(Bloomberg) -- You can already hear the Champagne corks popping. Across London, placards are prominently displayed on the street, advertising Christmas party options.
Party spaces are already in high demand for the coming holiday season. As of July, Christmas bookings were already up by 54%, compared to the number of reservations made by the same time in 2023, according to tech hospitality platform Zonal. (The company speculates it might be a result of the UK’s especially wet year that’s made Brits look ahead to the holidays.)
“These spaces are incredibly important to us during the holidays,” says Ania Zdunek, director of sales and marketing at the NoMad London, who plans to do big business at the events-only space Common Decency (formerly an open to the public, late night lounge.) “The holidays are naturally one of our busiest times of the year.”
At the two-month old Marceline in Canary Wharf, operations director Liam Nelson has seen immediate demand from businesses for the private rooms. “It’s our first Christmas at Marceline, but my 20th working in hospitality, and for 2024 I’m seeing a real rise in corporate bookings. It’s back to pre-pandemic levels.” He says it’s not just an increase in the number of requests: “There’s a rise in budgets too — it feels like businesses really want to thank and invest back in their team, and as such our indulgent menus are far and away the most popular.”
Likewise, Eroshan Meewella, co-founder of the new Sri Lankan spot Kolamba East, is seeing a notable demand for large group bookings. “It’s become a major driver of our growth.” He adds: “ This interest isn’t just seasonal — it’s starting as early as October, with many of the city’s local businesses reaching out for both sit-down dinners for up to 24 people and events featuring drinks and canapés.”
The good news is that there are an array of appealing new private dining rooms in multiple guises, from Canary Wharf to west London, to meet that demand. They range from super stylish rooms for a small family party to a serious lounge takeover in a 564-square-feet space in Covent Garden that’s yours for the night for £10,000 ($13,000).
Here are the 11 top new and newly redesigned places to celebrate the season.
For: Karaoke in the City
BAO City
The brand new outpost of the burgeoning Taiwanese-American brand, located in the Bloomberg Arcade, has two karaoke (KTV) rooms, ready made for boisterous parties. One holds 12 to 13 and has a light paneled ceiling that goes from gold to red; the all-out party one has a wraparound LED screen and seats 23. There’s the option of a customized menu, plus party friendly fare like fried chicken buckets (caviar optional), and bottles of whisky, as well as a dedicated waiter. Price: Minimum spend of £42 per person for dining.
For: A Townhouse Takeover
The Cocochine, Mayfair
It’s not easy to find a good-sized private dining room in Mayfair. The Cocochine takes advantage of an entire floor in its four-story townhouse setting as a venue for dinners and parties. The space has magnificent skylight windows and art supplied by Hamiltons Gallery founder Tim Jefferies. The space covers an entire floor — at 24 square meters about the size of a generous lounge — but Cocochine caps party sizes at 14 to enhance the spaciousness of the place. Star chef Larry Jayasekara will custom design menus for guests; he’s an expert at dishes like Norwegian king crab with micro lemon verbena, and Japanese Otoro with osetra caviar.Price: Starting at £6,000.
For: Super Stylish Indian Fare in central London
Ambassadors Clubhouse, Mayfair
The scene-y new Indian restaurant Ambassadors Clubhouse, conveniently located near shopping on Bond Street, has a trio of the best looking private dining rooms in town for small group. The Jungli Room is an alcove space for six with animal prints draped across the ceiling and smoky mirrors on the wall. The Tamasha Room, seating up to 10, is hidden behind a curtain and accented in gold (you can find it right behind the DJ booth). The Raja Rani Room seats 12 — it’s an Art Deco-styled space with plenty of paisley. The set menus at all three include options like chicken tikka with hari peanut chutney and paneer tikka. Price: Minimum spend ranges from £600 to £1,400 based on the room.
