The Best Restaurants For A Solo Business Trip To London
Presented by
Virgin Atlantic
Going on a solo work trip is a bit like going to summer camp as a kid. You feel a little lonely. You miss your own pillow. And if you’re not careful, you’ll end up eating crisps in bed for dinner. But you don't want to do that, because there are lots of excellent London restaurants that are perfect for dining solo. So in between all the work stuff, you should be making the most of eating out and getting that convenient table for one from any of these eight spots.
Breakfast at The Wolseley is definitely an occasion, and between the soaring ceilings and shiny tableware, it might all be a bit much to take in if you’re feeling a bit bleary. But the food is excellent, and everything from the pastries to the classic omelette Arnold Bennett (eggs with smoked haddock) is worth the price of admission.
The Riding House Café in Fitzrovia is a lovely and incredibly convenient place to post up for a few hours. The sofas and long communal table are a good shout if you’ve got a bit of work to do, and it’s also bright inside, which helps if London’s greyness is getting to you. There’s a varied all-day menu of posh brasserie dishes, but it’s good for eggs in the morning too. Bear in mind that it gets busy at peak times.
Whether you come for dinner and drinks, or just drinks and more drinks - we promise you that you’ll have a great time at this Bloomsbury wine bar. According to some very smart people - yes, us - Noble Rot is not only the best wine bar to drink in, but it’s also the best restaurant in London. Come here for a quick glass that turns into a bottle, eat their dream-inducing bread, get in some proper people watching from the seats in the window, and regret absolutely nothing.
Sometimes it’s hard to imagine a place with any kind of relative serenity in Shoreditch. But through all the bustle and ball pits and streams of beer, there’s Leroy. This wine bar is a great spot for when you’re in the area but also looking to escape the area. It’s very easy to get comfortable here, thanks to the room, the wine, and the steady amount of decent little plates you can pick on.
Like many of the best Soho restaurants, Kiln has both fantastic food (in this case, Thai) and waits that make it a logistical headache. Coming here by yourself is a good way to get around all that. If you grab a seat at the bar, you’ll also get the benefit of watching as your food is cooked in front of you. The portions here are perfect for solo diners - get the lamb skewer and crab noodles.
Prufrock has been one of the best coffee shops in London for a long time, both for the quality of their coffee and the environment you’ll drink it in. This laid back spot in Holborn is the perfect place for you to relax and finish that Powerpoint, and the service is also great.
It’s funny isn’t it? Everyone thinks imagination games are just for kids, but you still end up playing them as an adult. Only instead of fighting imaginary space wars or building multicoloured cities, you’re imagining being sat at a dimly lit bar, elbow deep in a bowl of tagliatelle, with a vase-size glass of Barolo for company. That’s the grown-up dream, and at Luca it becomes reality. This Clerkenwell Italian is the classy restaurant you’ve been imagining your whole life.
A classic in the middle of the West End’s theatre district, J Sheekey is an old-fashioned spot for fish and shellfish. It’s a late-night hangout for theatre and movie folks, but for all its elegance, it’s unpretentious and relaxed, especially at the bar or outdoor terrace. The combination of location and classy cooking makes Sheekey a classic, whether you go all out on a lobster, or only order a glass of wine and their legendary fish pie.