St Paul’s Cathedral, and the cathedral that used to be on the same site before the Great Fire of London, has been a central focal point for London life for around a thousand years. In fact, the current cathedral was the tallest building in London since it opened its doors in 1710, until it was topped by the Millbank Tower in 1963. If you were ever lost, you only needed to get a view of the cathedral to reorientate yourself.
With such a rich history, it’s no wonder that the St Paul’s area is now brimming with delicious cafes, restaurants, and bars – perfect for refuelling, meeting colleagues during a lunch break, or unwinding and socialising after work.
Here are some of our favourite eateries and bars within easy reach from our St Paul’s offices.
The Ivy Asia, St Paul’s
The Ivy Asia, St Paul’s is a beautiful, high-end restaurant – perfect for mouthwatering brunches as well as expertly-prepared dinner treats. It’s one you’re not going to want to rush. It was even listed as one of the “prettiest, most Instagrammable restaurants” in London by Cosmopolitan. While it’s decorated as boldly as the food is served – with bright, vibrant colours set against dark, organic palettes – it doesn’t offer style over substance.
Everything looks great, and tastes better. Oh, and it offers incredible views of St Paul’s Cathedral itself, perfect for wowing your guests.
Bread Street Kitchen and Bar
From the Far East to right at home, our next option is Bread Street Kitchen and Bar. They serve a variety of British cuisine favourites but with the expected care, style, and passion of a St Paul’s restaurant.
While “British cuisine” may not evoke positive thoughts in some people. This isn’t pub grub on a nicer plate – the menu features meticulously-crafted recipes by Gordon Ramsay. Delightful takes on classics like beef wellington, fry-ups, and burgers, this is hearty, feel-good food made with the finest ingredients.
Terra Rossa Kitchen and Bar
Terra Rossa offers homely, authentic Italian dishes right on your doorstep in St Paul’s. It’s a comparative newcomer to the area, branching out after great success in Islington, but it’s instantly won our hearts.
It’s not a huge restaurant, just large enough to feel like you’ve not accidentally walked into someone’s living room but small enough to allow for attentive, personal service. Its rustic decoration is a world apart from the bombastic choices of some of the other restaurants and bars in the area, but it stays true to home: organic, hand-worked materials finely chosen and worked with care.
Tattle Coffee House / The Found in the Lost Property Hotel
The Lost Property Hotel is a recent build making use of an incredible 19th Century neoclassical facade. The ground floor features both a coffee house and a restaurant bar (in different areas).
Tattle Coffee House is the most immediate when you enter the building. It offers a stylish, cosy, and inviting atmosphere, perfect for a quick coffee, a catchup, or a lunchtime sweet treat. Later in the day, however, you can get to the hotel’s beautiful art deco-inspired bar & restaurant: Found.
Both of these, being within a hotel, are somewhat undiscovered gems in the area because people assume that you need to be a hotel guest to access them. But that’s fortunately not the case and the food is amazing.
Artigiano Coffee and Wine
Artigiano Coffee and Wine is a relatively inexpensive, comfortable place to get both great coffee during the day and delicious wine in the evening. You could, of course, get wine during the day — but you’d have to check your company’s policy on that!
But what do coffee and wine have in common? Well, firstly, the sheer complexity of both attracts fierce connoisseurs but, secondly, you might be interested to discover that the word “coffee” actually comes from an Arabic phrase meaning “wine of the bean”. So, perhaps they’re not so different after all.
If you need a casual, hassle-free lunch option, Artigiano has you covered.
The Crypt, St Paul’s
When you think of crypts, you usually imagine damp walls and shadows filled with ghosts, ghouls, and all manner of creatures. St Paul’s crypt, on the other hand, is the polar opposite of that. With breathtaking lighting that shows off the high vaulted ceilings and beautiful decoration – it’s really a special venue. It’s not, however, a daily dip-in. They operate largely for corporate events for up to 350 standing guests or 250 seated, so it’s the perfect place if you’re planning a whole-company lunch.
Café Below
If you don’t need the whole of the St Paul’s crypt, but you just want to get your dining crypt fix, Café Below is a breakfast and lunch restaurant serving mouthwatering, rustic dishes paired with great wine. They’re in the vaulted crypt of St Mary-le-Bow church – the bells of which were the traditional marker of “true” London. Like St Paul’s around the corner, St Mary’s was also designed by Christopher Wren – so, you’re getting similarly beautiful features.
Café Below opens surprisingly early for a breakfast restaurant, serving breakfast from 7:30am, making it the perfect spot for sit-down pre-work meetings or team get-togethers.
Haz Mediterranean Restaurant
Haz offers a dazzling variety of authentic Mediterranean food from starters like hummus, falafel, and salads to main dishes of seafood, grilled meats, and a healthy selection of veggie & vegan options. Haz have a few restaurants around London, but that doesn’t mean the quality lowers to “chain” quality. If anything, the quality’s made better through knowledge sharing.
It’s definitely a sit-down type of restaurant, though, so it’s perfect for more formal lunch break or post-work eating rather than a grab-and-go café or bar environment. That said, the all-day meze is a great way to nibble and chat between a whole team.
If you think St Paul’s is a hub you could make a home-away-from-home, take a look at our St Paul’s offices, download a brochure, and get in touch with our team of experts to talk about making workspaces work for you.
