13 Excellent Restaurants Near St. Paul’s
St. Paul’s: the centre of the original City of London. Home to the eponymous cathedral, history-steeped livery companies, its own governing body and a financial district responsible for £2.7 trillion in transactions per day… and a host of good restaurants to sate them, of course.
If you’re looking for restaurants near St. Paul’s Cathedral itself, you’ll be met mostly with speedy lunch spots and chains to feed the area’s workers. But head a little further north or east into the City, and you’ll find a wealth of highly commendable eateries…
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Leydi | 6 minutes’ walk
A poised and elegant Turkish spot just a stone’s throw from the Cathedral, taking up the ground floor of the newly unveiled Hyde Hotel. The setting is pretty and serene; a gentle backdrop to the flame-kissed dishes making their way to your table from the grill. It’s all overseen by Oklava founder Selin Kiazim, who’s set herself the modest task of trying to represent all aspects of Istanbul’s varied dining scene, from the street food stalls to the meyhanes (late-night tavernas).
Shish, döner and köfte are the sizzling stars of the menu, bookended by flavoursome dips and fresh pide, somun and sourdough bread to mop it all up. Just be warned that portions are on the smaller side, so if you’re in a big group you’ll want to order as generously as your pockets allow.
Details: 15 Old Bailey, London EC4M 7EF | Book Leydi
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Brigadiers | 7 minutes’ walk
Brigadiers ranks pretty highly amongst the restaurants around St. Paul’s.
Owned by the formidable JKS group (Trishna, Gymkhana, Bao), Brigadiers is inspired by the Indian mess halls where the military would go to socialise – or in this case, wolf down all things Indian BBQ.
Expect a decadent ruby-red and tobacco brown dining room, offset by huge chunks of animal that have been grilled, roasted and smoked in the restaurant’s tandoors, charcoal grills and classic Indian smokers. Dry tandoori masala ribeye; smoked Nepali bhutwa lamb belly ribs; and wood roasted Goan suckling pig are all on the menu.
A tap room boasting craft ale collaborations and hand pump cocktails; and a pool room with a whisky vending machine also feature in this hedonistic adult crèche.
Details: 1-5 Bloomberg Arcade, EC4N 8AR | Book Brigadiers
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Coq D’Argent | 7 minutes’ walk
One of the most popular restaurants near St. Paul’s, nestled on the top of the postmodern monolith that is 1 Poultry. Coq D’Argent’s modern brasserie and rooftop garden terrace play host to sophisticated French fare (garlic snails; comté cheese tart; 28 day dry-aged sirloin steak frites) and an award-winning wine list – and, most importantly, stunning views across the City.
Details: 1 Poultry, London EC2R 8EJ | Book Coq d’Argent
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Lina Stores City | 7 minutes’ walk
Lina Stores is one of the best fresh pasta restaurants in London. But aside from the handmade noods, it also serves quintessential Italian antipasti like bruschetta and fried artichokes; larger mains to share like grilled prawns with Datterini tomatoes; mouthwatering dolci and every kind of spritz under the sun. In short, it’s the kind of place that people trek across town for. And you happen to be right next to it.
Details: 19 Bloomberg Arcade, London EC4N 8AR | Book Lina Stores
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Goodman City | 8 minutes’ walk
The Goodman group run some of the best steak restaurants in London, and the City steakhouse doesn’t plan on dropping the baton any time soon. Smart leather seating, intimate booths and double-height windows provide a setting built just as well for business lunches as for low-lit date nights, making it a reliable pick for any occasion. Apart from meeting up with your vegetarian friends.
Details: 11 Old Jewry, London EC2R 8DU | Book Goodman City
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Ibai | 8 minutes’ walk
Another steak restaurant. Punchy. But Ibai sets itself apart from Goodmans – and almost every other steak house in London, in fact – by focusing in on the Basque txuleton. Steak from ex-dairy cows has long been maligned as tough and less flavourful than its frolicking, youthful counterparts. But the fact is that plenty of connoisseurs have long-claimed that it’s the best beef in the world: thick, umami-laden and strikingly intense. And Ibai is one of the best places to find the stuff in London, given that its founders have run their own txuleta export business for years, working directly with cattle farmers to secure the best beef. And they’ve got a top chef in the kitchen who knows exactly what to do with it…
Details: 90 Bartholomew Close, London, EC1 7BN | Book Ibai
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Caravan City | 9 minutes’ walk
If it’s brunch you require, park up at Caravan City. It’s one of a now widely successful family of Antipodean-styled spots across the city – but the only one where you can go from admiring Sir Christopher Wren’s dazzling architectural legacy at St. Paul’s Cathedral to ordering poached strawberry & lemon cream cheese pancakes in a mere matter of minutes.
