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The Happenstance

Cocktail Bar, Wine Bar, Restaurant Bar, Restaurant
(73)
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Description

The Happenstance sits in the shadow of St. Paul's Cathedral with a beautiful alfresco terrace looking right at the iconic building and over the happening square. 

In the daytime, it offers a great place for client meetings and drinks, with its laid back and friendly atmosphere; as the evening draws in, the bar becomes a hive of activity with after work drinks, romantic dinners, and large private parties all enjoying the chic and quirky interiors and excellent drink & food offering.  

With private rooms available for hire as well as full weekend hire available, it also functions as a very successful party and event venue. Overall, a pleasant oasis away from the hubbub of city life, The Happenstance is another example of a successful bar providing a refreshing venue for city workers looking to let their hair down and relax. 

Info
Chatting and Drinking, Private party, Drinking and Eating, After work drinks, Eating, Chilling with mates, Client Meeting
No Door Charge
No queues normally
Happily Affordable ££
St Pauls
Background Music
Cocktail Bar, Wine Bar, Restaurant Bar, Restaurant
Wheelchair Access, Disabled Toilets
None

Hours
Day Open Close Notes
07:30 23:00
07:30 23:00
07:30 23:00
07:30 00:00
07:30 00:00
10:00 23:00
- - Private Hire Only

Location
The Happenstance
10 Paternoster Square, London, EC4M 7DX

Area:
Central London

Nearest station:
St. Pauls (Tube)
View on Citymapper
View on Google Maps

View large map / streetview

Menus
Drink Prices Price
Pint of Lager £4.75
Pint of Real Ale £4.80
Bottle of Lager (330ml) £4.00
Bottle of Cider (568ml) £4.95
Cocktail £8.25
Glass of Wine (175ml measure Large ) £7.25
Bottle of House Wine £19.95
Bottle of Champagne £44.95

Menus

Breakfast menu Download
All Day Menu Download
Drinks List Download
Dessert Menu Download
Pre Order Menu Download


This venue serves British, Breakfast and Pub Food food.

A word from the chef:
Using seasonal and locally sourced ingredients where possible, The Happenstance boasts a relaxed all-day dining menu from breakfast through to dinner. Try their saffron baked eggs with chorizo for breakfast, one of their beautiful salads or burgers for lunch and graze on their small plates and sharing boards over drinks and dinner. The crispy duck flatbread is always a winner.

Private Hire
Name Type Capacity
Seated		 Capacity
Standing		 Cost Min spend
Midweek*		 Min spend
Weekend*
Venue Venue Hire 550
* The minimum spends are a guideline only and vary according to the day and time of the year.

