I am planning a dinner in London for 10-15 people. I wanted "a unique dining experience" or a uniquely London experience for this group. Does anyone have any ideas? There are so many restaurants--I'm a little overwhelmed!

You know the people and you are overwhelmed - Can you think what we must be

Give us some help . .

Budget?
Type of ambience - posh, casual, views, traditional, or . . . ?
All adults or children too?

Have a look on 'Top Table' which has ideas for groups/parties, and also reviews (from joe public).

I would have thought something on or by the river might be a good bet.

>>I would have thought something on or by the river might be a good bet.<<

The restaurants in the Globe Theatre, Tate Modern and the Oxo Tower all have views over the river to St Paul's.

Love the river idea. Thanks for those. As far as the group, it's all adults. I'd like a nice, not too noisy atmosphere where people can chat. Hopefully not too formal or stiff. They are all Americans so I'd like something that is unique to London if possible which is why I like the river idea. I'd love to do it at the River Cafe but I'm afraid that is a little out of our price range.

"<i> . . . but I'm afraid that is a little out of our price range.</i>"

That is why I asked your budget. What is it?

Re Oxo Tower...

There are two restaurants in it - the restaurant and the brasserie. The brasserie doen't have anything like as good views.

And any excuse....


"When my boyfriend told me he wanted to take me up the Oxo Tower for my birthday, I was a bit hesitant at first because I didn't really think it was my scene. How wrong I was! I mean, yeah, so it's a bit of a strain on the old back pocket, and I admit I did feel a bit uncomfortable initially. But a couple of cocktails helped me relax and soon I was really getting into it - we carried on well into the night. It was a great experience and I really loved it - so much so that I won't let my boyfriend take me anywhere else now! So if anyone ever wants to take you up the Oxo Tower, just throw caution to the wind and go for it!"

There are soooo many existing posts on this topic. You can get lots of info if you do a search here on Fodor's for London Restaurants.

Brick Lane. That's about as uniquely London as you can get.

But I think some of the riverside places would be more enjoyable. Look at South Bank (Southbank?) and check the LondonTown.com listings for places on the water near Waterloo station.

With a group that large you might be happier with a privater room. Ther are dozens listed here. The only one I've been too , just looking at the first page, is Babylon, a rooftop garden ovelooking Kensington and the park

http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaura...te_Rooms_10-30

Just went back and looked at the other pages. I see they list Tom's Kitchen Chelsea. Great food , no views but he is one of London's best chefs!

Or what about a wine bar: http://www.davy.co.uk/winebars

For the quintessential English dining experience ( at least for American tourists) try Rules. It may be out of your price range but with some discretion when ordering that may not necessarily be a problem. They do have private rooms. I believe the Greene Room may fit your needs.

www.rules.co.uk

Tom's Kitchen is great - but definitely not quiet.

Quo Vadis is in the centre of Soho and offers private dining rooms that are well suited for a group of that size. Food is quite good and it doesn't break the bank.
http://www.quovadissoho.co.uk/

Yes Tom's kitchen is noisy but they have a private room

That is good to know. Sorry for having missed this.

the quintessential English dining experience>>>

Hmmm - maybe if you're thinking of the post-war years... which is the timewarp in which Rules' concept of cooking is irretrievably stuck. I used to endure taking a Royal Navy officer there for business lunches. He liked it because it reminded him of his boarding school in the mid-1950's. The thought of all that Brown Windsor soup and boiled cabbage is putting me of my lunch.

There are many unususal restaurants in London which you can have a look at. They are Abracadabra, Archipelago, Dans Le Noir, St Moritz and Vapiano. Each of these have their own different identities which make them stand out in the crowd.

Dans Le Noir is known for making the diners eat in pitch dark, no lights at all; you have to use use touching and hearing senses.

Vapiano is a self service Italian fare chain restaurant with branches all over the world by now, apart from almost every helf-decent midsized German city as Germany is where it's headquartered (their first restaurant opened in Hamburg approx. 10 years ago).
While its interiors are typically quite stylish (Mateo Thun has been of influence on the design), it's a great lunch place, but I would not recommend it for a group of 15 at dinner.