The coffee’s great – direct by Caravan’s own roastery – and on weekends the menu of brunch offerings lasts long into the day, from chorizo & potato hash with saffron buttermilk dressing to masala-spiced french toast with coconut yoghurt. On weekdays, there’s sourdough pizza and hearty salads to choose from, but you should always get the jalapeño shortbread.
Details: Bloomberg Arcade, 3 Queen Victoria Street, EC4N 8AR | Book Caravan City
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Restaurant St Barts | 9 minutes’ walk
Cloistered away on a quiet street behind a historic church, St Barts has won its own devoted congregation. It’s the second restaurant from the team behind Nest – a difficult act to follow, but one which they somehow aced, winning a Michelin star within months of opening. If you’re looking for a quick bite around St. Paul’s, this isn’t it: rather, it’s an exquisite, multi-course extravaganza that unfolds over the course of two or three hours. You’ll start in the sheepskin-laden lounge bar with cocktails and impeccably turned-out snacks, before moving into the main dining area, where the artistry is somehow dialled up a notch even further.
Details: 63 Bartholomew Close, London EC1A 7BG | Book Restaurant St Barts
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Hawksmoor Guildhall | 9 minutes’ walk
The Guildhall branch of this multi award-winning steak house/restaurant/cocktail bar/everything-else-you-can-win-an-award-for-place… is good. It’s also just a teeny tiny bit fancier-feeling than its siblings, thanks to glossy wood-panelled walls; firm, oxblood leather chairs; parquet floors and opalescent lighting that makes you feel like you’re in some sort of 1940s NYC steak house. And in a way, you are, because it’s here that you can get exceptional, half-kilo cuts of hand-reared steak, lavished with Hawksmoor’s famous bone marrow gravy.
Details: 10-12 Basinghall Street, EC2V 5BQ | Book Hawksmoor
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Koya City | 9 minutes’ walk
Steven Joyce
This is the second branch of the authentic Japanese noodle bar that originated with Koya Soho.
A much bigger space than its sibling, it still has all the minimalist Japanese charm with in-and-out countertop dining in front of the busy, steamy kitchen; traditional noren curtains; plain wooden features and tiling throughout.
The menu is made up of their hand-stretched udon noodles in hot and cold varieties, with the most unusual variation being a Full English Breakfast udon, with egg, bacon and shiitake mushrooms. A daily blackboard of specials like clams, broad beans, capers and dashi butter is on hand to persuade you away from the classics.
Details: 10-12 Bloomberg Arcade, EC4N 8AR | Book Koya City
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Cloth | 10 minutes’ walk
Open only on weekdays, to dine at Cloth is to step into a Dickensian novel (one where the characters are all feasting on good food and wine by candlelight rather than grubbing about in stinking alleyways). Located on one of the few City streets to survive the Great Fire of London, it’s a beautifully historic feeling nook, dressed simply inside and serving up a menu of elegant classics. Choose from crowd-pleasers like roast chicken with pommes purées and turbot swimming in an indulgent beurre blanc, sip on a great glass of wine (the founders are real experts on the stuff), and don’t be afraid to ask if you can have some more.
Details: 44 Cloth Fair, London EC1A 7JQ | Book Cloth
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The Ned | 10 minutes’ walk
The Ned is the jewel in the Soho House crown.
Spanning a massive 320,000 square feet, this grade I listed former Midland Bank building houses seven (yep, seven) of the best restaurants in St Paul’s in one place – plus two bars, and all the other mod cons of a Soho-House-owned-super-hotel-in-the-City.
Come here and pick from Millie’s Lounge, serving British classics; Cecconi’s, the Italian-inspired restaurant where you can get your hands on the likes of veal Milanese and wood oven pizzas; Malibu Kitchen, which serves all things Californian for the health conscious, such as superfood brunches and a host of vegan dishes; Lutyens Grill, an upmarket grill serving super high quality steak; Electric Bar & Diner (based on their Portobello original); and Kaia, an Asian-Pacific style joint that does poke bowls, sushi and robata-grilled mains, all of which is regularly accompanied by live music. Or, head downstairs to The Parlour – an intimate dining room with nightly entertainment including live bands and burlesque performers.
Details: 27 The Poultry, EC2R 8AJ | Book The Ned
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temper City | 10 minutes’ walk
Sure, telling someone you’re taking them to temper City might sound oddly hostile. But actually, it’s one of the most exciting places to eat near St. Paul’s – heavily tattooed chefs play with fire along a 6m grill, where they give hunks of meat (butchered in-house) the ‘low-and-slow’ treatment. That meat then finds its way onto skewers, tacos, and other Mexican-inspired dishes – an influence which extends to the mezcal-heavy drinks menu.
Details: 2 Angel Court, 30 Throgmorton Street, EC2R 7HJ | Book temper
Already exhausted all the restaurants in St. Paul’s? Check out the best restaurants in Clerkenwell