(73 reviews) Show all Show fewer



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{{reviewWidget.review}} {{reviewWidget.userName}} visited {{reviewWidget.venue}} on {{reviewWidget.visited}}
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The food was fabulous and staff attentive without being overbearing. Bryony visited The Happenstance on 15 Aug 2017
17 Aug 2017 by
5
Very nice and good service. Disappointed that you don't serve Bacardi superior though, that is my drink of choice and the white rum you sell is not good quality. visited The Happenstance on 10 Aug 2017
14 Aug 2017 by
4
Really great venue with a nice atmosphere and a good choice of food and drink. Would highly recommend to anyone looking for a nice bar in or around St Pauls. visited The Happenstance on 11 Aug 2017
14 Aug 2017 by
5
The food and service was good. However, the music was very loud and it meant that conversation was limited. This is a shame as is ruined what would have been a good experience. visited The Happenstance on 11 Aug 2017
13 Aug 2017 by
3
The food at Happenstance is very good (bar the one cold dish) but the service is very hit and miss. It was good to start with them when the restaurant was nearly empty (we booked for 2pm) but really tailed off as it got busier. I was taking clients to lunch and I was serving the wine myself at one point. I think our Server finished her shift halfway through our lunch and no one else really took over. Its a shame as its a great venue and location. visited The Happenstance on 09 Aug 2017
11 Aug 2017 by
3
Great night and helpful staff made booking easy. visited The Happenstance on 03 Aug 2017
07 Aug 2017 by
4
good services, but not even one complementary drink after spending a thousand pounds visited The Happenstance on 03 Aug 2017
06 Aug 2017 by
4
Great service and good food. visited The Happenstance on 01 Aug 2017
03 Aug 2017 by
4
The staff where really helpful and attentive the room.was lovely so. My friend had a fab 40th birthday dinner visited The Happenstance on 29 Jul 2017
31 Jul 2017 by
4
The service was good and the staff friendly but the food needs attention. The portion sizes are getting smaller by the week and one of the staples of the menu - fish and chips - the fish was VERY over cooked visited The Happenstance on 28 Jul 2017
31 Jul 2017 by
3
Very nice meal and staff. However the music just needed turning down a little. it was hard to hear each other. Also, struggled to find a waitress at end of evening to pay bill. Would recommend and would return. thanks visited The Happenstance on 18 Jul 2017
20 Jul 2017 by
4
Lovely bar to celebrate with my family. Service was quick and friendly and the food was delicious! visited The Happenstance on 17 Jul 2017
19 Jul 2017 by
5
Great time 17 July 4-6pm booking. Happenstance was busy due to Barts Medics/Dentists Rites of Passage at St Pauls but they happily handled our request to change our table to sit close to 2 other families. Floor Manager was clear with us that ordering asap would help them as they were busy with bookings never mind ad hoc arrivals. Food and drinks fine. Lovely outdoor seating area which was airy but not too sunny. Fab location close to St Pauls, paternoster square, temple bar, millennium bridge, globe etc visited The Happenstance on 17 Jul 2017
19 Jul 2017 by
5
The setting was nice but the food was average. visited The Happenstance on 13 Jul 2017
15 Jul 2017 by
3
Nice environment, staff friendly, good food visited The Happenstance on 13 Jul 2017
15 Jul 2017 by
5
Fantastic, really accommodating and helpful staff. Thanks so much! visited The Happenstance on 12 Jul 2017
14 Jul 2017 by
5
I would like to say first and foremost that the service was very good, if a little over attentive. The waiting staff and manageress really cared and made you feel as such. The food however was very average. I had pea & lemon risotto which was as tasteless as wallpaper. I sent it back but the second version wasnt a massive improvement. My boyfriend had an overcooked club sandwich - the toast was like cardboard and my brother had a fish pie that had all the cheese in the world on the top with very little potato or fish. All in all very disappointing. That couple with the fact you could not eat outside & we were sat under a very loud speaker made for a pretty disappointing meal. I would not go back I'm afraid. I know it's a chain restaurant but that is exactly how it felt. visited The Happenstance on 10 Jul 2017
12 Jul 2017 by
2
We were ignored. It was difficult to get any attention from the waiters, even though the restaurant was quiet. We ordered four coffees and they never arrived. When the bill came we had to remind them to take the coffees off. It was very disappointing. visited The Happenstance on 05 Jul 2017
10 Jul 2017 by
1
Made my booking over the phone. The woman took my number, name, email and confirmed the booking. I received no email so I called on the day to double check. They did not have any record of my booking and they said I couldn't prove anything unless I knew the woman's name (why would have thought to ask her name?). They offered me another time, but certainly did not apologise for or acknowledge what had happened until they could "investigate it" - the implication was "until I look into it, you might be lying." Since I work nearby in an company which regularly books their, I emailed around the office to let them know. I received 4 replies from people who had also had a poor booking experience with The Happenstance. visited The Happenstance on 07 Jul 2017
