Diners' Choice: Best Ambiance restaurants in City of London

OpenTable

Updated December 05, 2024

Looking for restaurants with the best ambiance in City of London? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

SUSHISAMBA City

4.5

4.5 (1819)

£41 and over

Japanese

Liverpool Street

About the restaurant

Located on the 38th and 39th floors of the Heron Tower at 110 Bishopsgate, SUSHISAMBA London features the highest outdoor dining terraces in Europe, offering unparalleled 360-degree views of the City. Two panoramic glass elevators whisk patrons from the ground to the 39th floor, opening up London from inside-out as the lifts climb further and further upwards.

SUSHISAMBA’s main dining room overlooks views of London with floor-to-ceiling windows. A grid of lights hung through the open bamboo ceiling at varying heights creating a magical experience during daytime and a truly intimate setting in the evening.

Indoor-outdoor elements weave throughout the space, most notably, the structural orange tree on the west terrace. A SUSHISAMBA icon, the tree sculpture reinforces the earth-to-sky motif while being an artwork in itself.

Top review

Martin

Dined on Nov 8, 2024

Great food great wine great service Truly Amazing view

Ken's Wine Bar

4.9

4.9 (15)

£26 to £40

Wine Bar

Clerkenwell

About the restaurant

A good time cave à manger on Exmouth Market. Ken's presents a daily rotating food and wine offering. Chef Fergus Shields' contemporary European cooking foregrounds seasonality whilst the wine program is led by Dan Long, with the list featuring established icons, natural wine legends, as well as future classics from all around the world.

Top review

NellW

Dined on Dec 7, 2024

Outstanding stuff! Wonderful team & absolutely delicious food!

Le Cafe du Marche

4.7

4.7 (1374)

£41 and over

French

Barbican

About the restaurant

Open for over three decades, Le Cafe du Marche remains a family run, independent French restaurant. Tucked down a cobbled mews on the corner of historic Charterhouse Square and a stones throw from Smithfield Meat Market, we offer honest French food in a convivial and characterful setting. Crossing the threshold, guests feel they escape the hustle and bustle of the Square Mile and instead are transported to the south of France. We have live jazz in the evenings

Top review

Martin

Dined 4 days ago

Always very reliable and consistent. Excellent service and good food. Good wine list not too pricey. A regular haunt when I am near the City

Quality Wines

4.7

4.7 (300)

£41 and over

European

Clerkenwell

About the restaurant

We take reservations for both lunch and dinner

At dinner the table is yours for 1 hour 45 minutes if you book up to and including 7pm. Any time after that, it’s yours for the evening

Please note: reservations are for dining from our menu and bookings are predominantly seated at bar stools

Top review

James

Dined 2 days ago

The turkey porchetta is probably the best sandwich I've ever eaten. My only regret is that I only ordered 4 gilda.

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Experience

The large table

Experience

The large table for Express lunch

Experience

Festive Xmas Luxe Group Menu

Restaurant St. Barts

4.8

4.8 (102)

£41 and over

British

Farringdon

About the restaurant

A British Tasting Menu experience for Dinner, and shorter Set Menu for Lunch - tucked away in London’s Smithfield the dining room overlooks the historical Church of St Bartholomew the Great. We received our first Michelin Star in March 2023 and were awarded a Michelin Green Star in February 2024 - making us the only London restaurant to hold both awards.

Tues - Sat Dinner | Tasting Menu | £160pp
Tues - Sat Lunch | Short or Long Set Lunch | £70/£110pp

Restaurant St. Barts is the culmination of passion & hard work from three long-term friends Johnnie, Luke & Toby - the team behind NEST restaurant in Shoreditch. It is a celebration of British produce in the heart of historical London.

Top review

Simon

Dined 4 days ago

Another lovely lunch at St Bart’s. The set menu was varied, extraordinary and delicious. Such great staff - attentive but not over the top we shall return.

