Last night City AM’s Toast the City Awards celebrated the people and places that make the Square Mile the destination we all love.
More than 300 chefs, restaurateurs and people who run the Square Mile’s cultural venues and green spaces gathered at The Steel Yard for the second annual Toast the City Awards to find out who would win one of our coveted Slice of Toast trophies.
In an awards show presented by City AM’s wonderful wine columnist Libby Brodie and British chef and TV presenter Matt Tebbutt, the winners of Best Restaurant, Best Bar, Best Breakfast, Best Roof Terrace and Most Fun Experience were celebrated in front of hundreds of cheering City workers.
Best Coffee, Best Art or Culture Experience, Best Sandwich, Best Casual Dining, Best Overnight Experience, New Opening of the Year, Best Green Space, Best Boozer and Retailer of the Year were also unveiled at the ceremony.
Head judge Steve Dinneen, City AM’s Life&Style editor said: “Even having worked here for 17 years, there are still places that I have only discovered thanks to these awards – places like the Hypha Gallery, Basils Sandwiches and the magnificent staircase at St Barts North Wing.
“It is this diversity that makes the Square Mile my favourite place in the world. I feel privileged every day to be able to write about the businesses brought to life by the hard work of the people in this room.”
The full list of Toast the City winners:
Best Art or Culture Experience: Barbican Theatre
Best Art or Culture Experience (runner up): Whitechapel Gallery
Best Bar: Humble Grape Bow Lane
Best Bar (runner up): The Pregnant Man
Best Boozer: The Butcher’s Hook and Cleaver
Best Boozer (runner up):Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese
Best Breakfast: CORD Cafe
Best Breakfast (runner up): Bluebird City
Best Casual Dining: Duck & Waffle
Best Casual Dining (runner up): Vivat Bacchus
Best Coffee: Rosslyn Coffee Ludgate Circus
Best Coffee (runner up): Hermanos Colombian Coffee Roasters
Best Fitness Experience: Third Space Moorgate
Best Fitness Experience (runner up): Aldgate City Bouldering
Best Green Space: Aldgate Square
Best Green Space (runner up): Postman’s Park
Best Overnight Experience: Lost Property Hotel
Best Overnight Experience (runner up): The Ned
Best Restaurant: Liverpool Street Chop House & Tavern
Best Restaurant (runner up): Bob Bob Ricard City
Best Roof Terrace: Skyline London
Best Roof Terrace (runer up): Madison
Best Sandwich: Basils Sandwiches
Best Sandwich (runner up): Original Bagel & Sandwich
Most Fun Experience: SET Ceramics
Most Fun Experience (runner up): Clays Moorgate
New Opening of the Year: The Lucky Goat
New Opening of the Year runner up): Square Mile Distillery
Retailer of the Year: Daunt Books
Retailer of the Year (runner up): Daunt Books