The 10 best private dining rooms in London
Words: Aobh O'Brien-Moody
Maybe you’re getting hitched, maybe you’re celebrating a milestone anniversary or maybe you just want to get all your best pals together for an epic feast. Whatever the occasion, there’s bound to be a private dining room in the restaurant-revering capital that fits the bill. From lavish halls to intimate chef’s tables, these are the best private dining rooms in London.
Claridge’s Restaurant, Mayfair
Boasting style, seclusion and stellar service, the private dining room at the heart of Claridge’s Restaurant is a veritable sanctuary for the capital’s most discerning diners. The hotel’s iconic art deco design carries through the space, which is elevated by a hand-painted mural, statement lighting and elegant double glass doors. The menu features refined takes on British favourites like wild sea bass and Dorset lamb loin.
Capacity: Up to 12 guests
Luca, Clerkenwell
Luca has garnered a cult following in London for its inventive “Britalian” cuisine – that is, seasonal British produce through an Italian lens. While the restaurant’s main dining room is an excellent place to see and be seen, its private dining spaces – the rustic Garden Room, the soulful Pasta Room and the light-filled Terrace – offer intimacy and enchantment in equal measure.
Capacity: 6-8 guests in the Dining Room, 8-10 guests in the Pasta Room, 12-20 guests on the Terrace
Quality Chop House, Farringdon
One of London’s longest running establishments, the Quality Chop House is steeped in history. Make like you’re in a Dickens novel and tuck into the convivial meat-heavy feasting menu from the comfort of QCH’s elegant upstairs private dining room.
Capacity: 7-14 guests
Brunswick House, Vauxhall
Set in a grand Grade II* listed Georgian mansion in the heart of Vauxhall, Jackson Boxer’s Brunswick House is a bohemian haven, all gilded chandeliers, trailing greenery and heavy brocade curtains. The sprawling restaurant features multiple private dining rooms, each more elaborately adorned than the next, from a speakeasy-style cellar bar to a grand saloon. But why keep the fun confined to one room when you can hire out the whole house?
Capacity: 12-110 seated guests and 50-250 standing guests
Spring, Somerset House
Spring is Skye Gyngell’s sanctum of seasonal produce, housed within a light-filled wing of the iconic Somerset House. Its private Salon sits in an enclosed interior atrium that’s filled with olive trees, lush foliage and festoons of fairy lights, creating a soft, romantic ambience that perfectly complements Gyngell’s pared-back cooking style.
Capacity: Up to 36 guests
Noble Rot, Mayfair
Set in the cellar of Noble Rot Mayfair’s historic Shepherd Market building, this private dining room feels like stepping back in time. Oenophiles will be in heaven, thanks to special interconnected vaults filled with rare, mature bottles. Choose from a la carte options or go the whole hog – literally – by opting for a feasting dish of whole roast suckling pig served with Champagne choucroute.
Capacity: Up to 12 guests
Dinner by Heston, Knightsbridge
For a totally transportative dining experience, book the private dining room at Heston Blumenthal’s Dinner by Heston. Drawing inspiration from 16th century Tudor architecture, the opulent room seats up to 12 guests around an elegant sapele and rosewood table, a nod to the legendary table of King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table.
Capacity: Up to 12 guests
Bistrotheque, Bethnal Green
Despite turning twenty this year, Bistrotheque has still got it. The converted warehouse remains one of the coolest places to dine in East London, and an even cooler place to party. Choose from ‘The Cockatoo’, with its disco lighting and electric baby grand piano, or book out the main restaurant space upstairs if you need more room.
Capacity: Up to 80 guests in The Cockatoo and up to 112 guests in the Dining Room
The Wolseley, St James’s
Enter the Wolseley’s monochrome, marble-clad dining room and turn left, where you’ll find a set of private stairs that lead to an ornate private dining space with a 15-person oval table at its centre. Thanks to large arched windows overlooking Piccadilly and a birds-eye view of the restaurant on the other side, it offers prime people watching opportunities. Book for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Capacity: Up to 15 guests
Kol, Marylebone
In just a few short years, Santiago Lastra’s Kol has become cemented as one of London’s must-visits for die-hard diners. To take the already excellent experience up a notch, book the Chef’s Table, an intimate private dining room inspired by the traditional homes of Oaxaca. It overlooks an adjoining kitchen, where a dedicated team of chefs will create a unique menu in full view of you and your guests. We’d go as far to say it’s a worthy back-up plan to that Mexican holiday you’ve been dreaming of.
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