09 Jul 2017 by
1
Staff very friendly. Nice food! visited The Happenstance on 30 Jun 2017
08 Jul 2017 by
4
Sea trout wasn't fresh and was over cooked on a bed of fennel which had clearly been chopped the day before. Very poor. visited The Happenstance on 06 Jul 2017
08 Jul 2017 by
1
Food ok service not so good. After being seated I waited 20 minutes ( it wasn't busy) before asking a lady manager if someone could take my order. She snapped at me for interrupting her talking to a colleague! Not a brilliant example of customer service. visited The Happenstance on 05 Jul 2017
07 Jul 2017 by
3
Lovely bar, great atmosphere, good food, fantastic staff! visited The Happenstance on 05 Jul 2017
07 Jul 2017 by
5
Great food and cocktails, service was fab and the décor of the venue was quirky and different. Thank you! visited The Happenstance on 30 Jun 2017
03 Jul 2017 by
5
Lovely staff, great food. Really nice lunch all round! visited The Happenstance on 01 Jul 2017
03 Jul 2017 by
5
Quick, friendly service and great food. visited The Happenstance on 01 Jul 2017
03 Jul 2017 by
5
Nice venue. A little disappointing that I wasn't informed in advance that there would only be seating for 1/3 of my party, but the staff helped to find a couple extra seats once prompted. visited The Happenstance on 28 Jun 2017
30 Jun 2017 by
3
Very poor service. Food was not good - battered haddock tasted like the batter had gone off. visited The Happenstance on 28 Jun 2017
30 Jun 2017 by
1
Everything we had arranged was ready, we were well served and the evening was enjoyable. visited The Happenstance on 28 Jun 2017
30 Jun 2017 by
4
I booked for a group of people at work. I had to chase to have an email confirmation of my booking. When we arrived, our group of 15 people had been allocated 2 large table with 8 chairs in a corner which was not convenient for drinks or food as we could not really stand together or seat together. Best to check exactly where you will be placed. visited The Happenstance on 27 Jun 2017
29 Jun 2017 by
2
Friendly staff, very attentive. Definitely be coming back visited The Happenstance on 23 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 by
5
Great food and great experience visited The Happenstance on 23 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 by
5
We had booked a table outside but as it was a bit windy and cooler, there was no ptoblem moving us inside. We had the cheeseburger which was delicious and the service was excellent. We were very impressed.overall. visited The Happenstance on 23 Jun 2017
25 Jun 2017 by
5
Food and drink was fine but service was poor. Upon arrival, took ages to be seated and host at the door didn't seem to know what she was doing, despite me having made a reservation. And then we were approached by someone who asked 'are you here for much longer'. A bit rude and unnecessary considering we knew our reservation was for an hour and 15 mins, and we were actually waiting for our bill. Won't be going back in a hurry. visited The Happenstance on 22 Jun 2017
24 Jun 2017 by
2
It was fully booked and when I reserved online I requested an outside table in shade as we had a young baby with us. I understood that this could not be guaranteed but on arrival found they had reserved us the perfect table. Service was friendly efficient and quick. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is that we felt our salads were on the small side especially as mine was over £11. We will definitely be back. Cazza visited The Happenstance on 21 Jun 2017
23 Jun 2017 by
4
Awful - bad service, below average food, ambiance lacking. I do not recommend it. visited The Happenstance on 19 Jun 2017
22 Jun 2017 by
1
Food pretty moderate to poor. Service OK at best. visited The Happenstance on 15 Jun 2017
19 Jun 2017 by
3
Service was appalling - left with empty glasses for over half an hour despite us chasing and we weren't even offered dessert. visited The Happenstance on 16 Jun 2017
18 Jun 2017 by
2
Unfortunately I didn't rate my experience at the Happenstance. One of the chicken salads came without chicken in. The duck in my salad was not very good quality and the service wasn't great. visited The Happenstance on 14 Jun 2017
16 Jun 2017 by
1
we were a big group at a very busy time and we were very well looked after. visited The Happenstance on 14 Jun 2017
16 Jun 2017 by
5
Very good night and great staff Well done visited The Happenstance on 14 Jun 2017
16 Jun 2017 by
5
Food and ambience was very good but waiter/waitress service leaves a lot to be desired. Not very professional. visited The Happenstance on 14 Jun 2017
16 Jun 2017 by
4
It was Ok, the table I booked wasn't set up when we arrived so had to wait for that. Then it took a lot of time to order more drinks and get the attention of the waiters. We ordered a range of drinks and a few platters, the food was a bit disappointing, especially the Seafood Platter which was incredibly greasy. visited The Happenstance on 13 Jun 2017
