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 dining room at Carpenters’ Hall in the City of London seats up to 40 guests. The Livery Hall is ideal for City banqueting events of up to 220 guests or large drinks receptions of up to 350 standing guests.
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The two private dining rooms at The Amicable Society of Lazy Ballerinas in Fleet Street, London EC4 can seat up to 18 guests. The venue also provides the ideal space for standing drinks receptions of up to 80 guests.
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Private dining event spaces at historic Apothecaries’ Hall – close to St. Paul’s – can accommodate up to 25 seated (50 standing) guests. The Great Hall is ideal for banqueting events in The City of up to 150 seated guests or large standing drinks receptions of up to 200 standing guests.
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The Dining Room at Coopers’ Hall in Devonshire Square – close to Liverpool Street station in The City – can accommodate up to 34 seated guests for private dining events and up to 50 guests for standing drinks receptions.
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Located in the City of London between Blackfriars & Temple London Underground stations, The Honourable Society of The Inner Temple has a selection of private dining rooms accommodating 40 – 250 seated guests or 60 – 400 guests for standing drinks receptions.
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Browns at Old Jewry has exclusive private dining spaces seating 120 – 270 guests and an intimate private dining room seating up to 12 guests.
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The candlelit wine cellar at Canto Corvino in Spitalfields, close to Liverpool Street, accommodates up to 24 seated (40 standing) guests. Restaurant exclusive hire is also available for larger private events of up to 100 seated (140 standing) guests.
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Stationers’ Hall is located in Ave Maria Lane, close to St. Paul’s. Private dining rooms at this City livery company can accommodate small seated events of 12 guests to larger banqueting events of 80 – 200 seated guests.
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The private dining room at the legendary Hawksmoor Guildhall – located in the heart of the City of London – seats up to 22 guests. The Bar provides a semi-private dining space for up to 46 seated guests and the Dining Room can be hired exclusively for large banqueting events of up to 140 seated guests.
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Located close to St Paul’s in a Norman Foster designed glass fronted building, Manicomio City has two private dining rooms accommodating up to 53 and 62 seated guests which are also perfect for standing drinks receptions of 60 – 100 guests.
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The upstairs private dining room at Le Café du Marché can accommodate up to 50 seated (60 standing) guests. This French restaurant has a semi-private dining room seating up to 30 guests and is available for restaurant takeover for up to 100 seated guests.
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