Pubs and Bars in City of London

The City has an enticing mix of small pubs and upmarket bars together with an excellent selection of restaurants with private dining rooms. When it's finally time to leave the office for the day (or, sometimes, for lunch), thirsty City workers have a great selection of bars to choose from. Vertigo 42 is the place to go for a champagne celebration and for the best views of the City. The bar at 1 Lombard Street serves cocktails that are as inventive and expertly produced as the food in its Michelin-starred restaurant. And those who want a pint after a long day should check out Counting House, a pub housed in a converted bank.

The City of London, usually just called the City or the Square Mile, is the centre of trade and finance in Europe, rivalling New York City as the finance capital of the world. The traders, bankers and other wage-earners in the area have to work hard, so it's no surprise they like to play hard here, too. Flashy bars outnumber quiet pubs in the City, and most bars and pubs are designed to impress. Likewise, the restaurants are grand and often expensive – great for hashing out the details of a deal or letting someone know how important you are. The City also roughly follows the boundaries of the ancient Roman capital of Britannia, Londinium, so there are plenty of museums and other things to do if you want to slow the pace down a bit.

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