Best Restaurants, Bars and Things to Do in the City of London

About The City of London

The City of London operates on its own rhythm. Monday to Friday it is one of the busiest square miles on earth, with hundreds of thousands of workers passing through streets that have been in continuous use since Roman times. That concentration of people has produced a food and drink scene that is far more interesting than the area's reputation for expense-account dining suggests. You just need to know where to look.

The best of the City sits between the old and the new. Roman walls and medieval churches stand next to glass towers and converted warehouses, and the restaurants and bars reflect that mix. There are long-established institutions that have been feeding City workers for decades alongside genuinely ambitious new openings that would hold their own in any part of London. The neighbourhood also contains some of the capital's best lunch destinations, which is where the real quality tends to reveal itself.

Lets Discover creators who cover the City tend to work or spend significant time in the area and know it at ground level. Their picks reflect where you actually want to eat and drink in the Square Mile, not just what looks impressive on a map.

The City's food scene clusters around a few key areas. Leadenhall Market remains one of the most atmospheric spots in London for a drink or a meal, housed in a Victorian covered market that has barely changed since the 1880s. Borough Market is just across the river and draws significant footfall from the City. Spitalfields and its surrounding streets sit on the eastern edge and blend seamlessly with Shoreditch's more established restaurant scene. Further west, the streets around Aldgate and Monument have a growing number of independent venues that serve the local office population but are genuinely worth a visit on their own terms.

History and culture in The City of London

The City of London has been continuously settled for over two thousand years, making it one of the oldest urban centres in Europe. The Romans established Londinium here in around 43 AD, building the forum, amphitheatre and bathhouses whose remains can still be seen beneath the modern streets. After the Roman withdrawal the area fell into decline before being re-established by the Saxons, and it was during the medieval period that the City developed its distinctive system of guilds, livery companies and self-governance that it retains in modified form today. The Great Fire of 1666 destroyed most of the medieval city in three days, and the rebuilding that followed, led by Christopher Wren, gave London St Paul's Cathedral and over fifty new churches. The Victorian era saw the City become the financial centre of the British Empire, a role it has never relinquished. Beneath the streets, layers of history from every period remain accessible, from Roman amphitheatre remains under the Guildhall to Wren churches on almost every corner.