and Piccadilly tube stations, Green’s is well placed to ensure easy access and egress to all. For further details, please contact or email us with your enquiries.

Insider View

One of the oldest restaurants in the area, having been open since 1982, this proud-to-be-British eatery has a sneaky private dining room for up to 36 downstairs.

Through the main restaurant and its dark wood panelling, marble bar, leather banquettes and red velvet chairs is a hidden spiral staircase. With a corkscrew feel to it, these stairs are not for the faint-hearted – and it’s worth noting that although there’s no disabled access, there is a separate, more easily negotiated, traditional staircase which can also be used to access the private dining room.

While the main dining room has a relatively formal old school feel to it, the private dining room has a more informal relaxed atmosphere. Minus the wooden panelling and plush interiors, the St James’ Suite can be used as one room or split into two – the library for 10 and the St James’ room for 14.

Simply fitted out with white-clothed long tables, it has green chairs with red seat pads, bookshelf wallpaper in the library, cream upper walls, red lower walls and green and red curtains. The walls are adorned with sketched prints of comedic monks fishing or eating and soldiers doing funny walks. In the evening, the spot lighting is dimmed and candles on silver candelabras decorate the tables. There’s a banquette of red and green tartan but it manages to avoid feeling ‘themed’ and just feels natural and unpretentious – a room which can be used for parties, dinners, birthday and retirement celebrations for those who just like great food simply done without fuss or too much pomp. And that of course, is the essence of Greens.

Favourite dishes include smoked salmon, potted shrimps, bangers and mash, steak tartare and salmon fishcakes but anything from the a la carte can be served for private parties except the fish and chips, as the kitchen’s logistics won’t allow for it. Average costs are £55 per person for a three course menu, there’s no room hire unless the whole private dining suite is used for under 14 guests, in which case there’s a minimum spend of £800.
 

Luke Underhill

How long have you been at the restaurant?

Two and a half years.

Which was the first restaurant you worked in?

Turners of Walton Street.

What was the last London restaurant you went to, apart from your own?

Just St James’.

Which London restaurant is your favourite and why?

Ristorante Da Franco. It is a small Italian restaurant in North London that myself and family have been going to since I was 5 years old. The food is never bad, the service is always friendly and it serves as a nice retreat from the fine dining world.

What or who has been the biggest influence on the way you cook and why?

My Mum, Dad and a chef friend of mine called Shaun Thomson. They all gave me the enthusiasm to divulge into different types of food, not to be afraid of making mistakes, and more importantly to love what I’m doing, from chopping onions to cooking a banquet for 250 people.

What is your personal signature dish?

I don’t have one at the moment. There are a lot of things that I like to cook, but I couldn’t place a finger on any of them as a signature.

Which other chef(s) do you most admire?

Marco. He was one of the last big chefs that respected food as food. He didn’t feel the need to doctor anything, from what I understand.

What’s the best part of your job?

Passing on the knowledge  I have to the more Junior members of my team. I like to see things develop in every sense be it animal, vegetable or mineral.

And the worst?

The bloody paperwork!

What would your last meal be?

My mum’s roast chicken dinner. I will never be able to cook a chicken as well as her. It’s something that has been winding me up for decades!

Do you have a chef’s shortcut that you can share with us?

Don’t take short cuts. If you get everything in a recipe ready before you start cooking, it shouldn’t go wrong. Taking shortcuts can generally lead to you having to do things again.