Dinner by the dome: St Paul’s Cathedral’s nearby area has seen a resurrection of its social scene in recent times
(Picture: Nick Fewings/Unsplash)There’s a famous photo of the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral rising unscathed above the smoke of German bombs in the Second World War. The years since, alas, have not been architecturally kind to this corner of the City of London, but the Square Mile is no stranger to destruction. The Great Fire of London began at nearby Pudding Lane in 1666 while the Baroque St Paul’s of today replaced the original medieval church lost to the flames.
Yet perhaps the greatest resurrection in recent years has been the revival of the City as a social destination to rank alongside its place as one of the world’s foremost financial centres. No new building is complete without a landmark restaurant to anchor the development, while the historic lanes that remain are home to wine bars and places to eat — though the true flavour of the City is best revealed at the end of the day with a post-work pint of beer in a pub. Tour down Fleet Street’s many boozers, or try Ye Olde Watling on Watling Street, rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren in 1668 to give his workers somewhere to drink and where the plans for the cathedral were drawn up in the dining room.
From one of London’s best burgers and one of the country’s most famous chefs to classic British seafood, comforting Italian cooking and a Soho House hotel, here are the best restaurants near St Paul’s Cathedral. “Food does not bring us near to God,” St Paul said — but it can take us to heaven.
Bleecker
There’s a restaurant for every mood in the Bloomberg Arcade: smart Indian at Brigadiers, udon noodles at Koya, pizza at Homeslice, pasta at Lina Stores and wine and nibbles at Vinoteca. Bleecker, however, is our pick of the bunch, serving what many reckon are the best burgers in London, made from intensely flavoured beef aged on the bone for 40 days and sandwiched in a sesame bun with other tasty morsels like blue cheese and bacon. The dilemma is that one never seems enough but two feels greedy. The solution? Order a double patty and fill up on sides, such as fries smothered in a tabasco-spiked house sauce.
How far? A seven-minute walk
How much? Burgers from £7.50, fries from £4
16 Bloomberg Arcade, EC4N 8AR, bleecker.co.uk
Sweetings
A historic slice of Victorian London, Sweetings first opened its doors in 1889 and nothing much has changed since. It’s a lunch-only restaurant (and weekdays at that) from the days when the City turned into a ghost town at weekends, serving a seafood-centric menu served either at white-clothed tables attended to by waistcoated waters or on a stool at the counter. British classics include potted shrimp in spiced butter, smoked eel with brown bread and butter, fish pie under a blanket of mashed potato, and apple pie with custard, after which a trip to one’s tailor to let out the waist may be required. To drink there are pricey French whites and, best of all, pints of black velvet (Guinness topped with Champagne, like a luxury shandy).
How far? A five-minute walk
How much? Starters range from less than £10 up to almost £30; most mains priced in the £25 region, up to more than £40
39 Queen Victoria Street, EC4N 4SF, 020 7248 3062
Taberna Etrusca
Genuine Cockneys must be born within earshot of Bow Bells. Taberna Etrusca, founded right next to the church of St Mary-le-Bow in 1967, is as cockney-cum-Italian as Michael Caine in The Italian Job, though Ferraris, not Mini Coopers, are the focus of the motor-racing photos adorning the walls. Tiled floors, white tablecloths and textured walls are classic trattoria to a T, so too a menu of burrata with broad bean pesto, pan-fried veal chop with fresh sage, butter and red wine reduction, and spaghetti tossed in garlic, chilli and oil with crab and roasted cherry tomatoes. Prices are aimed at City boys and girls, though the Italian wine list isn’t as dear as one might expect (from £7.50 a glass) and there’s a good value set lunch.
How far? A five-minute walk
How much? Set lunches from £26 for three courses; pasta around £15, fish around £25, meat around £27
9-11 Bow Churchyard, EC4M 9DQ, tabernaetrusca.co.uk
The Ned
A playground for people in suits, The Ned is a hotel from members’ club behemoth Soho House, with a huge open-to-all lobby that functions as a sort of luxury food court. Six restaurant and bars are collected on the old banking floor of the former Midland Bank HQ, designed by Sir Edward ‘Ned’ Lutyens in 1924. Food options range from Soho House’s glamorous Italian Cecconi’s to the Electric American diner, healthy-eating Malibu Kitchen, pan-Asian Kaia and the old-school Lutyens Grill. The place is absolutely rammed at lunch and after work but at any time of day gives an anthropological insight into the work and play of the Square Mile and the people who pull the strings of the UK economy. Bar staff are expertly trained, too.
How far? A 10-minute walk
How much? Prices vary from restaurant to restaurant, but expect mains in the £20-40 region
27 Poultry, EC2R 8AJ, thened.com
Bread Street Kitchen
Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea should be on any foodie’s must-do London list but if finances do not extend to three-Michelin-starred dining then this informal offering from the UK’s most famous chef is more approachable (and affordable). Open for breakfast, lunch, dinner or just drinks, things kick off with full English and vegetarian brekkies before an Anglo-American à la carte of prawn cocktail, Caesar salad, fish and chips and steaks from the grill. Vegetarian choice is decent, if not especially imaginative, ditto a kids’ menu of pasta, burgers and sausages and mash. A beef Wellington “experience” for two to share has rather more wow factor, as too the fabulous views of St Paul’s.
How far? A three-minute walk
How much? Full English breakfast is £15; starters in the low teens with mains mostly in the £20-30 region; beef Wellington experience £75pp
