Private Dining Rooms in London For Special Events
By Ellie Smith
11 months ago
Secluded tables in the city
While we’re all for soaking up the atmosphere of our favourite restaurants, sometimes you want a bit of space away from the hustle and bustle. That’s where private dining rooms come in: spaces where you can enjoy top-quality food cooked by chefs amid a more intimate setting. London is filled with them – if you know where to look. Here we highlight the capital’s coolest private dining rooms, from sky-high hangouts to outdoor cabanas to a room dedicated to pies.
Best Private Dining Rooms in London
Hide
Ollie Dabbous’ three-storey Michelin-starred Hide has four private dining rooms within its Piccadilly confines, each designed by a different artist to embody a whimsical theme. For groups of 20 or more opt for the mezzanine space, which has its own entrance, car lift and facilities. Smaller groups, meanwhile, can cosy up in one of the three rooms in the restaurant’s basement. There’s The Reading Room, designed around chapter and verse, The Broken Room, themed around the imperfect, impermanent and incomplete, or The Shadow Room, a place which plays with light, shadows and edges to create an atmosphere where not everything is as it seems. Whichever room you choose, delicious food is a given.
Capacity: Various sized rooms
Address: 85 Piccadilly, London W1J 7NB
BOOK: hide.co.uk
Frog by Adam Handling
Hidden inside Adam Handling’s Covent Garden restaurant is The Library, a private dining room complete with its own kitchen, waiting staff and sommeliers. Accessed via a hidden doorway, the space is elegant and intimate, seating 20 guests. Food-wise, expect a winning combination of seasonal and flavoursome, presented beautifully and with the lightly theatrical touch Adam is famous for.
Capacity: 20
Address: 34-35 Southampton St, London WC2E 7HG
BOOK: thefrogrestaurant.com
Berners Tavern
A baroque ballroom with a huge gilded chandelier centrepiece, Jason Atherton’s Berners Tavern is one of the grandest dining rooms in London. There are private dining spaces seating up to 14 guests, featuring long dark tables, rose upholstered chairs and atmospheric lighting.
Capacity: 14
Address: 10 Berners St, London W1T 3NP
BOOK: bernerstavern.com
Murano
You can pretty much guarantee everything served within Angela Hartnett’s bracket will be outstanding, but the private dining experience offered at her Michelin-starred Mayfair restaurant Murano is extra special. The elegant room accommodates 12 guests – seated around an oval table – with a window offering a direct view into the kitchen, where Angela and her top team will be cooking up a special tasting menu. Though without a doubt a fine dining restaurant, Murano breaks Mayfair traditions with its relaxed atmosphere and large portion sizes. The menu is a reflection of Angela’s Italian upbringing – think lobster linguine, buffalo mozzarella, and turbot with seaweed butter, mussels and clams, alongside a predominantly Italian wine list.
Capacity: 12
Address: 20 Queen St, London W1J 5PP
BOOK: muranolondon.com
Hutong
Undoubtedly one of the most special spots to dine in the city is Hutong on the 33rd floor of the Shard. With dark red, moody interiors and a traditional Chinese wishing tree where guests hang their wishes on branches, Hutong oozes the romance of fairy tales and is an absolute delight. There are two private dining rooms available for hire: the Shanghai room which seats up to 16 guests, and the Beijing room which seats up to 24. Both feature intricately carved wooden doors, moon gates and traditional red lanterns, with spectacular views of the city skyline.
Capacity: One room fits 16, the other fits 24
Address: 33 St Thomas St, London SE1 9RY
BOOK: hutong.co.uk
Holborn Dining Room
By day, Holborn Dining Room’s Pie Room stands as a homage to one of Britain’s most loved dishes. But come evening, you can hire it out for private dining for up to 10 guests. Head Chef Calum Franklin serves up two menus here, including a tasting menu dedicated to pies – from a lobster thermidor tart to a steak and kidney pudding. Better still: it’s a sight for the eyes as well as the tastebuds, with red leather seating, candelabras and metal pie moulds on the walls.
Capacity: 10
Address: 252 High Holborn, London WC1V 7EN
BOOK: holborndiningroom.com
Daphne’s
A Chelsea stalwart, Italian restaurant Daphne’s celebrated its 55th birthday last year. With its pink marble-topped bar and Venetian glass chandeliers, this ever-popular spot perfectly combines Italian comforts with Chelsea glamour. The private dining room is located in the conservatory, creating an al fresco feel during the summer months. It’s a larger space than many of its competitors, accommodating up to 40 guests for dinner or 50 for a drinks and canapés celebration.
Capacity: 40 for dinner, 50 for drinks
Address: 112 Draycott Ave, London SW3 3AE
BOOK: daphnes-restaurant.co.uk
Bob Bob Ricard
With its sparkling gold interiors, sexy Soho spot Bob Bob Ricard feels like stepping back in time to the opulent Jazz Age. Its private dining room takes things a step further, modelled on the imperial dining car on a train: think velvet blinds, train-style windows and their iconic ‘press for champagne’ buttons. The room seats up to 16 guests, with a minimum spend of £900 at lunch and £1400 at dinner.
