Small Party Venues in London: 8 Venues for 20 to 150 Guests
A small party works best in a room sized to the guest list. With 20 to 150 people, a standing reception fills the space with conversation, a dinner lets everyone sit close, and a cabaret layout gives groups their own tables. This list sets out eight small party venues in London, with the room capacities each venue publishes on venues.org.uk.
Before you book, check four things:
✓ Capacity in your own layout: standing, dining or cabaret
✓ Sound and AV, for speeches, music or a slideshow
✓ Catering and bar: in-house or from an approved list
✓ Access (step-free) and the nearest station
Each Spotlight and Featured venue answers these checks in an “At a glance” block, and we list only the rooms that suit a small party.
Quick picks
- Chicago Booth London Conference Centre: best for evening receptions and private dining with City views
- De Morgan House: best for networking receptions and summer gatherings with a private garden
- Glaziers Hall: best for Thames-side receptions and dinners for up to 100
- Bustronome London: best for a birthday or team celebration for up to 38 on a moving bus
- The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn: best for private dinners and receptions in historic rooms
- Leonardo Royal Hotel London St Paul’s: best for hotel dinners and receptions beside St Paul’s
- Ognisko Restaurant: best for smaller parties and dinners in South Kensington
- The Elbow Room, Islington: best for a pool-table party for small or large groups
The venues in detail
1. Chicago Booth London Conference Centre, Barts Square
Spotlight venue
The Chicago Booth London Conference Centre is the home of Chicago Booth’s Executive MBA and Executive Education programmes, and it is also open for external hire for private dining, receptions and professional gatherings. It is a purpose-built 2022 building in the City of London, and its upper floors look out over the City skyline. For a small party, the Lounge with a View on the second floor suits private dining and evening receptions where the backdrop matters. The Collaboration Forum is a flexible mid-size room for networking and social gatherings, and more than 50 commissioned and selected artworks hang throughout the building.
Best for: evening receptions, private dining and networking events with City views.
At a glance
✓ Rooms: Lounge with a View 140 standing, 72 dining; Collaboration Forum 150 standing, 72 dining
✓ AV: Every room is hybrid-enabled with built-in AV, and in-house AV staff are on site throughout events
✓ Catering: In-house catering for all event types, from working lunches to private dining and reception canapes, and a hostess or event manager service is available
✓ Access and transport: Lift access across three floors. The venue is four minutes’ walk from St Paul’s Cathedral, and St Paul’s (Central line) is the closest station, with Barbican, Mansion House, Blackfriars and Bank a short walk away. City Thameslink, Blackfriars and Cannon Street rail stations are nearby, and Santander Cycles docking stations are within a three-minute walk
See the rooms at Chicago Booth London Conference Centre
2. De Morgan House, Bloomsbury
Featured venue
De Morgan House is a Grade II listed Victorian townhouse overlooking Russell Square, run by the London Mathematical Society. The Hardy Room, the largest room in the building, opens straight onto a private rear garden that can be hired with the catering area. That makes it a good fit for summer receptions and networking gatherings in Bloomsbury.
Best for: networking receptions, summer receptions using the garden, and informal gatherings.
At a glance
✓ Rooms: Hardy Room 70 standing, 40 cabaret; Burnside Room 20 standing, used as overflow reception space; Cayley Room 20 standing; Sylvester Room 15 standing; Catering Area and Private Garden for informal receptions and outdoor gatherings
✓ AV: WiFi throughout the house, and hybrid meeting setups and video conferencing with advance arrangement
✓ Catering: All catering is in-house through Eden Caterers, with finger buffets and canape receptions among the styles. External catering is not permitted. Vegetarian, vegan, allergy-sensitive and bespoke dietary needs can be met
✓ Access and transport: Step-free access by external lift at the 57 Russell Square entrance (advance notice needed), with the main rooms on the ground floor. Russell Square station is about three minutes’ walk, and Euston, King’s Cross and St Pancras are walkable
See the rooms at De Morgan House
3. Glaziers Hall, London Bridge
Featured venue
Glaziers Hall is a Grade II-listed Georgian livery hall on the south bank of the Thames, built in 1808, with seven event spaces across three interconnected floors. The Bridge Room is a bright, modern room overlooking the Thames and the City skyline, and the Library is a more intimate room with leather seating and stained glass. Below the hall, the London Bridge Arches sit under the stonework of the original London Bridge and suit drinks receptions and corporate dinners.
Best for: Thames-side receptions, private dining and drinks receptions.
