Corney & Barrow

The wine bar arm of this distinguished wine merchant was launched in the 1990s. Many of the sites retain a whiff of that era of self-conscious style bars; with their big windows they are the antithesis of the dark, masculine, City wine bar. After an abortive attempt at West End expansion, the 13 Corney & Barrow venues are now entirely confined to the City and Canary Wharf. Many are open for breakfast, and then serve classic dishes (caesar salad, bangers and mash, fish cakes) at lunch before shifting to an evening menu of bar bites and canapés. The Paternoster Square, EC4, branch has a slick nightclub feel, with a mix of dark booths for parties and well-spaced tables. The highlight is the outdoor seating on the square itself; in the shadow of St Paul’s cathedral, it could almost be on a continental piazza.