Three of the best gallery restaurants for working lunches

Locatelli at the National Gallery, London

The National Gallery’s 200th birthday celebrations have got off to a bang with an £85m facelift which includes a comprehensive rehang, the reopening of its Sainsbury Wing after two years, a competition offering one lucky prize winner the chance to spend a night sleeping among the artworks and… a new showpiece restaurant.

Locatelli is the latest venture from celebrated Italian chef Giorgio Locatelli, whose Michelin-starred Locanda Locatelli closed last Christmas after 23 years. Dishes which have delighted celebrities such as Madonna and Bill Clinton – such as braised veal tortellini, roast chicken alla cacciatora, and his much-talked-about tiramisu – are all on offer at the new setting.

If your clients don’t have time for a post-prandial stroll around the National Gallery itself (it could take the best part of a week to take in all those masterpieces by da Vinci, van Gogh, Gainsborough and more), they can still admire artist Paula Rego’s huge Crivelli’s Garden mural which hangs in the restaurant.

Pressed for time? Catch up over a coffee at the gallery’s new espresso bar Bar Giorgio (also from Signore Locatelli), perhaps ordering a signature maritozzi (Roman cream buns traditionally made for Lent but superb at any time of the year).

Discover Locatelli at the National Gallery.

The Scottish Café & Restaurant, Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh

Run by local legends the Cortini family (who are also behind Cannonball and Contini George Street), this airy restaurant serves as a superb showcase for the best of seasonal Scottish produce. Expect creamy, hearty cullen skink soup, Aberdeen butteries (bread rolls), an umami-rich haggis, and Port of Leith sherry-glazed pork belly. All food is sourced from around 70 Scottish artisan suppliers, while some of the fruit and veg even comes from the Contini family garden. 

While the restaurant’s views overlooking Princes Street Gardens and Edinburgh Old Town are stunning enough, the décor inside the restaurant is a visual feast in itself. Just like the food, this represents Scotland’s rich heritage: Anta furniture, chairs upholstered in Bute Fabrics, plus the standout Fire Thistle velvet from textile designer Mairi Helena. The artworks in the Scottish National Gallery, such as Henry Raeburn’s The Skating Minister, John Singer Sargent’s portrait of Lady Agnew of Lochnaw, aren’t so bad either. 

Discover the Scottish Café & Restaurant.

Rooftop Restaurant, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

The dreaming spires of Oxford have inspired plenty of gushing prose over the centuries, and there’s few better places to gaze out pensively at these honey-hued wonders than sitting at an outdoor table at this restaurant sitting atop the city’s outstanding Ashmolean Museum. When coupled with food such as its pan-seared sea bream, the views become even more sublime. 

With prices which wouldn’t upset the company accountant (£27 for two courses; £28.50 for afternoon tea), the restaurant has several vegan dishes, as well as comfort food aplenty (think braised lamb collar shepherd’s pie or treacle tart with clotted ice cream). 

Build up an appetite by exploring the museum’s treasures beforehand. The Ashmolean’s curiosities such as Oliver Cromwell’s pocket watch, Guy Fawkes’s lantern and a mantle belonging to Pocahontas’s father (not to mention artworks by the likes of Goya, van Gogh and JMW Turner) should provide plenty of conversation-starters for your meal. 

Discover the Ashmolean Rooftop Restaurant.

Christian Koch is an award-winning journalist and editor who has written for the Sunday Times, Guardian, Evening Standard, Metro, Director, Cosmopolitan, ShortList and Stylist.

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