15 Jun 2017 by
3
Pretty much a re-booted Corney & Barrow but with blankets and for some reason, sheepskins (both indoors, why?). Other points: 1. music too loud 2. chorizo bites overcooked to the point of grittiness and swimming in oil 3. onion rings also v oily 4. no napkins came with platters 5. or condiments, had to ask for both Style over substance but a typical City bar. visited The Happenstance on 08 Jun 2017
12 Jun 2017 by
2
I had my work leaving drinks here on Thursday. The staff couldn't have been more helpful, especially Abby the manager. Everyone really enjoyed it. Thank you so much!!!!! visited The Happenstance on 08 Jun 2017
10 Jun 2017 by
5
lovely staff! Very helpful and accommodating. visited The Happenstance on 07 Jun 2017
09 Jun 2017 by
4
Had a lovely evening catching up with the girls - fantastic wine and yummy food. Good vibes, highly recommend. visited The Happenstance on 06 Jun 2017
08 Jun 2017 by
5
Very pleasant surprise! Good food and nice staff! visited The Happenstance on 31 May 2017
07 Jun 2017 by
4
The service was far too slow for a City lunch. visited The Happenstance on 05 Jun 2017
07 Jun 2017 by
3
Private room kept being interrupted as glasses were stored in there. Noisy, poor service. Had used previously as a meeting venue when owned by C&B definitely would not recommend anymore really gone down hill. visited The Happenstance on 01 Jun 2017
03 Jun 2017 by
1
We had a great time at the Happenstance. The reserved area given to use was really lovely and cosy and the person who welcomed us was very friendly and helpful. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is for the speed of service at the bar. The weather was really nice and the whole place was booked, inside and out so surely it would have been a good idea to get extra staff behind the bar. Other than that it was an excellent visit and would definitely recommend it + come back myself ! visited The Happenstance on 25 May 2017
30 May 2017 by
4
Despite telephoning in advance, and having a long conversation about the requirements for my booking - with someone who appeared very helpful! - none of this was passed on at all with our booking. Staff at front desk were not helpful and quite brusque. Policy of whether tables could be reserved outside was very confused - on the phone it was "yes"; on the desk it was a "no"... but we couldn't sit on any of the empty tables because "they had been reserved" (but remained empty throughout our meal). A very long wait to pay; not enough staff. Food was good but over shadowed by terrible service. The old Happenstance was much better!! Such a shame. visited The Happenstance on 26 May 2017
30 May 2017 by
1
Hi I had booked for a dinner for seven people on the 27th May for my birthday after having previously visiting the refinery (bank.) I was so utterly disappointed by the evening. Firstly we arrived to the restaurant (not busy at all) and were told that our table wasnt ready yet. No one even seemed to check our names in the booking system. The hostess - who was very nice, then had to put the table together. We were told to have a drink at the bar. Which would be ok in normal circumstances - but there are no seats at the bar- so you just stand there. We ordered a bottle of wine and then weren't allowed to transfer that bottle to our table. We had to pay for it there. This would have been all fine but our waiter was so rude and obnoxious - he clearly didnt want to be there. He never smiled. We were so friendly to him and he proceeded to tell us that our wine which we ordered 3 bottles of was "nice and cheap." I spent many years in hospitality and I was so put off by his attitude. Everyone at the table commented on his demeanour. visited The Happenstance on 27 May 2017
29 May 2017 by
1
A little disappointed not to be sat outside as requested on the booking however I do understand that there are only so many seats available.... maybe a notification with the booking confirmation would have alieviated any disappointment on arrival..... Apart from that our lunch was flawless. Food and drink was great, our waiter was outstanding, really knew what he was doing, made us feel very welcome, chatty but not annoying. We had a great lunch! Thank you very much! visited The Happenstance on 26 May 2017
28 May 2017 by
5
We were a group of 10 attending the Mixology cocktail class. Overall the class was enjoyable. However, it was very noisy where we were situated which meant that those at the end of the table could not hear very well. We then followed with dinner. The service was a bit slow considering that we submitted our menu choices in advance, which meant that some were halfway through their starters before the rest arrived. visited The Happenstance on 23 May 2017
26 May 2017 by
3
The food was very good but the service at 9am on Wednesday 26/5 was frankly shocking. Waited for ages for our order to be taken and then paying the bill took ages as well - I had to go to the cash till to actually get someone's attention whilst the managers seemed to sit in a corner messing about on their notebooks. When it was a C&B the service was so much quicker for breakfast meetings. visited The Happenstance on 24 May 2017
26 May 2017 by
2
