Riding House Café

Riding House Café really does have a bit of everything. You can sit at individual settings, or on the grand candelabra-lit communal dining table; in the more secluded dining room, or on low chairs in the lounge – or soak up the action at the buzzing bar. There are antiques, curios (wall lamps made from stuffed squirrels, for instance) and architectural salvage from around the globe. You can roll up in a work suit, or shorts and flip flops. Bring your agent or your kids. You could drink a coffee, a pre-dinner cocktail, a Riding House mocktail, something from the wide-ranging wine list, or a beer. You might eat full-sized brasserie dinners, tapas-like sharing plates, or bar snacks. Come for breakfast, lunch, dinner, weekend brunch, Sunday roast, or anything in between. It’s whatever eating experience you want it to be, though there’s little choice in your co-diners – an almost uniformly media crowd. The food, though nice enough, didn’t blow our minds. The Moorish lamb was succulent and tender, the soft-shell crabs crunchy, the cheeseburger juicy and the chips tasty, yet there was nothing we’ll remember in three days’ time. The cocktails, on the other hand, are creative concoctions topped with mini salad sculptures. With attentive service and a lively atmosphere, this is a great place to watch Fitzrovia go by.