Galvin La Chapelle

4.6

4.6 (1876)

£41 and over

French

Liverpool Street

About the restaurant

Critical acclaim has been heaped upon Galvin La Chapelle, a true destination restaurant and with good reason. This fabulous dining spot, just off of London’s famous Bishopsgate is the work of celebrated Chef-Restaurateur brothers, Chris and Jeff Galvin, and epitomises their approach to designing and running restaurants in every sense. Indeed, Galvin La Chapelle has all the wow-factor of Windows with the stylish refinement of Galvin Bistrot de Luxe while carving out its own very unique character at the same time. The interior is truly special, as is the food – cosmopolitan, continental and wholly elegant every step of the way, creative but familiar, special but unpretentious – no wonder Galvin La Chapelle was named Tatler’s Restaurant of the Year 2010 and AA Best London Restaurant 2010.

Top review

Babra

Dined on Nov 18, 2024

Always a pleasure to visit and they never fail us.

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Experience

Set Lunch Menu

Experience

5 Course Tasting Menu

Experience

7 Course Tasting Menu with a glass of bubble £145

The Quality Chop House

4.8

4.8 (2533)

£41 and over

British

Farringdon

About the restaurant

The Quality Chop House celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2019.

Our menus are seasonally-focused and change daily based around the best produce delivered each morning.

We suggest bookings, but do take walk-ins.

In addition to our a la carte menu, we offer a £29 set lunch menu (January to November), and on Sunday lunches we serve a splendid roast.

If you are interested in a table for more than 6 guests, we have a Private Dining Room that seats up to 14. A seasonal feasting menu is available. For more information please give us a call.

Top review

Geoff

Dined 4 days ago

Absolutely fantastic food , service and atmosphere

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Popular dish

Confit Potatoes

Popular dish

Capezzana olive oil ice cream

Experience

Valentine's Day 2025

Harrys Bar & Dining Room EC4

4.7

4.7 (297)

£26 to £40

English

Bank

About the restaurant

Please note that Harry's Bar reservations are for food only bookings. For drinks bookings please contact the restaurant directly.
Tucked away in an old cobbled yard between Cannon Street and Bank stations, Harry's Bar & Dining Room has a great atmosphere and prides itself on the quality of its food, wine and service, being professional yet friendly. Offering a fine British/Modern European cuisine the menu includes dishes such as new season Smoked Salmon Gravlax, or Seared Venison Loin Harry's Bar is renowned for the quality and freshness of the ingredients and, in particular, the char-grilled Scottish fillet steaks which are always a winner! A little gem in the City, smart yet homely surroundings and faultless service, and a very easy place to feel comfortable in.

Top review

Jay

Dined 6 days ago

A great place for lunch with a decent menu and drinks list. Service could not be faulted and the quality of food was also above average. Will be on my list to revisit in 2025. Thank you to the team.

Lutyens Grill at The Ned London

4.6

4.6 (726)

£41 and over

American

Bank

About the restaurant

Situated in a private wood-panelled dining room on the ground floor – once used as the former Bank Manager’s office – Lutyens Grill serves lunch and dinner. The old-school grill feel is enhanced by traditional trolley service – choose your steak and soak up the cosy atmosphere. On Fridays there will be a £100pp three-course set menu featuring unlimited 44-day-aged rare breed prime rib, carved tableside from the trolley. From 3 November, Lutyens Grill will open on Sundays with our unlimited prime rib set menu accompanied with all the roast dinner trimmings.
Please be advised bookings are for dinner guest only. Pets, other than registered guide dogs, are not permitted in any public area or restaurant at The Ned. Children are welcome in the restaurant until 8pm Monday-Saturday. We will try to accommodate pushchairs, but please be aware there may not be space at the table. Please note The Ned reserves the right to refuse or cancel any reservation either ahead of or upon arrival.

Top review

Michael

Dined 5 days ago

Lovely atmosphere, wonderful food, super waiter explained what was in the dishes, will be going back there. Can't find anything to fault.

Hispania Restaurant

4.6

4.6 (408)

£41 and over

Spanish

Bank

About the restaurant

Hispania’s premises, with more than 9,000 square feet are part of the ground floor of the historical building of Lloyds Bank.
With two floors dedicated to show the best of Spain, Hispania is the largest, most accomplished and ambitious project devoted to Spanish gastronomy in Europe.

Top review

Charlotte

Dined 2 days ago

Lovely restaurant, great atmosphere and nice food.

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