Sweetings
Seafood restaurant · Cheapside ·
Classic seafood institution serving comfort puddings, open weekdays
Classic seafood institution serving comfort puddings, open weekdays
"When we first reviewed Sweetings, we said that it was a restaurant “full of walking, talking, sentient signet rings, and the sound of the same anecdote, from different generations, about that moustached dinner lady in the school canteen.” That still stands today, as it always has done over this legendary seafood restaurant’s 130-year-plus tenure in the City. For an idiosyncratic, time-warp of a lunch experience, there’s nowhere else like it." - jake missing
"There are old-school seafood restaurants and then there’s Sweetings. This Grade II-listed building has been serving oysters for over a century. That’s almost as long as we’ve been telling ourselves we’ll open a savings account. This City spot is a strictly weekday lunchtime affair, and you’ll undoubtedly see fish on ice in the window and businessmen on their second Black Velvet inside. Heads up, it only serves two types of oysters—both native to Essex—so it might not be the best bet if you want variety, but it’s still a classic London dining experience." - heidi lauth beasley, sinead cranna
"Sweetings is a seafood, lunch-only restaurant, because that’s the way it’s always been. In the heart of the City, it’s been serving whitebait, potted shrimp, pie, and crumble to business types for much of its 100-year-plus tenure. There’s a very British atmosphere about the place. One that’s almost farcical. You’ve got someone shovelling the excellent fish pie beside you. Waistcoated waiters slapping down glass bowls of prawn cocktail left, right, and centre. This is a place full of walking, talking, sentient signet rings, and the sound of the same anecdote, from different generations." - rianne shlebak, jake missing, heidi lauth beasley, daisy meager
"What To Get: A black velvet, a fish pie, and something, anything, with custard. Time Capsule Factor: Mahogany counters. Pressed white linen. Antique sterling silver cutlery. The pop of champagne bottles. The rattling of plates going up, and down, and up the dumbwaiter. It feels like the City has been built around Sweetings, rather than it being built in the City." - jake missing, sinead cranna, heidi lauth beasley, rianne shlebak
"At Sweetings, two slices of buttered brown bread will be placed in front of you within a minute. An order of prawn cocktail isn’t mandatory, but it would certainly help what’s in front of you. Despite being open for more than 130 years, time at this lunch-only City institution seems to stand still. A heady mixture of pewter tankards, white tablecloths, and courteous waistcoat-clad waiters makes this seafood specialist truly one-of-a-kind." - jake missing, heidi lauth beasley, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna, daisy meager
