The Libertine

The Libertine sits in the vaults beneath The Royal Exchange, reached through a plain door on Cornhill and a spiral staircase down. Brick arches run the length of it, low and warmly lit, and the City above disappears. The site has form: this is where Britain's first royal alcohol licence was granted, and where traders did their drinking once the day's business was done.

Incipio opened it in October 2022 after a refit of the Grade I listed cellars, and it reads as one long social room rather than a restaurant with a bar attached. A tiled island bar anchors the largest arch and takes 200 standing. The restaurant seats 70 beneath the brickwork and holds 150 for a reception, with the floor cleared for dancing when the evening asks for it. Gresham's, nearer the bar, takes 100 for drinks with a bar team of its own.

Two spaces go properly private. The Whiskey Vault occupies its own alcove, ten seated or thirty standing. The private dining room seats eighteen and carries its own AV. Hired whole, the site holds 150 seated or 450 standing, music runs through the night either from the house DJ or from yours, and the licence goes to 1am.