At a glance
✓ Rooms: Thames Room 30 standing, 20 dining; Library 70 standing, 30 dining; Bridge Room 70 standing, 60 dining; London Bridge Arches 120 standing, 100 dining
✓ AV: Integrated AV, fibre broadband, HD projection and PA systems throughout, with one AV package per booking
✓ Catering: Life’s Kitchen is the resident caterer, with canapes, bowl food, buffets and three-course dinners. External caterers are permitted subject to RAMS documentation, PAT testing and public liability insurance. A licensed bar operates on site, and vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free catering are available
✓ Access and transport: Level street access, lift access to all floors and accessible toilets on the ground floor. Hearing loops are fitted in the Banqueting Suite, Court Room and River Room. London Bridge station is about two minutes’ walk
See the rooms at Glaziers Hall
4. Bustronome London, Victoria Embankment
Featured venue
Bustronome is a dining bus that travels past Tower Bridge, Westminster, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Royal Albert Hall while guests eat. Every seat is by a window under a panoramic glass roof, and the menus are seasonal, contemporary French cuisine. Private hire gives a group the whole bus, and the fleet of three buses can be booked together for larger groups.
Best for: birthday dinners, team celebrations and hosted private dinners.
At a glance
✓ Rooms: Upper Deck Dining Area 38 seated; Full Bus Private Hire 38; Multi-Bus Hire 76 on two buses, 114 on three
✓ AV: An on-board microphone allows speeches
✓ Catering: Food is prepared fresh on board, with a four-course lunch, six-course dinner, afternoon tea and children’s menus. Wine and Champagne pairings and alcohol packages are available, and external catering is not permitted. Vegetarian, vegan and halal options are offered, and requirements and allergies are met with 48 hours’ notice
✓ Access and transport: The bus departs from Coach Bay 40B on Victoria Embankment, beside Embankment station. All 38 dining seats are on the upper deck up seven steps, with crew assistance, and there is space to store a wheelchair on the lower deck
See the rooms at Bustronome London
5. The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn, Holborn
Featured venue
Lincoln’s Inn is the largest and oldest of the four Inns of Court, dating back to 1422, on an eleven-acre gated estate near Holborn and Chancery Lane. The Old Court Room is a Victorian room that houses the Inn’s antiquarian books and suits board dinners and small receptions. The Members’ Common Room (the MCR) sits in the original Victorian kitchens of the Great Hall and opens onto the East Terrace.
Best for: private dinners, receptions and summer entertaining.
At a glance
✓ Rooms: Old Court Room 70 standing, 44 dining; The MCR 90 standing, 50 dining
✓ AV: Integrated AV and hybrid-ready facilities are in the Ashworth Centre, the estate’s modern conference centre
✓ Catering: All catering is by the award-winning in-house team, and external caterers are not permitted. Full bar and reception service is available across event spaces, and the team accommodates dietary requirements
✓ Access and transport: Holborn station is 0.2km away and Chancery Lane is 0.4km away. Step-free routes serve selected areas, and the events team gives accessible planning support
See the rooms at The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn
6. Leonardo Royal Hotel London St Paul’s
Featured venue
Leonardo Royal Hotel London St Paul’s stands directly beside St Paul’s Cathedral and has 432 bedrooms and 23 meeting and event spaces. Its smaller rooms suit private dining and receptions, and guests can stay on site. The hotel also has Sabine Rooftop Bar, with views of St Paul’s and the London skyline.
Best for: private dining, receptions and dinners where guests stay overnight.
At a glance
✓ Rooms: Shakespeare 72 cabaret; Milton Suite 60 cabaret
✓ AV: Meeting spaces include high-speed WiFi and audio-visual technology
✓ Catering: In-house catering covers private dining, banquets and gala dinners, and the hotel has Leo’s Restaurant & Bar in the atrium. Meeting rooms can be paired with Sabine Rooftop Bar for drinks and evening hospitality, subject to availability
✓ Access and transport: Step-free entrances and lifts to all floors. St Paul’s station is less than five minutes’ walk, and Mansion House, Blackfriars, City Thameslink and Farringdon are close
See the rooms at Leonardo Royal Hotel London St Paul’s
Two more to consider
7. Ognisko Restaurant, South Kensington
Ognisko Restaurant is on the ground floor of the Polish Hearth Club building on Exhibition Road. It has a large terrace overlooking communal gardens and a large first-floor events space for parties and corporate events, and it can also cater for smaller parties and dinners. See Ognisko Restaurant on venues.org.uk
8. The Elbow Room, Islington
The Elbow Room is a 600-capacity venue in Islington with pool tables that takes small bookings as well as full parties, for birthdays and office parties. It has two pool areas of five tables each and a private room with one pool table and its own screen. A party menu of finger food is available, and a pool compere or pool pro can be added. Large groups that want a pool table for longer than an hour need to pre-book. See The Elbow Room on venues.org.uk
Choosing the right venue
Pick the layout first. A standing reception suits the Collaboration Forum at Chicago Booth or the Hardy Room at De Morgan House, while a seated dinner for 20 to 100 suits Glaziers Hall, and the Old Court Room and the MCR at Lincoln’s Inn seat 44 and 50 for dinner. Browse every listing on our party venues in London page. Each listing shows room capacities by layout, so you can match a room to your guest list before you ask for availability. You contact venues direct and we charge no commission.
