Where to Eat Near Westminster Abbey: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner in Westminster
There’s plenty to fill a day in Westminster. Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, Whitehall and St James’s Park are all within easy walking distance of one another, which also means there comes a point when you’ll want somewhere good to sit down.
If you’re looking for restaurants near Westminster Abbey, Old Queen Street Café is tucked between the Abbey and St James’s Park, just away from some of Westminster’s busier thoroughfares.
We’re open from breakfast onwards, whether you need coffee before a day exploring London, somewhere for lunch, or dinner after Westminster has started to quieten down.
Breakfast in Westminster
An early start has its advantages.
Old Queen Street opens from 8am Monday to Friday and 9am at weekends, so there’s time for breakfast before heading out into Westminster.
Keep things simple with porridge topped with poached heritage plums and cinnamon, house granola or poached eggs on toast. Or make more of it with Eggs Royale, Salt Beef Benedict, Warm Bakewell Brioche or the full OQS Breakfast.
There’s proper coffee too, and an Orchard Mimosa if your plans allow for a slightly more leisurely start.
Lunch near Westminster Abbey and St James’s Park
Lunch at Old Queen Street can be quick, but it certainly doesn’t have to be.
The Salt Beef Sandwich on Rye comes with sauerkraut, pickled cucumber and English mustard, while Chicken Schnitzel is served with sautéed green beans, shallots, capers and confit garlic aioli.
Elsewhere on the autumn menu there’s Burrata & Hot Honey with roasted pumpkin, red wine figs and sage; Curried Lamb Pot Pie with slow-cooked lamb shoulder beneath a roti lid; and Roast Cod with braised leeks, mussels, samphire and cider and bacon cream sauce.
For something lighter, there are seasonal salads and starters, with plenty that work particularly well in the middle of a busy day in Westminster. Or, of course, you could order pudding and make considerably less of the afternoon.
Dinner in Westminster
Old Queen Street feels a little different once the working day is over. The lights get lower, the bar becomes rather more tempting and there’s more time to work through the menu properly.
We serve dinner Monday to Thursday, with the restaurant open until 11pm.
Start with a drink at the bar, order a few things for the table, or settle in for dinner and a bottle of wine. The seasonal menu moves with the time of year, while the cocktail list takes some of its inspiration from the Westminster neighbourhood around us.
View the Cocktail Menu
View the Wine List
If you’re visiting on a Friday or at the weekend, come to us earlier: the kitchen closes at 4pm on Fridays and we’re open for breakfast and daytime dining on Saturdays and Sundays.
A restaurant that feels very Westminster
The location is only part of the story. Old Queen Street Café sits inside a Georgian townhouse, with political magazine UnHerd upstairs and the Palace of Westminster just over the road. Around the house you’ll find floorboards reclaimed from Churchill’s Old War Office, shelves of books and Martin Parr’s photographs of English life.
Executive Chef Elliot Spurdle, formerly of The Wolseley and The Delaunay, leads a menu shaped by the British seasons and inspired by the traditional London café. So while the address puts us firmly in the middle of Westminster, once you’re through the door there’s every reason to stay for a while.
Finding Old Queen Street Café
You’ll find us at:
Old Queen Street Café
6 Old Queen Street
Westminster
London SW1H 9HP
We’re between Westminster Abbey and St James’s Park, with the Houses of Parliament and Whitehall nearby. So whether you’re looking for breakfast before a day in Westminster, somewhere to have lunch near Westminster Abbey, an afternoon coffee or dinner after work, come and find us on Old Queen Street.