This week marked the opening of Bloomberg Arcade, bringing with it 10 restaurants for business lunches, private dining and exclusive hire. But this is just the latest in a slew of hip new venues luring groups to this once-formal corner of the City
Words Anna Hart
Another change is the dress code. The arrival of tech businesses such as Amazon and Deliveroo has introduced casual, food-obsessed millennials to the streets at 6pm every night. At Swingers, a crazy golf venue near the Gherkin, groups of suited bankers sip craft beers and eat Patty & Bun burgers or DF / Mexico tacos next to a younger checked-shirt crowd.
‘The City has changed massively,’ says chef Neil Rankin, who has just opened a Square Mile outpost of his hip barbecue restaurant Temper. ‘It’s mainly down to a lot of tech companies setting up, and the City itself becoming less formal and stuffy – but also with Shoreditch and Clerkenwell straddling it, there was always going to be some bleed-over.
‘There are also some amazing spaces you just can’t get or afford elsewhere. That’s a draw for businesses, and almost worth the gamble in itself.’
And what about that post-apocalyptic vibe at weekends? ‘We get decent days for events and group bookings on Saturdays now too,’ insists Neil. ‘I can actually see the City becoming a bit of a playground at the weekends. After all, there are very few residents to bother in Bank. So, you know, party, party, party…’
Must-book venues in London’s new nightlife quarter
+ Grace Hall by Camm & Hooper
Grand art deco hall in Leadenhall. Hosts 200 guests for meetings, 170 for dinner and 600 standing across four spaces.
020 3909 7980
+ Temper City
Second branch of Neil Rankin’s hit meat-centric barbecue restaurant and cocktail lounge. Offers a mezzanine with seating for 60.
020 3004 6984
+ Vinoteca City
Wine bar giant’s sixth outpost in the much-hyped Bloomberg Arcade. Semi-private dining mezzanine with seating for 30 people.
020 3150 1292
+ The Ned
Soho House group’s City-based members club and hotel. Complete with six Grade I-listed meeting rooms and two outdoor terraces, hosting between 10 and 200 people.
020 3828 2000
+ Swingers
Crazy golf, cocktails and street food next to Liverpool Street station. Exclusive hire for 500, a 16-seater Committee Room, plus three ‘clubhouses’ hosting 50, 60 and 100 people.
020 3846 3222
For some of our favourites place to host a meeting in the City, click here.
Photo Steven Joyce (Temper)