Review: London Wall Bar & Kitchen, Barbican

Hidden within the London Wall roundabout in the City of London is a gastro restaurant.

London Wall Bar & Kitchen has just had a refurbishment and launched a new menu, serving up gourmet burgers and wood-fired pizzas at reasonable prices.

Despite being right next to the Museum of London, it is not the easiest place to find.

After circling the roundabout three times I eventually stumbled across a small sandwich board directing me to go in a lift and onto a walkway.

Even my friend, who has an excellent sense of direction, had trouble and was about 15 minutes late.

But once we’d settled in, the first thing to notice was the contemporary decor – original wood floors, leather sofas, cow skin rug and antique tables, with decorative plates and bone-handled cutlery. It is part of the Benugo family of restaurants, which also operates eateries at prime spots including the BFI and Spitalfields.

We were there on a wet Wednesday and there were only a few tables filled. mainly with bankers enjoying a pizza with clients and ordering lots of wine.

To start, I had artichoke and broccoli salad and my friend butternut and goat’s cheese salad. Both came with delicious dressings and were of ample size for just £6.50.

The bone marrow burger I had for my main was really good – very lean, good quality beef served in a toasted bun with thick cut chips. My friend had giardiniera woodfired pizza topped with artichoke, mushrooms, red onion and basil pesto.

There is an impressive wine list and most are available in carafe size, from £14.

To finish we shared a lemon tart but were tempted by the fruit crumble and the zeppole (Italian, deep-fried dough balls).

This is a decent alternative to the museum cafe and diners can enjoy a meal knowing that a portion of their bill will be donated to support the museum’s work.

Amie Keeley