The best London restaurants for Informa's Protection and Management Series 2020

Made up of seven co-located shows including IFSEC International, FIREX International, the Facilities Show and Safety & Health Expo, The Protection & Management Series returns to ExCeL London this September. Ahead of the series, we've put together a guide to the best restaurants in London.

Focusing on locations near to ExCeL as well as foodie hubs Shoreditch and Covent Garden, we've covered everything from modern fine dining to trendy comfort food. Group dining options are also included, so read on to discover which top tables you should be booking during the Protection & Management Series 2020.

The best restaurants with showstopping interiors

Gloria and Circolo Popolare

Two richly decorated Italian trattorias, Gloria and Circolo Popolare boast outré interiors inspired by 1970s Italy. The former pays homage to Capri with decadent Carrera marble, antique Italian ceramics and mismatched prints while the latter nods to the sunny Sicilian coast with over 20,000 bottles of spirits lining the walls and thousands of festoon lights dressing the ceiling. Classic Italian dishes make up the menus with pizzas, pasta and retro puddings among the options.

Group dining: Gloria provides booking options for groups of 8-16 diners as well as private hire of the downstairs dining room for groups of 17-70. Circolo Popolare offers group dining for groups of 8 to 25 people as well as private hire of the back room for groups of 26-70 people.

14 Hills

Sitting one level below London's largest public roof garden, 14 Hills brings the outdoors indoors with an evergreen ceiling canopy and 2,500 indoors plants complementing the garden above. As well as the spectacular backdrop in the dining room, guests can also enjoy panoramic views across London and a menu of modern British food cooked with French flair. Thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows, the private dining room also offers far-reaching cityscape views.

Group dining: 14 Hills houses a private dining room with seats for up to 22 diners. Exclusive hire and large events can also be accommodated.

Sketch

Spread across two floors of an 18th century townhouse in Mayfair, Sketch is an eccentric hotspot made up of five characterful restaurants and bars. On the ground floor is the Insta-famous Gallery with its bubblegum pink interiors and David Shrigley artworks along with the fairy tale Glade room, the multicoloured Parlour and the intimate East Bar while the first floor is home to the opulent two-Michelin-starred Lecture Room & Library. And no visit to Sketch is complete without a trip to the egg-shaped pod loos.

Group dining: Private dining for groups of up to 40 is available in the Lecture Room & Library while The Millicent Fawcett Room offers semi private dining for six diners.

SushiSamba Covent Garden

After the success of the sky-high SushiSamba on the 38th and 39th floors of Heron Tower, there's now a follow up restaurant in Covent Garden. Taking over the Opera Terrace, the prime location allows for wonderful views over the Royal Opera House and Covent Garden Piazza – head out to the outdoor terrace for the best vantage point – while the attention-grabbing interiors combine bold colours, monochrome tiles and a living ceiling made up of exotic plants. The food combines Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian influences offering a menu of sushi, ceviche, robata and large meat and seafood plates.

Group dining: SushiSamba Covent Garden welcomes group bookings for 9-24 diners in the main dining room and up to 15 guests in the private dining room.

The best restaurants for modern fine dining

Frenchie

Photo credit: Nicolas Buisson

Following on from the hugely popular restaurant of the same name in Paris, Frenchie is the first international opening from Gregory Marchand, who previously worked in London at the likes of The Savoy and Mandarin Oriental. Located on Henrietta Street in Covent Garden, the intimate, two-floor restaurant is a modern French brasserie that serves contemporary European plates in a gleaming marble, copper and pastel dining room. Tasting menus and set lunch menus are available daily.

Group dining: Frenchie is available for exclusive hire for up to 60 people while groups of 17 to 20 are required to book out the entire lower ground level. Booking for groups of up to 16 diners are also available.

The Clove Club

Having started out as a supper club in Dalston, The Clove Club is now one of London's most revered restaurants with founders Isaac McHale, Daniel Willis and Johnny Smith elevating it to Michelin star status. While the setting may be grand – it sits within the imposing Shoreditch Town Hall – the restaurant itself presents a relaxed, informal spin on fine dining. Experimental tasting menus created with ingredients sourced from across the British Isles are served against a rustic yet refined backdrop of wooden furnishings, blue tiles and an open kitchen. The team have also just launched sister restaurant Two Lights on Kingsland Road.

Group dining: The Clove Club is available for private hire and Two Lights can cater to large groups.

Lyle's

Housed in the historic Shoreditch Tea Building – originally built as a Lipton factory – Lyle's is the passion project of renowned chef James Lowe and restaurateur John Ogier. Ever since opening back in 2014, the restaurant has remained one of the hottest tables in town and has successfully retained its Michelin star for the past four years thanks to a winning formula of bright, minimalist interiors and rich, carefully crafted dishes. Through a seasonal, daily changing menu the restaurant highlights the best produce available throughout the UK on that given day with a short a la carte lunch menu and a set dinner menu. Last year also saw Lowe and Ogier launch their second London venture with the opening of Flor, an all-day wine bar, bakery and restaurant.

