The Business Traveller’s Guide to Dining in London

Whether you’re meeting with clients or dining alone, here are five hand-picked spots to eat and drink next time you’re in London for work.  

For a breakfast meeting

The Wolseley
Sandwiched between two bastions of London tradition – Fortnum & Mason and the Ritz Hotel – The Wolseley is a great place to kick-start the day. This European-style café-restaurant offers a range of pastries and brioches along with hearty reminders you’re still in Blighty – The English brekkie features bacon, sausage, eggs, black pudding, tomatoes, baked beans and mushrooms.  

For a business dinner

Hakkasan
A Michelin-starred alternative to Chinatown’s hit-and-miss eateries, this Cantonese gem is hidden down a quiet backstreet off Hanway Street, via Tottenham Court Road. Jasmine tea-smoked organic pork ribs and roasted silver cod with Champagne and honey are among the imaginative Euro-Asian fusion dishes served by executive head chef Tong Chee Hwee. 

SEE ALSO: Insider’s Tips to London

For dining alone

The Fox & Anchor
It’s hard to trump a cosy, atmospheric gastropub like The Fox & Anchor. Claim a stool by the bar or a snug wooden booth in a beguiling venue flush with Victorian décor and antique photos of London. There’s a cracking selection of cask ales and craft beers, and good pub food such as chargrilled sirloin steak and chips. Meat is sourced from the historic Smithfield Market just across the road.

For drinks with clients

Sky Garden
Eyeing up something that’s a little more impressive than a traditional London boozer? Zoom up to Sky Garden, a lavish, leafy, steely space on the top three floors of a bulbous 160m skyscraper labelled the Walkie Talkie. As well as a 360-degree panorama of the city, there’s a cluster of alluring wining and dining spots: Darwin Brasserie, Fenchurch Seafood Bar & Grill and Sky Pod Bar. It’s popular so book well ahead.

For a coffee pit stop

Department of Coffee and Social Affairs
London’s café scene has been revolutionised in recent years, with Australasians behind a lot of the change. A Kiwi-British enterprise, Department of Coffee and Social Affairs has multiple outlets but its original – which opened amid the hustle and bustle of Leather Lane Market in late 2010 – is still the pick.

SEE ALSO: First-timer's Guide to London