- The Strangers’ Bar, Westminster
- The Cinnamon Club, Westminster
- Ichi-Rikki Sushi House, Westminster
- The Red Lion, Westminster
- The Despatch Box, Westminster
- Quirinale, Westminster
During the 1990s, one boozy minister used to tell journalists about the correlation between his willingness to leak stories and the volume of claret put in front of him. “One bottle means a Tory party scoop, two bottles means a departmental scoop and three bottles means a Downing Street scoop,” the MP would clarify as he settled into a booth at Rules, a lavish diner in Covent Garden.
Today, the idea of a three-bottle lunch seems as passé as smoking on an aeroplane. The typical political meeting is as likely to be a functional one-hour lunch on the parliamentary estate — or a stone’s throw away — with the drink provided by Thames Water.
Events move at a faster pace these days: everyone is glued to their smartphone, for fear of being out of the loop for more than an hour or so. Woe betide the hack tucking into pudding at Shepherd’s restaurant (now closed) as the prime minister announces his or her resignation.
This was underscored last year when another of the most famous names in the political dining scene closed its doors for good. The Gay Hussar on Greek Street in Soho, which had been serving cherry soup and goulash since 1953, was lined with political cartoons and books on its wood-panelled walls.
Yet despite the changing times, there is still a strong tradition of the Westminster lunch, paid for by the expense accounts of Britain’s leading media organisations. For a reporter, it can be a disconcerting experience to go to the notorious power-dining restaurants such as Quirinale, Osteria dell’ Angolo or The Cinnamon Club at a weekday lunchtime: the place will seem like a hall of mirrors, with tables of journalist opposite politician.
The venues below may not fit the traditional picture of a lengthy Westminster lunch at a white-clothed table, but welcome to the reality of political dining in 2019.
1. The Strangers’ Bar
House of Commons, Westminster, London SW1A 0AA
- Good for: a pint of Carlsberg lager and a packet of salt and vinegar crisps
- Not so good for: finding a private place to avoid being overheard
- FYI: you can’t get in unless you are with an MP, but it’s worth it for the magnificent views
There is nothing special about this small bar off a corridor in the House of Commons — until you walk up a couple of steps and find yourself on the terrace overlooking the Thames, with a glorious panorama upriver.
Only MPs and their guests are allowed in “The Strangers”, which is often packed out on a Monday evening: junior staffers have their own watering hole called the Sports and Social Club.
The Strangers used to be famous for the inebriation of its patrons, enjoying heavily subsidised alcoholic drinks: until recently there was an arrow nailed to the wall inches from the floor, saying “Way Out”. The night in February 2012 that then Labour MP Eric Joyce drank too much sauvignon blanc in The Strangers is Westminster’s own version of the butterfly effect.
The subsequent sequence of events — a brawl, an election, union strong-arming, new Labour leadership contest rules, union powers curbed, the rise of the militants — may be what led to leftwing Jeremy Corbyn becoming party leader.
For those who prefer eating to drinking, the House of Commons’ Strangers’ Dining Room is open to the public when the house is sitting on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.
2. The Cinnamon Club
The Old Westminster Library, 30-32 Great Smith Street, Westminster, London SW1P 3BU
- Good for: the memorably tasty food
- Not so good for: diving in for a swift bite on a busy day
- FYI: set-lunch highlights include shrimp-crusted coley fillet with green curry sauce and steamed basmati rice
This high-end restaurant opened in 2001 in the converted former Westminster Library. The high book shelves and vaulted ceilings remain, and it is a favourite Westminster power-lunch venue.
Don’t be surprised to see cabinet ministers being dined by journalists, or lobbyists entertaining MPs over modern, lightly spiced Indian haute cuisine, such as cardamom crème brûlée or smoked lamb escalope.