Capacity: 16
Address: 1 Upper James St, London W1F 9DF
BOOK: bobbobricard.com
Brunswick House
There’s ample space for private dining at Brunswick House, a Georgian mansion in Vauxhall dating back to the mid-17th century. The house – which once belonged to the eponymous Duke – is filled with antiques and reclaimed furniture: sparkling chandeliers sit beside spectacular chimneypieces, colonnades and cut glass entranceways. You can hire out all of its rooms for exclusive use, but for smaller groups The Library is your best bet. A lofty panelled room with a period objects and a fireplace, the space seats up to 10 guests for a seated meal – which will involve top-notch food from acclaimed chef Jackson Boxer.
Capacity: Various different spaces
Address: 30 Wandsworth Rd, London SW8 2LG
BOOK: brunswickhouse.london
Sam’s Riverside
Sam Harrison’s west London riverside restaurant was only open for a few months before the pandemic hit, but it’s now thriving again. The private dining room seats up to 16 guests, complete with a bespoke painting by artist Tomo Campbell and beautiful views of the Thames. From here, enjoy dishes like roast partridge with chestnuts, roast cauliflower and brown rice pilaf, and butterflied sardines flavoured with lemon and chilli.
Capacity: 16
Address: 1 Crisp Rd, London W6 9DN
BOOK: samsriverside.co.uk
Wild By Tart
Dining at Lucy Carr-Ellison and Jemima Jones’ Eccleston Yards restaurant is always a delight – but it will feel even more special in the private dining space. The room overlooks the main restaurant and is filled with natural light and greenery. Groups of eight or more can enjoy the Feasting Menu, which includes dishes like burrata with spiced squash and hazelnut, spiced pork belly with charred carrot, and cured trout with ponzu, fennel and sesame.
Capacity: 15 seated, 20 standing
Address: 3-4 Eccleston Pl, London SW1W 9NF
BOOK: wildbytart.com
L’Epicerie at Claridge’s
Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at the UK’s top hotels? Now you can have a sneak peek, thanks to a new private dining room set within the hallowed kitchens of Claridge’s. L’Epicerie will play host to intimate feasts spanning breakfast, lunch and dinner, set around an American black walnut table to the backdrop of bustling chefs. Every menu served will be bespoke for the occasion, arranged on china by artist Louise Bourgeois and presented by Claridge’s team of top-class chefs, sommeliers and pâtissiers. Masterclasses will also be available here, ranging from the art of afternoon tea to seafood preparation, with space for up to 14 lucky guests.
Capacity: 14
Address: Brook Street, London W1K 4HR
BOOK: claridges.co.uk
Lisboeta
Nuno Mendes’ Portuguese restaurant Lisboeta opened a private dining room this summer: the Adega, adjoining the venue’s impressive wine cellar. With space for 10 diners, the space offers a sharing-style menu of seasonal dishes, inspired by the cuisine of Lisbon – think Plumas Gelhadas (grilled acorn-fed black pork from Alentejo with a tomato salad) and Pão de Ló, a freshly baked olive oil cake. This will be accompanied by Portuguese wines from the cellar, with a particular focus on varieties from Lisbon.
Capacity: 10
Address: 30 Charlotte St., London W1T 2NG
BOOK: lisboeta.co.uk
Park Chinois
If you’re after somewhere with an opulent feel, Park Chinois in Mayfair is a good option, offering high-end Chinese food amid glitzy surroundings. There are three private dining rooms here: Salon Rouge for up to 12 guests, Salon Noir for up to nine, and Opera, a semi-private space which can fit up to 18. Whichever you choose, you’ll be treated to sumptuous dishes – think elevated dim sum, duck pancakes and grilled black cod, plus award-winning cocktails and an impressive wine list.
Capacity: Salon Rouge: 12, Salon Noir: 9, Opera: 18
Address: 17 Berkeley St, London W1J 8EA
BOOK: parkchinois.com
The Aubrey
With its plush look and luxurious Japanese-inspired omakase menu, The Aubrey at The Mandarin Oriental Hotel is well-suited to special occasions. But if you’re looking to go that one step further, book out the restaurant’s private dining space, which is bedecked in velvets and marble, with Japanese artworks layering the walls. Choose from a selection of set menus, which feature everything from sashimi to noodle dishes and robata grills.
Capacity: 12
Address: 66 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7LA
BOOK: mandarinoriental.com
Galvin Bar & Grill
If you’re looking for somewhere for a slightly larger group, the Woolf and Bell private dining room at Galvin Bar & Grill is a good option, set within the Kimpton Fitzroy Hotel in Bloomsbury. The room seats up to 40 guests, and is looking more elegant than ever at the moment thanks to a recent renovation. Food comes courtesy of Michelin-starred chefs Chris and Jeff Galvin, who focus on showcasing the best seasonal produce. Menus can be tailored to your preferences, but dinner could look something like: celeriac and winter truffle soup to start, followed by mushroom risotto with Spenwood cheese, or Redwood Farm chicken with smoked garlic, with an apple tarte tatin for dessert.
Capacity: 40
Address: 1-8 Russell Square Corner of Guilford Street and, Russel Square, London WC1B 5BE
BOOK: galvinrestaurants.com
The Greenhouses
Within the pretty surroundings of the Grade I listed One Marylebone you’ll find a collection of pretty greenhouses which are available for private dining (formerly called Chameleon). Ranging from small nooks to larger spaces for big groups, these botanical spaces work well in all seasons, with heating for winter and air conditioning for summer. Guests can enjoy Mediterranean-inspired sharing plates alongside cocktails and wines, amid pretty floral backdrops.
Capacity: From 2 – 24 guests
Address: 1 Marylebone Rd, London NW1 4AQ
BOOK: thegreenhouses.london