Group dining: Lyle's is available to hire for up to 60 guests and bookings for groups of up to 12 are available.

Brat

The debut restaurant of former Kitty Fisher's chef Tomos Parry, Brat was awarded a Michelin star just six months after opening. Located in Shoreditch above Thai BBQ restaurant Smoking Goat – another eatery that should be on your culinary bucket list – Brat is low-key and unassuming with Parry's simple, seasonal food taking centre stage. The chef draws on his Welsh heritage and takes inspiration from Spain's Basque region to present flavoursome dishes cooked on an open fire.

Group dining: Brat takes bookings for a maximum of six diners.

The best new restaurant openings

Muse by Tom Aikens

Photo credit: James McDonald

Open since mid-January, Muse is the latest venture from acclaimed chef Tom Aikens. Occupying a converted Georgian townhouse in Belgravia, the intimate new opening offers every diner a chef's table experience thanks to open kitchens on both levels of the two-floor restaurant – counter seating also provides the opportunity for spectacular front row dining. When creating the menus, Aikens drew inspiration from pivotal moments of his life and career with everything from poignant childhood memories to his French mentors Joe?l Robuchon and Pierre Koffmann referenced through experimental dishes. The cocktails, meanwhile, have been created by legendary mixologist Ryan Chetiyawardana, aka Mr Lyan, of Dandelyan and Lyaness Fame.

Group dining: Groups of up to six can be booked online and private dining for groups of up to 20 guests is also available.

Daffodil Mulligan

 The latest opening from Michelin-starred chef Richard Corrigan, Daffodil Mulligan takes its name from the daughter of legendary Irish street seller Biddy Mulligan and serves a hearty dose of refined Irish cuisine. Located just off the Old Street roundabout, the warm, welcoming venue is made up of a restaurant, oyster bar and lively saloon with stripped back contemporary interiors in the restaurant and a traditional pub decor in the saloon. Flavour rich dishes such as wood oven roasted lobster and chimichurri prime sirloin make up the menu in the restaurant while lashings of stout, whisky and live music are on the agenda in the saloon.

Group dining: Groups of up to nine diners can be booked online while exclusive hire and large group bookings are also available through special request.

Bob Bob Cite

A new sister restaurant to the highly acclaimed Bob Bob Ricard in Piccadilly, Bob Bob Cité puts a futuristic spin on the Art Deco original with dramatic interiors inspired by the future of aviation travel – a fitting update considering its location within the City of London's Leadenhall Building. Like the original, there's a blue dining room and a red dining room as well as the infamous 'push for champagne' buttons. The melt-in-your beef Wellington has also crossed over to the new opening alongside indulgent French dishes such as grilled lobster thermidor, black truffle macaroni and steak tartare served with caviar.

Group dining: Three private dining salons are available with space for up to 18 guests. Each salon features a reception room and a separate dining room.

Townsend

Open since late January, Townsend is a brand-new addition to the Whitechapel Gallery in east London. Named after Charles Harrison Townsend, the architect behind the grade II listed gallery, the modern British restaurant sees ex-Petersham Nurseries chef Joe Fox serve creative seasonal plates inspired by the architect's fondness for combining classic British themes with his own original style. As a result, diners can expect inventive dishes such as curried veal sweetbread with cauliflower, sprout tops and burnt onion, which pays homage to the culinary culture of the restaurant's east London home.

Group dining: Groups of up to 6 can be booked online and an intimate private dining room is also available.

Da Terra

Former Fat Duck chefs Rafael Cagali and Paulo Airaudo introduced a Latin American flavour to Bethnal Green's Town Hall Hotel with the opening of Da Terra, which launched to great acclaim in January 2019 before going on to win a Michelin star just nine months later. The restaurant's blind tasting menus ensure diners are surprised along the way and some of the courses are served and finished at the table by the chef themselves. The muted grey interiors punctuated with a select number of works by young local artists create an inviting, unstuffy environment in which to dine.

Group dining: Bookings for groups of up to eight diners can be made online.

The best low key and trendy restaurants

Rochelle Canteen

Photo credit: Patricia Niven 

Occupying a repurposed bike shed within the old Rochelle School in Shoreditch, Rochelle Canteen is one of London's best hidden gems. The understated restaurant started out as a BYO lunch spot, but it's now gained an alcohol license and extended its opening hours to offer early evening supper from Thursday to Saturday. Shared tables and a stripped-back interior create a relaxed setting while the daily changing menu presents unfussy dishes that let the quality ingredients – many of which are sourced in the neighbouring garden – do the talking.

Group dining: Groups of up to eight diners can be booked online and the venue is available for private hire with a wide range of catering options. 

