4 Best Restaurants in The City, London

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Toby Orton

Historic and just beyond The City limits, chef-centric Clerkenwell is one of the most trendy and interesting quarters for London gastro-dining, which sets it in stark contrast to the adjacent City, which caters overwhelmingly to traditional business-focused dining.

Duck & Waffle

$$$ | City of London Fodor's Choice

Zoom up to the 40th floor of 110 Bishopsgate and head straight for the cult signature dish of confit duck leg, Belgium waffle, fried duck egg, and mustard maple syrup for a taste of foodie bliss. Open 24/7, with spectacular panoramas of The City, you might satisfy the munchies with a foie gras breakfast, served all day, alongside streaky bacon and homemade Nutella or an Elvis PB&J waffle with banana brûlée. Look, too, for the bag of spiced pigs ears and the big-as-tennis-balls spicy ox cheek doughnuts dusted with smoked paprika sugar. There's always a party vibe and you'll often find live music in the dining room.

Blixen

$$ | Spitalfields
Within a magnificent Kew Gardens–style tropical garden and plant conservatory, you'll find this stylish brasserie backing out onto Old Spitalfields Market. Housed in a converted former Victorian bank, Blixen offers evergreen European comfort food. You'll find options like tiger prawn and roast pig's trotters or courgette flower and curried mushroom on its short, sweet, and relatively inexpensive menu. There's neat blueberry pancakes, potato rösti, or a raclette-rich Croque Madame for breakfast and brunch. Check out the small, nautically themed basement cocktail bar.

City Social

$$$$ | City of London

A largely corporate crowd comes here for the Manhattanesque views of The City and chef Jason Atherton's masterful but straightforward cuisine. Impressed diners look out from Level 24 of Tower 42 on a majestic panorama that takes in illustrious buildings like the Gherkin and the Walkie Talkie. Dinner options include sea bass and Jerusalem artichoke or a generous hunk of beef "Josper cooked" on the grill. The soufflé is a total winner for dessert, while the service—like City Social itself—is stratospheric.

Modern British $$$$ Prix-Fixe Lunch Dinner Brunch Dessert
25 Old Broad St., London, EC2N 1HQ, England
020-7877--7703
www.citysocial-london.com
Known For
  • Majestic panoramas of The City
  • Gutsy steak and fish standards
  • Suited financiers and corporate dealmaker crowd
Restaurant Details
Closed Sun. No lunch Sat.
Reservations essential

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Café Below

$ | City of London

In St. Mary-le-Bow's Norman crypt, this café is packed with City workers weekdays 7:30–2:30 for a menu covering breakfasts, scrumptious light lunches, and delicious cakes. It's also open for dinner Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.