Food was ok, small portions for the salads and nothing special for the prices charged. Was particularly shocked that the cheeseburger at £8.95 did not come with chips - they were extra at £3.25. Staff were all pleasant enough but some language difficulties.. when I asked where the Ladies were, the waiter asked me which lady I was looking for?! Amusing when I had to mouth Ladies' toilet to him!! Had a token that entitles you to a discount on the meal and was told that as they were newly open, the tills weren't set up for it, yet my work colleague had been the week before and used hers. Not that impressed and although I would go there for a drink I certainly wouldn't eat there again as lots of nicer and cheaper places around the City. visited The Happenstance on 23 May 2017
25 May 2017 by
3
Exxxxxxcccellent!!! Need I say more? visited The Happenstance on 23 May 2017
25 May 2017 by
5
We had booked an area for drinks and pre ordered a lot of food/drinks. When we arrived, the area did not seem to have been prepared as there were several other groups in the area. In addition, our drinks were not on our table and were not delivered until we asked for them and most members of staff did not appear to know what was going on. The food was good but we weren't given any cutlery to eat with until much later (again only after asking) - this was only an issue for one or two items as most was finger food. Overall we had a nice evening but the service was not very good and we ended up removing the charge from our bill. visited The Happenstance on 11 May 2017
23 May 2017 by
3
I can not find enough words to describe what a wonderful wedding day we had & it was down to the fantastic staff at the Happenstance Nina our coordinator was fantastic, professional but also so friendly the waiting staff fantastic and the food exceeded our expectations! The feedback from our guests was unbelievable! visited The Happenstance on 20 May 2017
22 May 2017 by
5
Lovely restaurant in terms of location, decoration, atmosphere and food. Service was painfully slow and as I was using it for a business meeting it looked bad on the client so this made it extremely disappointing when all else was good. visited The Happenstance on 19 May 2017
22 May 2017 by
3
I booked a table for dinner but got a small one next to the speakers. The tuna salad was mediocre at best -tuna steak was overcooked and cold- but the staff are friendly and attentive. Happenstance is a loud bar that serves food not a restaurant for an enjoyable dinner and you should be more honest about it. visited The Happenstance on 18 May 2017
20 May 2017 by
2
Slow service , food average ok value visited The Happenstance on 17 May 2017
19 May 2017 by
2
Service was good. Wine very nice. Food was a bit disappointing. Smoked chicken salad had very little chicken and in the duck salad the duck was quite tough. Chips were good. visited The Happenstance on 17 May 2017
19 May 2017 by
3
The staff are incredibly friendly, the bar area is very spacious. The acoustics are not great - it does get incredibly loud in the dinning area from the bar. But all in all, would recommend it! visited The Happenstance on 16 May 2017
18 May 2017 by
4
The squid starter was mainly breadcrumbs and very little squid. Main courses also took 45 minutes to arrive and it seemed that we had been forgotten about as they appeared shortly after I enquired as to progress. Respective main courses of half chicken and cod were nice. visited The Happenstance on 11 May 2017
15 May 2017 by
3
Had a lovely time, enjoyed the food and bellini but was not very impressed with the Garden Fizz as it was nearly all ice! visited The Happenstance on 12 May 2017
14 May 2017 by
4
Poor - someone was sitting in our reserved tabe when we arrived so we had to wait for them to finish/pay bill etc.. Lipstick on wine glass - took ages for the glass of wine to be replaced. I received wrong starter - didnt say anything because I was on a client lunch and didnt want to cause fuss on what was an important client meal. General service was all over the place, disorganised and panicked. Very disappointed and wouldnt return. visited The Happenstance on 12 May 2017
14 May 2017 by
1
The food was very nice, we did have to wait 10 minutes to be seated though I think that might be as we were the first at 5pm. also I had to ask for the chips I ordered as they didn't arrive with the meal. other than that was ok visited The Happenstance on 10 May 2017
12 May 2017 by
3
Lovely setting and very tasty food. Only thing that let it down slightly was the service. The waiting staff were really lovely, but got a couple of things wrong. Drinks didn't come out until after the food, and when they did, the order was incorrect. It was really busy though, so a tiny blip in an otherwise lovely lunch. Have recommended to friends. visited The Happenstance on 09 May 2017
11 May 2017 by
4
great for after work drinks with the office, not the wildest place but definitely not what you'd want anyway after slaving at the desk the whole day. drinks could be cheaper but they're good quality
18 Jun 2014 by
4
Always good food! Really like this place, outdoor bit is really nice.
29 Aug 2013 by
4
enjoyed a long lunch here - definitely recommend!
18 Feb 2013 by
4

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