Hoppers

A showcase of Sri Lankan cuisine, Hoppers is one of London's hottest dining destinations with nightly queues forming at its original Soho location. With three outlets located across the city, there's now the option to book so you don't need to queue to try the restaurant's signature dish from which it takes its name: a thin bowl shaped pancake made with fermented rice batter and coconut milk. The pancakes and dosas are at the heart of the menu alongside a number of small plates and 'rice and roasts'.

Group dining: Hoppers Soho is available for exclusive hire for up to 40 guests and Hoppers St Christopher's Place has semi private vaults for up to eight diners as well as semi exclusive hire for up to 55 guests and exclusive hire for up to 98 guests.

Kricket

Keralan fried chicken with curry leaf mayonnaise and samphire pakoras with date and tamarind chutney are just two of the punchy signature dishes on the menu at Kricket, a trendy Indian restaurant specialising in modern street food-inspired plates. There are three London sites to choose from, including a centrally located Soho outlet, and all three of them promise a feast of big and bold flavours complemented by Indian-inspired cocktails and tasteful industrial interiors.

Group dining: Groups of up to 14 diners can be booked online.

The best hotel restaurants

Hélène Darroze at The Connaught

Having held onto its two Michelin stars since 2011, Hélène Darroze at The Connaught has long been a headline act on London's dining scene and in 2019 it was given a brand new look thanks to a major two month refurbishment. Light wood panelling, blush pink walls, and deep velvet and leather seating create attractive feminine interiors with a masculine edge while colourful chandeliers, exposed wooden table tops and Damien Hirst artworks provide more contemporary updates. Hélène's artful dishes are accompanied by some of the world's finest wines and there are several private dining options including a magnificent chef's table with ten seats overlooking the kitchen pass.

Group dining: The Chef's Table can accommodate ten diners while the Sommelier's Table can seat eight. Bespoke menus by Hélène Darroze are also available in The Connaught's three private event rooms.

Allegra

Part of the newly opened Stratford Hotel, Allegra sits on the seventh floor of Harry Handelsman's 42 storey Manhattan Loft Gardens. Headed up by former Chiltern Firehouse head chef Patrick Powell, it boasts two striking backdrops in which to dine with a Nordic-inspired dining room and an outdoor garden placed under a cedar cantilevered roof. The dishes follow a farm-to-fork ethos with many ingredients sourced from Handelsman's own farm in Kent while the charcuterie is cured in house and the herbs are grown on the roof terrace.

Group dining: Groups of up to five diners can be booked online while group bookings of 10-20 diners are also available when contacting the restaurant directly. Semi private dining for up to 12 diners and exclusive hire for 40-80 diners are also available.

Nobu Shoreditch

Crossing the boundary between trendy hangout and fine dining establishment, Nobu Restaurant and Bar sits within Nobu Hotel Shoreditch – the brand’s first European property. Encompassing a dining room, sushi counter, lounge and outdoor courtyard, the expansive restaurant and bar has room for 240 guests and is a buzzing spot for dinner and drinks with dance music and live DJs playing in the background. Given the restaurant is co-owned by sushi master Nobuyuki Matsuhisa, it’s no surprise that it serves the finest raw fish money can buy as well as the brand's signature black miso cod.

Group dining: Groups of up to 12 diners can be booked online. Private dining is also available as well as exclusive hire of the outdoor terrace and the entire restaurant.

Berners Tavern

Berners Tavern has come to be one of the most recognisable restaurants in London thanks to its spectacular dining room. The walls are adorned with 185 beautifully framed and lit photographs while an ornate stucco ceiling, golden backlit bar and twinkling chandeliers complete the lavish design. Found within Ian Schrager’s trendy Edition hotel, the restaurant is part of Jason Atherton’s growing empire and sticks to his formula of elevating seemingly simple dishes to magnificent new heights – feast on braised beef mac and cheese for main and gin and tonic flaming Alaska for dessert. 

Group dining: Bookings for up to nine guests can be made online and a private dining room with capacity for 14 diners is also available.

Further reading for attendees of the Protection & Management Series 2020:

Ahead of the Protection & Management Series, we've also put together a guide to the best bars in London. Discover everything from sky-high rooftop venues to sultry subterranean dens, and with the majority located in central or east London, they're all easily reachable from ExCeL. 

HOTEL DEALS FOR THE PROTECTION & MANAGEMENT SERIES 2020

A number of special hotel deals have been arranged for registered visitors and exhibitors of the Protection and Management Series 2020. As well as a range of nearby hotels, all of which are located a short walk from ExCeL London, there is a fantastic variety of properties to choose from. Whether you want to stay in a major London hub such as Shoreditch or book into one of the capital's best new hotels, this selection of properties has something for you.

If you are attending the Protection and Management Series 2020, you can access the official hotel deals from HotelMap? here:

Hotel deals for IFSEC International

Hotel deals for FIREX International

Hotel deals for the Facilities Show

Hotel deals for the Safety & Health Expo

Hotel deals for Workplace Wellbeing Show

Alternatively, email [email protected] or telephone +44 20 7292 2320

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