5 New Venues in London for Summer 2022 Meetings and Events

The Centre Point building on Oxford Street welcomed Arcade Food Hall in late April, a high-end food hall that was 15 months in the making. Inside, there’s eight kitchens and a mezzanine restaurant developed by JKS Restaurants, the group behind popular London eateries that include BiBi, BAO Noodle Shop, Lyle’s, and Kitchen Table. Anchoring the 12,500-square-foot venue is the Food Hall (pictured), where up to 70 seated or 100 standing guests can be in the thick of the action, with a standalone bar and a view into all eight open kitchens. There’s also the Games Room where groups of up to 30 seated or 40 standing competitors can test their skills at nostalgic table games, including a Mitcher’s Old Fashioned machine. Plaza Khao Gaeng occupies the mezzanine, and here, 50 seated or 60 standing, hungry eventgoers can nosh on Southern Thai cuisine. Other spaces include the Tuck Shop, a space notable for its DJ booth and live programming, and an outdoor terrace. Full venue buyouts are also available for seated affairs of 300 or standing celebrations for up to 400. Pricing starts at £27.50 (approx. $28) per guest for a set menu with drinks.

Convene entered the global market when it opened an outpost in London back in May. Convene at 22 Bishopsgate is a 50,000-square-foot hospitality-infused operation designed to cater to corporate events, business meetings, and formal celebrations. The venue boasts a slew of designated meeting and event spaces across two floors—including the Bishopsgate Forum for up to 406; the Leadenhall Hub, which can accommodate up to 233; the Gracechurch Hub for 186; the Ludgate Library for up to 111; and more. Planners can also utilize Convene Studio, a proprietary virtual and hybrid events platform to accommodate up to 10,000 off-site attendees. Also offered are full production services, plus IT and AV support. And if the on-site snack bars with craft bites, tea, and barista coffee aren’t enough, head chef Matthew Moran has developed a seasonal menu perfect for a seated soiree or cocktail celebration. Highlights include beef empanadas with chipotle-spiced apple butter and Mexican pork stew, plus berry salads in the summer and fig-and-squash salads in the winter. Inquire within for pricing.

The Other House South Kensington is an ultra-posh hotel and residents’ club with designated gathering spaces for meetings, elegant dining events, and big bashes. Consider The Owl & Monkey, a destination cocktail bar with ostentatious decor—and tree-top views of an indoor courtyard—for late-night affairs set to curated playlists courtesy of local DJs. It can accommodate full buyouts of up to 120 standing guests, or 65 for a seated dinner of sharing plates. Partial buyouts are also available for up to 60 standing or 32 seated guests. And just off South Kensington’s Gloucester Road is The Other Kitchen (pictured), an all-day restaurant that can host up to 140 standing or 64 seated guests in an elevated, street cafe-style venue. Decor highlights include a mix of high tables, booth, and banquette seating, plus black-and-white checkered floors, textured walls, and gold accents. Day-to-day, The Other Kitchen is a 54-seat destination open to both Other House guests and the local neighborhood with a seasonal menu of one-pot specialties, vegan dishes, and soup du jour. For private events, bespoke menus are curated by the head chef. Also on-site are The Francis Bacon and Mervyn Peake Rooms that can accommodate up to 10 and eight guests, respectively, and boast full AV capabilities for hybrid meetings. And adjacent to the lobby, The Library is an intimate space designed for one-to-one meetings. The space, which is notable for its warm woods, amber tones, and velvet lounge seating, can accommodate 12 standing or 10 seated guests.

Westminster welcomed a quintessentially British boutique hotel in May 2021, and the property nods to the prestigious address, which is just steps away from Buckingham Palace. The Guardsman has 4,810 square feet of designated meeting and event space, including the Dining Room and Drawing Room (pictured), which boasts bespoke furniture courtesy of local creative design partner Tonik Associates—including a tufted sofa inspired by the one owned by JFK, French tub chairs, lacquered black tables, and a hand-knotted, vintage rug. A spiral staircase leads to a first-floor bar, and buyouts of the entire old-meets-new-inspired space start at £45,000 (approx. $54,000) per day. The Guardsman also offers residences, including the top-floor Astor Residence, a three-bedroom penthouse. Seven stories up, the 1,262-square-foot space boasts three bedrooms, a kitchen, private chef, and 409-square-foot wraparound terrace.

Chef and owner Chantelle Nicholson debuted sustainable oasis Apricity in Mayfair in April. The 495-square-foot space is 100% zero waste, from a hyper-seasonal menu that focuses on veggie-forward fare, to interior decor notable for its clay plaster finishes, calming color palette, and pops of live greenery. Here, Nicholson’s refreshing, sustainable standards are also apparent off the menu (Apricity includes service charges in its pricing to allow for higher wages, the owner has a strict 11 p.m. curfew to allow employees to safely commute home, and the restaurant is closed two days a week). For eco-conscious planners, Apricity allows for full buyouts starting at £3,000 (approx. $3,600) for lunch and £5,000 (approx. $6,000) for dinner. The 430-square-foot main dining room can accommodate up to 32 seated guests, and the 65-square-foot chef’s table can seat up to 10 for an even more intimate affair.