Last Updated on March 17, 2025
3.9 out of 5.0 stars
The Libertine, tucked beneath the grand old Royal Exchange, is the kind of place that whispers of mischief the moment you step inside. It’s slick but not soulless, draped in just enough history to feel decadent rather than dusty. The cocktail list is long and the wine selection well-judged. On Thursday (the new Friday) the crowd at the bar was a heady mix of finance types letting loose and well-heeled city dwellers. Make your way through the bar to the vaulted restaurant and you are bound to be impressed by the menu.
From a very appetising set of starters we chose:
A delicious Severn & Wye hot smoked salmon served with horseradish creme fraiche, potato salad, capers, parsley and black caviar.
and a more earthy beetroot tartare consisting of diced beetroot, elevated in status through a walnut dressing, sour apple, plant creme and fresh and crisp shards of toast. Very satisfying!
The main menu offers six good choices for a main course, but on a return journey, we will definitely opt for the steak! Eyeing up the dishes laid in front of our fellow diners provided a feast for the eyes. The Chateaubriand exuded class, and the individual steaks definitely invited attention.
Our focus this trip was to sample a guest menu from Lisa Goodwin Allen, Executive Chef at the Michelin-starred Northcote and a Great British Menu winner. Celebrating the best of British produce, Lisa created three excellent pies in honour of British Pie Week.
As we were two, we chose the vegetarian and fish options. The Lancashire butter pie came in a traditional tall double-crust shape (often associated with a pork pie). Confit onion, butter-poached potatoes and Lancashire Bomb cheese oozed from the crisp pie walls to mingle with a pitch-perfect, signature brown sauce.
The native lobster pie was a more delicate affair, a pretty round pasty stuffed with lobster in a creamy thermidor sauce and served with herb-laced beurre blanc.
Both pies were substantial and full of flavour and we enjoyed them with an almost healthy side of perfectly cooked vegetables and a rather unnecessary but delicious portion of fries!
The waitress suggested pairing a crisp, yet slightly fruity Inzolia with the pies (traditionally it should of course been a good light ale and for this event the Libertine paired with Leffe Beer). But, the Sicilian wine worked very well for this pair of wine-drinking softies.
Back on the house menu alongside two builders-size cups of coffee, we shared the chocolate and hazelnut torte – leaving the tempting choices from the Dessert Cocktails menu for next time.
Did you know that the Libertine is in the underground vaults beneath the Royal Exchange where the first royal alcohol license in Britain was granted. If that’s not a reason to indulge yourself, I don’t know what is.
The Libertine
1a Royal Exchange,
Cornhill,
City of London,
EC3V 3LL
The Libertine also run a fabulous supper club. We went along to the first one, for Burns Night and we know there are more dates already in the diary. Check our review to find out more about the Libertine Supper Club
