Voting is now open for the Toast the City Awards, celebrating the very best of Cheapside!
The Toast the City Awards return for a second year, once again celebrating the restaurants, bars, green spaces and cultural destinations helping to make the Square Mile one of London’s most exciting places for all occasions.
Join us in voting for your favourite Cheapside spots across 15 categories by visiting cityamevents.co.uk/toast-2026. Voting is running between 14th July and 21st August, followed by the Toast the City Awards celebration later in October 2026.
This year’s categories now include New Opening of the Year and Retailer of the Year, as well as bringing back awards for the Best Overnight Experience, Best Restaurant, Best Art or Culture Experience, and more. The Toast Zone map goes beyond the official Square Mile, squeezing in even more places all the way to Aldgate East!
Vote for these shortlisted Cheapside businesses:
Best Art or Culture Experience
- Bank of England Museum
- London Mithraeum
Best Bar
- Engel & Jang
- Humble Grape Bow Lane
- Madison
Best Boozer
- Ye Olde Watling
Best Breakfast
- Fortnum & Mason’s Bar
- Millie’s Lounge at The Ned
- Porterford Butchers
- Where’s Fred’s
Best Casual Dining
- Bancone
- Vinoteca
Best Coffee
- Grind Threadneedle Street
- Host Café
- Where’s Fred’s?
Best Fitness Experience
- Barry’s St Pauls
- Gymbox Bank
- Pure Sports Medicine St Paul’s
- Ultimate Performance
Best Green Space
- Festival Gardens
- St. Vedast-alias-Foster Church Garden
Best Overnight Experience
- The Ned
Best Restaurant
- 1 Lombard street
- Brigadiers
- Cabotte
- Coq d’Argent
- Sweetings
Best Roof Terrace
- Madison
- One New Change Roof Terrace
Best Sandwich
- Continental Sandwich Bar
- Porterford Butchers
Most Fun Experience
- Fairgame City
- Puttshack Bank
New Opening of the Year
- Fairgame City
- Humble Grape Bow Lane
- The Lucky Goat
Retailer of the Year
- Watchfinder & Co
- Bobby’s Flowers
- Daunt Books
- Fortnum & Mason
- Jo Malone
- Montblanc
More about Toast the City:
Toast the City is delivered in partnership with City AM and the City BIDs: Aldgate Connect BID, Cheapside Business Alliance, Culture Mile, Eastern City, and Fleet Street Quarter.
Toast Awards judges include:
- Steve Dinneen – City AM Life & Style Editor + Head Judge
- Adam Bloodworth – Deputy Life&Style Editor
- David Harry, AKA TheLondonSpy – London Tour Guide
- Allen Simpson – Deputy Chief Executive of UKHospitality
- Tony Matharu – Founder Blue Orchid
- James Robson – Founder Fallow, Roe
- Yasmin Jaunbocus – Head of PR at Hot Sauce
- Libby Brodie – City AM Wine Columnist
- Jaspreet Hodgson – Vintry Ward, City of London
- Martin Williams – CEO at Evolv (formerly D&D London)
- Soren Jessen – Founder of 1 Lombard Street
- Emma McClarkin – Chief Executive of the British Beer & Pub Association
- Kate Hart – CEO at Eastern City BID
- Izabella Kasinska – Head of Marketing & Events at Aldgate Connect BID and Cheapside Business Alliance
- Claire Dumontier-Marriage – BID Director and Aldgate Connect BID and Cheapside Business Alliance
- Lady Lucy French – Fleet Street Quarter BID CEO
- Caroline Hanson – Director of Communications & Marketing at Culture Mile BID
- Chris and Jess Galvin – Galvin La Chapelle
- Michael Browne – Wolseley City
- Leonid Shutov – Founder of Bob Bob Ricard
- Enya Buchenau – Humble Grape
- Karan Gokani – Founder of Hoppers
- Sheila Dixon – Founder of The Rising Sun
- Matthew Staite – Lazy Coffee Founder