It's the first week of November. Somebody in Monday's team meeting said "we should sort the Christmas do", and somehow your name went down next to it. Good news: you're not late. Book this week or next and you'll still get a decent December date, a proper space and a set menu, without phoning round a dozen pubs in a panic at the end of the month.
Book now: why early November still works
Pubs with private rooms fill their December diaries in a predictable order. The Thursdays and Fridays in the first three weeks go first, followed by any room that can seat a long table. By mid-November the good slots are usually down to early-week evenings and lunches. Book in early November and you're still choosing from what's available, rather than taking whatever's left.
Common mistake: waiting for every colleague to confirm before you enquire. Get a provisional booking in place first, then firm up the numbers.
Start with a headcount and a budget
Two numbers decide nearly everything that follows: how many people are likely to come, and how much the company (or each person) will spend per head. Twelve people can usually fit a reserved area in the main bar. Twenty to forty usually need a private room. Past that, you're talking about exclusive hire, and the price changes with it.
Work out a realistic number, not the full team list. Some people will always be on leave, poorly or doing the school run. Settle the budget per head before you talk to the pub, because the first thing they'll ask is whether you're after food, drinks or both.
Common mistake: booking for the best-case headcount. A room for forty with twenty-two people in it feels flat. You may also find yourself paying a minimum spend set for a bigger group.
Private rooms, reserved areas or the open bar
A private room gives you your own space, your own speeches and no strangers squeezing past to the loos, but it usually comes with a minimum spend. A reserved area in the main bar costs less and has more atmosphere, though you'll be sharing the noise. Just turning up to the open bar in December is a gamble for any group over six. The three pubs below show how varied a pub's spaces can be, and why it pays to ask what each room is actually like.
A few London pubs with spaces worth asking about
The Windmill, Mayfair
Soho, Westminster
Pies are the point on Mill Street, a side street off the top of Regent Street, a few minutes from Oxford Circus. Young's runs the pub together with the team behind the nearby Guinea Grill, and the pies are made in-house with suet pastry: Guinness-braised short rib, steak and kidney, chicken, bacon and leek. Hot Dinners reports three wins at the British Pie Awards. The main bar is one big L-shaped room with painted panelling, coloured tiles and a large chandelier, with dining tables taking up most of the floor. For a work party, the spaces to ask about are the Low Pie, the Up Pie and the roof terrace at the back, which is open all year and, according to CAMRA, has shelter and blankets. A pie-led set menu almost writes itself here, and a dinner upstairs followed by drinks on the terrace makes a good shape for the evening.
Old Bank of England
Westminster
From 1888 to 1975 this building on Fleet Street was the Law Courts branch of the Bank of England. It still feels that way: high ceilings, large artworks, and tables made from the original bank vaults. That sense of occasion suits a team that wants the night to feel like an event, not just a few drinks after work. It also has more named spaces than most: a Billiard Room, a Parlour Room, a courtyard and a vintage Routemaster bus, all used for private events. The bus deserves a question of its own when you ring. The kitchen covers pies, steak, fish and chips and burgers, with vegetarian and gluten-free options, and the beer comes from Hertfordshire. That broad menu helps when the dietary list starts to grow.
Deposits, minimum spends and the small print
December is the busiest month in the pub calendar, so expect most places to want a deposit and, for private spaces, a minimum spend. Neither is unreasonable. What matters is knowing the terms before you sign. Ask:
- How much is the deposit, and is it taken off the final bill?
- Is there a minimum spend, and does it cover food and drink or drink only? Is service charge included in it?
- What's the deadline for final numbers, and what happens if fewer people turn up?
- What's the cancellation policy, and when does the deposit become non-refundable?
- Is the room exclusive all evening, or is there a time limit before it's handed back?
Get the answers by email, not over the phone. Common mistake: assuming the minimum spend is a target. It's a floor. If your group falls short, the difference usually goes on the bill anyway.
Set menus and dietary needs
Most pubs will ask a large group to choose from a set menu, often two or three courses with a pre-order sent a week or two ahead. This helps you: the kitchen can prepare, the food arrives together, and nobody spends twenty minutes reading the menu while the starters go cold.
Collect dietary requirements at the same time you collect RSVPs, in a single form. Ask for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and any allergies, and give a free-text box for anything else. Send the pub one tidy spreadsheet with names against choices, and mark allergies clearly so they can't be confused with preferences. Common mistake: passing on a serious allergy as a casual "oh, and one person can't have nuts". Raise it separately and ask the pub to confirm how they'll handle it.
Accessibility and getting everyone there
Many of London's best private rooms are upstairs or down a short flight of steps, and older buildings don't always have lifts. Before you book, ask the pub directly whether there's step-free access to the room you're booking (not just the front door), where the nearest accessible toilet is, and how steep the stairs are. The spiral staircase at the Duke of York is the kind of feature worth asking about. Then check the transport: the nearest tube, night bus routes, and whether colleagues who live further out can get home sensibly.
Common mistake: asking colleagues about access needs after the booking is confirmed. Ask quietly and early, so the venue suits everyone from the start.
Timing the night: best day and start time for an office Christmas party
Fridays feel festive, but they're the most competitive and often the most expensive. Thursdays give you nearly the same atmosphere and a better chance of the room you want. Early-week evenings, or a long lunch that runs into the afternoon, are worth considering if your team is spread across several offices or has childcare to work around.
Choose a start time that fits the kitchen. At the Old Bank of England, for example, food stops at 9:30pm from Monday to Wednesday and at 10pm from Thursday to Saturday, so a 7pm sit-down leaves room for pudding. Plan when dinner ends and drinking takes over: do you keep the room, move to the bar or head upstairs? At The Windmill, going from dining room to roof terrace does that job well. With dark evenings drawing in, an early start also gets people through the door before the cold and the rain put them off. Hours change over the festive weeks, so confirm them with the pub when you book.
Common mistake: a late start with no food until 8.30pm. A team that has been drinking on an empty stomach since 6pm makes for a very different party.
Your pub Christmas party booking checklist
Copy this into your first email to the pub and fill in the gaps as the answers come back.
- Preferred date, plus two back-up dates
- Estimated headcount, and the date final numbers are due
- Budget per head, covering food, drinks or both
- Space needed: reserved area, private room or exclusive hire
- Deposit amount, minimum spend and what counts towards it
- Cancellation terms, confirmed in writing
- Set menu options and the pre-order deadline
- Dietary needs and allergies, sent as one clearly labelled list
- Step-free access, stairs to the room and the nearest accessible toilet
- Kitchen serving times and the time the room must be cleared
- Plans for after dinner: keep the room, move to the bar or use another space
- Nearest tube and late transport home
If your team would rather have a cosy corner than a party room, our round-up of London pubs with fireplaces is a good place to start for smaller groups. And if you're hosting colleagues from overseas, send them how to order at a pub in the UK before the big night.
