City of London area guide

They say it’s the early bird that catches the worm, and this bright and breezy Antipodean café – the first to open in the City’s Broadgate Circle restaurant complex – has been working hard to make loyal customers of everyone passing through its doors. Its modern, colourful interior, chirpy staff and loud hip-hop music  – plus the quality coffee – certainly shake morning visitors from their stupor. And the pretty food displays, the pleasant terrace overlooking the piazza below, and little touches such as fresh flowers encourage them to linger. The all-day menu ranges from Aussie-rules brekkies such as bacon and egg wraps or broccoli and sweetcorn fritters, to fresh, hearty salads and the sort of filling, protein-rich snacks that go hand in hand with the Australian reputation for healthy living. Think huge ‘power balls’ of meat and pulses, skewers and berry and nut smoothies. There are also plenty of sweet treats ranging from feather-light lamingtons (sponge cake with chocolate and coconut) and slabs of marshmallow-laden rocky road, to broccoli loaf cake and sticky ‘energy balls’. For after-work lingerers, there’s a sizeable drinks list, including cocktails. Beany Green’s founder is a former investment banker, so it’s a good bet that there’s a solid market for healthy fast food in the heart of the City. But in terms of your investment, prices are reassuringly reasonable – a real plus in this part of London.

City slickers should feel right at home in this neo-classical former bank opposite the Royal Exchange.

This enormous and ambitious undertaking comprises a pair of cocktail lounges, restaurant, bar, suitably rustic deli and wine shop in a vast space that resembles a more edgy, metropolitan All Bar One.

Hawksmoor’s easy-going charm appeals to the more relaxed type of City diner (shirtsleeves, no ties), happy to be served by an efficient but casually dressed young crew.

Goodman’s three branches are perfectly located to pull in its target audience: people who will pay top dollar for top beef.

Probably the best (only?) restaurant in London to be named after an insect, this D&D spot in the Royal Exchange takes its name from the French word for the golden grasshopper.

City slickers should feel right at home in this neo-classical former bank opposite the Royal Exchange.

‘Visitor bag search’, the sign read. Next to it was a walk-through metal detector and a burly security guard. He had a glint in his eye, the kind that says, ‘I’ve got a box of latex gloves here, and if I find so much as a nail file in your purse, I won’t be afraid to use them.’ So we approached the receptionist instead. ‘Is this the way to City Social?’ ‘No,’ she sighed, ‘this is the main entrance, you’ll need the side door, opposite Wagamama.’ Happily, there’s only a single gatekeeper at the alternative entrypoint, so once you negotiate a long, oppressive tunnel and an express lift so fast it’ll make your ears pop – boom – you’re in. 

The Don is aimed squarely at moneyed, wine-savvy City diners. Located in a cobbled courtyard in a building owned by the Sandeman port house, the restaurant has a gentlemen’s club feel.