Hosting a really special event warrants an A-grade setting. These great private rooms and dining spaces in some of our favourite London haunts promise memorable meals and a setting that justifies the celebration.

The best venues for a capital dinner party

restaurant

Bistrotheque

Bethnal Green

For those with large friendship groups, Bistrotheque's private dining-room is the perfect holding pen. With capacity for up to 96 seated or 130 standing, the warehouse-style space (where milliner Stephen Jones chose to host his 60th birthday bash) is adaptable and affordable - private dining packages start from £39 (turns out quality canapes aren't so costly after all).

Address

23-27 Wadeson St, E2 9DR

+44 20 8983 7900 Go to website

restaurant

George

Mayfair

George’s main restaurant spans two rooms – book out one or both spaces based on your party size. Serving up brasserie classics in a dining room flanked with Hockneys, this chic Mayfair members’ club (available for hire to non-members) is the ideal setting for intimate-ish soirée. Follow with drinks on the terrace.

Address

87-88 Mount Street W1K 2SR

020 7491 4433 Go to website

restaurant

Bob Bob Ricard

Soho

A delightful riot of opulence, Bob Bob Ricard is all panache. The private dining room is styled on a dining car akin to those found on the Orient Express – think velvet blinds and train-style windows, with the addition of BBR’s trademark “press for champagne” button – and an evening here is likely to rival any party hosted by the great Jay Gatsby.

Address

1 Upper James Street W1F 9DF

020 3145 1000 Go to website

restaurant

Mark’s Club

Mayfair

Frequented by the fashion set and sharp-suited aristocrats, this exclusive club is generally out of bounds for non-members – unless you’re looking to book out one of its private dining spaces. Interiors are timeless and traditional; The Circus Room is perfect for bespoke suppers, or try the Indian Room for a slightly bigger bash.

Address

46 Charles Street W1J 5EJ

020 7499 2936 Go to website

restaurant

Gymkhana

Mayfair

Gymkhana's subterranean, secretive, private dining vaults are worth the hype their buzzword description incites. The Indian restaurant was awarded a Michelin star within a year of opening - its seven-course tasting menu offered to private dinner parties will explain why.

Address

42 Albemarle Street W1S 4JH

+44 20 3011 5900 Go to website

restaurant

Chiltern Firehouse

Marylebone

A place for peacocking and people-watching since it first opened in 2014, Chiltern Firehouse has a private dining room tucked off the main space which offers an alternative experience for those who’d rather ogle over the interiors and Nuno Mendes’ cuisine than their neighbouring diners.

Address

1 Chiltern Street, W1U 7PA

+44 20 7073 7690 Go to website

Annabel’s

Mayfair

If you’re on the dancefloor of this ultra-exclusive Mayfair hangout, chances are you’ll be hip-grinding with royalty. The legendary club was one of the first to offer an alternative to the po-faced grandeur of the St James’ old guard and it has been pulling in the baby-faced blue-blooded ever since. Opened in 1963 by Old Etonian Mark Birley, a recent ownership switch saw £65 million splurged on a psychedelic renovation of the current Berkeley Square townhouse location, dressing restaurants, bars and the infamous subterranean nightclub in eclectic, exotic interiors – think baby-pink, shell-shaped vanities, jungle-print wallpaper, clashing patterns and enough chintz to furnish a small castle (something we assume most members likely own). We’re not sure we’ll ever make it inside without an honorary title before our name, but we can dream.

Address

46 Berkeley Sq, W1J 5AT

+44 20 3915 4046 Go to website

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restaurant

Barrafina

Covent Garden

Booking a private dining room at Barrafina might be the only way to guarantee a table. Relish in your ability to outsmart OpenTable or Resy and fill the hired space with friends who appreciate a hearty menu - think ham croquetas and prawn-and-piquillo-pepper tortillas - and have an unquenchable thirst for Spanish wine.

Address

26-27 Dean Street W1D 3LL

0207 440 1486 Go to website

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restaurant

Luca

Clerkenwell

A sister restaurant to the Michelin-starred Clove Club, Luca serves Italian-style dishes that are sure to satisfy even your choosiest foodie friends. Host an intimate gastronomic feast in The Pasta Room (the room where Luca’s chefs make fresh pasta every day) or The Garden Room for an airier setup – both spaces seat eight to 10 people.

Address

88 St John Street EC1M 4EH

020 3859 3000 Go to website

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