For: Power Hotel Dining
abc kitchens, Belgravia
The private dining room at star chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s handsome, earth-toned restaurant inside the Emory hotel has a name: The Market Table. It’s set right off the kitchen pass, with a view of the dining room (and Hyde Park across the street) and seating for up to 10. There’s no set menu; guests order from the a la carte menu with choices like Jean-George’s famed pea guacamole and the arroz con pollo and all the drinks available at the bar.Price: Minimum spend of £1,800
For: A South London Mediterranean Hotspot
OMA, Borough Market
The inspired Greek restaurant, located up a hidden flight of stairs, has become enormously popular since it opened in April. The private dining room is not so well known, but it evokes a stylish Mediterranean palazzo with earth-toned walls and a graceful table. The private wine annex space can hold eight to 30 guests and serves feasting menus designed for the table to share, with classic spreads (think hummus with green zhoug, baba ghanoush), hot potato chips, seabass crudo, and porchetta with salsa verde.Price: The December menu is £85 per person.
For: Pub Grub Extraordinaire
The Hero, Maida Vale
The latest opening from the team behind the insanely popular Pelican pub is the Hero out in Maida Vale; good luck finding a seat any time after 5 p.m.. The team has turned a loft space into a private dining room for up to 30 people (or 70 if everyone wants to stand and drink and snack). The Feast menu includes the choice of chicken liver parfait and cod cheeks and mains like beef rib with marrow sauce and whole fish with dill.Price: Starting at £55 per person.
For: An Italian Party in Soho
Bocca di Lupo, Soho
The cult favorite Italian off Leicester Square has a new design for its subterranean private dining room. Replete with Italian marble terrazzo wall panels and funky paintings and set up with new KEF speakers that can blast music if wanted, it’s an excellent party space for 12 to 32 people who are sitting down to eat, or 45 for standing cocktails. Special menus might feature a suckling pig or a truffle-studded one, as well as game birds on polenta and saffron and bone marrow risotto at the holidays. Price: From £38 per person for lunch, from £57 for dinner.
For: South Asian Feasting
Kolamba East, City
This new outpost from Aushi and Eroshan Meewella Sri Lankan staple in Soho is located right off Liverpool Street, making it convenient for anyone coming from Shoreditch, Spitalfields and of course, the City. It’s got a stylish private dining room, decorated with a diptych drawing of a water buffalo and seats for up to 20. The family-style menu offers vibrant dishes like mas paan, the fluffy, black-pork-curry filled bun with pineapple jam, and Moor King Prawn string hopper biryani, a showstopping dish with alternating layers of prawn curry and steamed noodles.Price: Starting at £55 per person.
For: A Floating French Party
Marceline, Canary Wharf
The new brasserie-styled restaurant that floats in Canary Wharf has straightforward options for private events. The Balcony, off the cantilevered spiral staircase, has an overhead view of the dining room and seats for 24 or has room for 45 standing, while The Mezzanine features water views across Canary Wharf, a separate sound system and bar, with seating for 60 and a standing party of 100. Around Christmas, the three-course menus include options like cheese souffle with truffles; steak frites with maitre d’hotel butter; and profiteroles with a cookie crust.Price: Set menus start at £50 per person.
For: Covent Garden Club Vibes
Common Decency, Covent Garden
In the spring, the clubby lounge located down a tricky set of stairs in the Nomad hotel quietly began operating as a private events space. That intel comes in handy at the holidays for parties of up to 150 people who want to hang out and dance in the multi-roomed, sultry space. (There’s a DJ booth, and the hotel has a roster of DJs and performers on hand.) Drinks options include signatures from star mixologist Leo Robitschek like the Pandan Negroni (a mix of reposado tequila, campari and coconut water), while dining includes the option of a raw bar station, tacos and other Mexican-inspired dishes from the upstairs restaurant Side Hustle and charcuterie and cheese. Price: From £10,000.
For: An Extravagant Rooftop Experience
Cornus, Belgravia
The high-end, rooftop fine dining Cornus that opened in the summer in Ecclestone Yards, not far from Victoria station, might have a few Tracey Emin pieces on display. But the light-filled private dining room boasts work from Rocco Ritchie, son of Madonna, along with floor-to-ceiling windows. The room sits eight to 19 who can feast on modern British dishes from chef Gary Foulkes, including hand-rolled spaghetti with native lobster and roast Landes chicken with Scottish langoustines.Price: £155 per person for the seasonal tasting menu.
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