3. Ichi-Rikki Sushi House
17B Strutton Ground, Westminster, London SW1P 2HY
- Good for: getting away from parliament for a quick tasty lunch
- Not so good for: discreet conversations — the tables are quite closely packed
- FYI: try the Ichi-Rikki Special (£16): six pieces each of nigiri and salmon roll, three pieces of salmon sashimi and miso soup
First-time visitors often miss the entrance to this understated sushi house half a mile from the House of Commons. Ichi-Rikki is rapidly becoming a go-to place for time-pressed politicians.
A dozen steps lead down to a cramped room with only half a dozen tables, the sushi chefs visibly at work in one corner.
Politicians of a previous generation would be baffled by the popularity of Ichi-Rikki, with its simple wooden tables, tight space and raw fish. It is the antithesis of the white-tablecloth formality of historic favourites such as Shepherd’s or Roux. But the quality of the sushi is superb, lunch is over in 45 minutes and the atmosphere faithfully replicates a proper Tokyo diner.
4. The Red Lion
48 Parliament Street, Westminster, London SW1A 2NH
- Good for: bumping into MPs, advisers, hangers-on or political journalists
- Not so good for: don’t expect haute cuisine — it’s standard pub fare at the upstairs tables
- FYI: forget the food and order a pint of Oliver’s Island ale
The closest pub to the House of Commons is St Stephen’s Tavern, but this tends to be occupied mostly by tourists. The Red Lion is the usual watering hole for MPs and parliament staffers.
The Lion serves indifferent food upstairs, while downstairs it is often ram-packed with political types, with a crowd spilling on to the pavement outside, even on the coldest winter evening.
It was outside the Red Lion in 1997 that Charlie Whelan, then Treasury press secretary, famously briefed journalists down the phone — while sipping a white wine spritzer — that Britain would not be joining the euro, to the fury of prime minister Tony Blair.
Whelan was still standing on the pavement when Blair called him and urged him to spike the story that was going in the next day’s newspapers. “It’s too late,” Whelan told the PM. “It’s already gone in.”
Other popular pubs for Westminster’s political tribes include the Westminster Arms, the Two Chairmen and The Speaker.
5. The Despatch Box
Portcullis House, 1 Parliament Street, Westminster, London SW1A 2JR
- Good for: ticking off get-to-know you meetings with political types
- Not so good for: fun gatherings
- FYI: the coffee is good, but visitors need an invitation from a parliamentary pass-holder
It is perhaps a reflection of how politics has sobered up that many encounters between politicians and journalists, lobbyists and other supplicants now take place in the utilitarian surroundings of Portcullis House, across the street from the main Houses of Parliament.
A vast glass-domed atrium features olive trees that famously cost a small fortune to maintain under a peculiar financing scheme for the 1992-built offices.
You might spot well-known figures in the queue for coffee at The Despatch Box, such as Seumas Milne, the Labour party’s wraithlike head of communications. The canteen serves muffins, baguettes and croissants but is used mainly as an outlet for caffeine.
Throughout the day the 50-odd tables are occupied by MPs and other Westminster types, while journalists loiter amid the olive trees in search of political intelligence.
An arrangement to meet at The Despatch Box suggests sober, business-like detachment: coffee will be drunk and there won’t be much gossip, but contact will at least have been made. Disraeli or Churchill would be horrified.
6. Quirinale
North Court 1, Great Peter Street, Westminster, London SW1P 3LL
- Good for: decent food a short walk from the Houses of Parliament
- Not so good for: the service — it can be a bit iffy
- FYI: not a discreet place for secret talks or handing over brown envelopes
There is a story — perhaps an urban myth — about a prominent UK journalist who was banned by one central London venue because he was thought to be eavesdropping on high-profile visitors in the toilets.
Those seeking discretion should not head to Quirinale, as the tables are close together and privacy is far from assured.
This small basement upmarket Italian eatery plies a regular trade with lunching politicians, journalists and lobbyists. It’s a smart, bright place — with a large skylight — which services tasty traditional gnocchi, tagliolini or rigatoni, and a decent selection of desserts.
As a Westminster lunch choice, it is not the most original, but the kind of place to go if you are happy to run into more than a handful of political colleagues and rivals.
Do you have a favourite Westminster haunt? Let us know in the comments