Franco Manca and Real Greek owner slumps to £14m loss as boss quits June 24, 2026 The owner of Franco Manca and Real Greek slumped to a £14m loss shortly after it its boss quit in the wake of a swathe of restaurant closures. Private equity firm Fulham Shore was hit by a £14.2m loss before tax in the year to March 2025, Companies House filings have revealed, nearly triple its [...]
Would a £10bn VAT cut really save hospitality? June 20, 2026 Calls for the government to slash VAT on hospitality firms have been backed by pub and restaurant bosses, and Prime Minister hopeful Andy Burnham. What would this tax break really mean for the economy? The UK’s pubs, hotels and restaurants say they are at breaking point. Higher business rates, hikes to national insurance and minimum [...]
Fogo de Chao nominated for Best Casual Dining Toast award June 19, 2026 We have launched the Toast the City awards 2026 and throughout the year we’ll be speaking to some of our nominees – this week it’s Brazilian restaurant Fogo de Chao at Bishopsgate. To vote for your favourite Square Mile spots for the 2026 awards, from bars and restaurants to galleries and green spaces, visit the [...]
Mexican Michelin stars arrive in the Square Mile at Ned pop-up June 18, 2026 London’s options for good Mexican food are scarce. There is the Michelin starred Kol in Marylebone, Taq in Notting Hill and Fonda in Mayfair, each offering their own stamp, but London’s Mexican diaspora is relatively small, and that means we just don’t have the quality nor quantity of decent places to eat. One country that [...]
Whitbread food sales slump after revealing exit from restaurant arm June 18, 2026 Whitbread has seen food and drink sales slump after it revealed its divisive decision to sell its restaurants and pivot to a hotels-only business. The Premier Inn owner said food and drink sales fell by five per cent to £148m in the three months to the end of May, compared to a three per cent [...]
Bancone is a pasta restaurant – just don’t call it Italian June 11, 2026 A new restaurant below the imposing walls of the Bank of England is serving pasta – just don’t call this Italian food. I’m told the rare breed beef and marrowbone pasta is a British dish. Is a restaurant Italian because they serve pasta? As any City worker will know, Bancone’s silken threads are kneaded in the [...]
Hospitality leaders ramp up pressure on Labour to slash VAT June 11, 2026 Leaders of top hospitality firms have ramped up pressure on Labour to slash VAT, which they warn is leading to hundreds of thousands of job losses. Pub chains JD Wetherspoon, Fuller’s and Greene King, as well as hotel giant Hilton and Mexican restaurant chain Wahaca, have thrown their weight behind a campaign to cut Value [...]
Office foodies, the working lunch needs YOU! May 21, 2026 Amid a hospitality crisis, it's up to workers to take longer, boozier lunches and power the economy, says Nicole Gordon.
Campanelle hopes to pick up Toast the City Best Restaurant win May 13, 2026 Campanelle is one of our favourite new Square Mile restaurants, a vast Italian dining room set inside the beautifully restored London Shipping Exchange on Billiter Street. Created by restaurateur Ninai Zarach, the all-day venue is an excellent showcase for grand City architecture. The menu takes inspiration from across Italy, catering for everything from breakfast meetings [...]
The City pub boasting taxidermy boar, deer and squirrel April 29, 2026 Our Toast the City Awards celebrating the best of the Square Mile returns later this year. Adam Bloodworth dines at City pub The Jugged Hare WHAT’S THE VIBE? At The Jugged Hare, I pass a boar growling at me. It has been upturned and beheaded and presented unceremoniously on a dining table. Fierce-eyed boars, slender [...]