We love a good set menu – especially when it’s from one of the top Michelin-starred restaurants in the City of London.
For one, you get to try a whole assortment of dishes that you might not normally order. And secondly, it is a significantly cheaper way to experience fine dining (this is even more true for set lunch menus).
For these reasons, we’ve rounded up our favourite set menus from Michelin-starred restaurants in and around the City of London.
Some are great deals which must be taken advantage of, while others are enormously expensive but totally worth it for those extravagant ‘treat yourself’ moments.
Galvin La Chapelle
This French restaurant in Spitalfields is all about local and seasonal produce, making it one of the best Michelin-starred restaurants in the City of London. That’s why their whole menu has had a makeover for summer. To celebrate this, they’ve created a special five-course set menu which costs just £44.50 and comes with a glass of bubbles. That’s amazing for such high-calibre cuisine. Try their famous Lasagne of Dorset crab, beurre Nantais & pea shoots alongside a whole bunch of new seasonal summer dishes.
But that’s not all. Next door, the Galvin Bistrot & Bar is also offering a three-course meal & a glass of bubbles for £28.50. This more casual spot is ideal for relaxed work lunches. Escape to the French riviera with these meals – without having to do any of the flying and PCR tests!
35 Spital Square E1 6DY
Lyle’s
Lyle’s, the Michelin starred and World’s 50 Best British restaurant in Shoreditch, has just launched a three-course set lunch menu. This is the best way to experience the luxury of Lyle’s on a budget. The three-course set menu is available every Wednesday to Friday lunchtime for £30 per person (this is crazy affordable).
Taking the opportunity to open some of the bottles that they’ve been saving in the cellar, each menu will feature a different grape which will be served by the glass.
As always, the menu will highlight the very best of what’s in season and will change weekly. This is the perfect way to try the Lyle’s experience – without breaking the bank.
56 Shoreditch High Street E1 6JJ
La Dame de Pic
Anne-Sophie Pic is one of the very best chefs in the world, and the City of London is all too lucky to have her running La Dame de Pic (which has two Michelin stars) at the Four Seasons Hotel in Ten Trinity Square. The food is insanely good – each dish is made with complicated culinary techniques but is made to look and taste quite simple. Pic is the queen of understated elegance in food. Now, all of this doesn’t come cheap. But there are a few options when it comes to set menus.
First off, there’s the four-course ‘discovery tasting’ experience which costs £105 per person. But do remember that this kind of restaurant will surely be feeding you extra small dishes between courses. You’ll be constantly nibbling fun little treats. They then have the ‘Journey Tasting’ six-course set menu which goes for £130 per person.
And lastly, there’ the ‘Voyage Tasting’ eight-course menu which cost £175 per person. And you can add win pairings to each of these tasting menus for some extra decadence. This is the perfect place to splurge. Because you’re going to get some of the best food you’ve ever had.
Four Seasons Hotel, 10 Trinity Square EC3N 4AJ
The Clove Club
You can’t mention set menus without talking about the one and only Clove Club. These guys do nothing but tasting menus – changing each and every week (sometimes even daily). They are famous for such experiences, especially when paired with wines throughout. And they have two options.
Firstly, there’s their 8-course set menu which comes out like a perfectly rehearsed performance. Service here really is astounding. We can’t really say what you’ll be eating, as it changes every day, but you certainly won’t be disappointed. This bad boy will cost you £145, with an additional £145 for the wine pairing.
But they also have a short tasting menu for £95 per person. This is five-courses long and can be enjoyed for both lunch and dinner. You just won’t get to sit in the special dining room out the back. You’ll be in the front rooms or on the bar. Which is totally fine for us – even though we do love the experience of watching the chefs plate everything up in front of us.
380 Old Street EC1V 9LT
Angler
We haven’t been able to run away to the seaside quite as much as we would like to this year – thanks to Covid and this rubbish weather – but we can still get all the best seafood here in the City of London. You only have to look to Angler for such things. This Michelin-starred seafood restaurant has a wicked set menu for lunch which really needs to be taken advantage of.
They offer a three-course set menu for £38 (this is such a good deal). Get around fresh and ethically sourced local fish which is treated really simply. But, if you’re looking for something more, then go all in and get their £110 six-course tasting menu. This includes all the seafood you could imagine. Plus, for an extra £100, they’ll pair wines to each of these courses! Either go for the affordable lunch menu or blow your whole monthly food budget on one outing. It’s up to you. Simply, put one of the best set menus at a Michelin-starred restaurant in the City of London.
South Place Hotel, 3 South Place EC2M 2AF
