Private Dining Rooms in the City of London
The City of London has one of the capital’s strongest selections of private dining rooms for business lunches, client dinners, corporate entertaining and company events.
Known as the Square Mile, the City is home to many of the world’s leading financial, insurance, legal and professional services businesses. Its concentration of restaurants, hotels, historic pubs and contemporary bars provides private dining options ranging from discreet rooms for a small business meeting to larger spaces for corporate dinners and drinks receptions.
Private Dining Rooms (PDR) brings together private dining venues across the City of London, making it easier to compare restaurants and private rooms according to guest numbers, cuisine, style, occasion and budget.
The Best Venues in the City of London with Private Dining Rooms
Private dining in the City ranges from restaurants in and around some of London’s best-known modern office developments to historic dining rooms, hotels, traditional pubs and venues within landmark buildings.
Bank, Liverpool Street, Moorgate, Bishopsgate, Fenchurch Street and the areas around St Paul’s and Cannon Street all provide good choices for private dining and corporate entertaining.
Private rooms range from intimate spaces for a handful of guests to larger dining rooms and event spaces suitable for company dinners, celebrations and standing receptions.
Corporate Private Dining and Business Entertaining
The City is particularly well suited to corporate private dining.
A private room provides a discreet setting for an important client lunch or dinner, while larger spaces can accommodate company celebrations, networking events, presentations and corporate receptions.
For businesses based within the Square Mile, choosing a venue close to the office can also make it considerably easier to organise an event around the working day.
Many City venues cater specifically for corporate groups, with private dining menus, drinks packages and room layouts designed for business entertaining.
Private Dining for Business Lunches and Dinners
Business lunches and client dinners remain an important part of the City’s restaurant scene.
Smaller private dining rooms can provide a quieter setting for conversations that would be difficult in a busy main restaurant, while larger rooms work well for team lunches, company dinners and entertaining groups of clients.
When choosing a venue, consider the location of your guests as well as capacity, menu, budget, privacy and any minimum-spend requirement.
With several major railway and Underground stations across the Square Mile, it is often possible to find a private dining room within a short walk of both offices and transport connections.
Private Dining for Corporate Events and Celebrations
Although particularly associated with business entertaining, the City also offers private rooms for birthdays, celebrations, Christmas parties and other group events.
Historic pubs and traditional dining rooms sit alongside contemporary restaurants, rooftop venues, hotels and modern event spaces, giving organisers a broad choice of atmosphere and style.
Some venues can accommodate both seated dining and standing drinks receptions, making them particularly useful for events combining dinner with networking or drinks.
Finding the Right City of London Private Dining Room
The best City private dining room will depend on your guest numbers, budget, preferred location and the type of event you are organising.
For an important business lunch, privacy, service and proximity to the office may be the priorities. A company dinner or reception may instead require a larger room, presentation facilities, flexible menus or space for pre-dinner drinks.
Minimum spends, room hire charges and menu options vary considerably between venues, so comparing several suitable rooms can save time and help identify the best match.
Browse the City of London private dining venues listed below or use PDR’s free Venue Finding Service if you would like help finding suitable venues for your event.
Private Dining Around Bank, Liverpool Street and St Paul’s
Bank and the streets around the Royal Exchange sit at the historic and financial heart of the City and provide a particularly strong concentration of restaurants and venues for corporate entertaining.
Liverpool Street and Bishopsgate offer another major dining area, particularly convenient for guests travelling into the City by rail or using the Elizabeth line. The restaurants and private dining venues of nearby Spitalfields and Shoreditch considerably extend the choice available around Liverpool Street, particularly for business dinners, company events and drinks receptions.
Around St Paul’s, Cannon Street and the western part of the Square Mile there is a further selection of restaurants, hotels, pubs and private dining spaces. Nearby Farringdon provides additional choices for private dining and corporate events, particularly for businesses and guests based towards the western edge of the City.
Getting to the City of London
The City is exceptionally well connected by public transport.
Liverpool Street, Cannon Street, Fenchurch Street, City Thameslink and Blackfriars provide mainline rail connections, while Underground stations including Bank, Monument, Liverpool Street, Moorgate, Cannon Street, St Paul’s and Tower Hill serve different parts of the Square Mile.
Farringdon, immediately to the west of the City, provides additional National Rail, Underground and Elizabeth line connections, while the Elizabeth line at Liverpool Street provides direct connections across London and to Heathrow Airport.
Find Private Dining Rooms Near the City of London
If you are considering nearby areas as well, explore private dining rooms in Spitalfields, Shoreditch, Clerkenwell and Holborn.
The private event space at Engel Bar and Live at Engel & Jang – located at The Royal Exchange, close to Bank in the City of London – can accommodate up to 50 seated guests or up to 150 guests for standing drinks receptions.
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Seating up to 30 guests at one table for private dining events, The SAMBAROOM at SUSHISAMBA City is located on the 39th floor of the 100 Bishopsgate building. With spectacular views of the London skyline, The SAMBAROOM can also accommodate up up 50 guests for standing events. The SAMBAROOM & Bar can be combined for standing events of up to 150 guests. Exclusive hire for up to 450 guests also available.
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The Brush East London Café in Shoreditch – within easy walking distance of Liverpool Street station – can accommodate private dining events of 12 – 70 seated guests or standing drinks receptions of 20 – 250 guests.
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Located just two minutes walk from Liverpool Street station, the private dining room at The Ivy City Garden seats up to 24 guests on one long table or up to 32 over four round tables of ten. The room is also available for standing drinks receptions of up to 50 guests.
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The Walbrook Club is located in the heart of The City Of London, close to Bank station, and has private dining rooms that can accommodate 10 – 44 seated guests or 20 – 70 guests for standing drinks receptions.
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The Edo Room on the first floor of The Ivy Asia in the City of London has striking views of St. Paul’s Cathedral and is available to hire for private dining events of up to 24 seated guests and standing drinks receptions of up to 40 guests.
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The semi-private dining room at Punch Tavern – located on Fleet Street in the City of London – can accommodate up to 45 seated guests or up to 60 guests for standing drinks receptions.
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Duck & Waffle is the highest restaurant in the UK, located on the 40th floor of the 100 Bishopsgate building in the heart of the City of London. The private dining room at Duck & Waffle seats up to 18 guests with exclusive hire also available for up to 250 seated guests.
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Bob Bob Ricard City – located within the Leadenhall Building in The City of London, within 5 minutes walk of both Liverpool Street & Bank tube stations – has two private dining rooms seating 18 – 54 guests.
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The 1776 Restaurant at 1 Lombard Street provides private dining room event space for 15 – 50 seated guests and is also available for standing drinks receptions for up to 80 standing guests. Exclusive takeover available for up to 200 seated (300 standing) guests.
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Private dining rooms at One Moorgate Place – located in the heart of the City of London – can accommodate 18 – 60 seated guests or 35 – 80 guests for standing drinks receptions. The Great Hall is perfect for larger events of up to 200 seated (400 standing) guests.
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The private dining room at Alfi Italian restaurant in Spitalfields – just a few minutes walk from Liverpool Street – accommodates up to 65 seated (80 standing) guests. A semi-private dining space is also available for up to 26 seated or standing guests with exclusive restaurant hire accommodating up to 280 seated (360 standing) guests.
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