The Don main White Room restaurant. Photo by Angela Lansbury.
The Don restaurant is in a quiet old courtyard off an alley near busy Fleet Street so named because was once alongside the Fleet which once tumbled downhill to the Thames a couple of blocks away downhill. You need your map or Satnav to guide you. It's only a short walk past interesting old and new buildings to the alley and you'll see a sign just before the courtyard.
The Travelodge And Bottle Openers
If the Don is beyond your budget, the Travelodge opposite has bargain bedrooms at under £100 (see Tripadvisor) and a wall of old bottle openers you can see from outside just before its entrance which faces the Don's enhance in the small courtyard.
Old Bottle openers in Travelodge hotel window. Photo by Angela Lansbury.
Sandeman House. Notice the e in the middle of the name. Sign for The Don restaurant which is at the right.
Doorway to The Don
You'll also see the name Sandeman on the building facing you between the Travelodge on your left and the The Don on your right.
History of The Don
The Don reflects the history of the location. The Don, pictured in black cape and wide brimmed flat top hat is the symbol still used and was the symbol of man who started the business in London way back in the 1700s importing port wine and spirits from Portugal, a Scotsman called Sandeman.
If you turn right into the main restaurant and use the handy wide doored handicap accessible toilet on the ground floor you'll miss the other ground floor restaurant on the left and the historic device at the top of the stairs.
The stairs lead down to the cellars containing more restaurant rooms, handy for private functions. If you don't go down, admire the staircase, arched with old bricks.
Originally the cellars housed barrels which were raised and lowered.
You can see the lifting device at the top of the stairs. If you go to Portugal you can visit a museum and learn more.
Overhead is the device for lowering barrels to the cellars and raising them. Photo by Angela Lansbury.
Downstairs, if you go down to the toilets, you will see arched bric roof rooms of the old cellars and one of the cellar restaurants rooms has a picture of the old days.
At every turn are amusing wine bottle holders or other items to entertain then eye and mind of those who like old items and history.
Inside there's a choice of restaurants. The main restaurant which seems to be the favourite is the one in the picture above, edged with wine bottles and colourful pictures. Yet we found it so quiet that you cannot hear anybody else and they cannot hear you. The tables are quite widely spaced. We went there on a summer Monday when there was a new chef. But on a Saturday night in season you might have trouble getting this restaurant.
Behind me in this first picture of the main restaurant, The White Room, is a wall of bottles.
Separating diners in this half of The White Room from the diners other near the doorway is another semi-see-through wall of bottles you can just see on the left of the big picture.
The Don is between three stations, Bank, Monument and Cannon Street.
The Don restaurant and The Sign of The Don
St Swithin's Lane,
City of London
EC4N 8AD
Tel: 020 7626 2606
reservations@thedonrestaurant.com
www.thedonrestaurant.com
St Within's Wine Shippers is the other side of St Swithins Lane from The Don restaurant.
The also have wine delivery, tasting, shopping and shipping at:
One hour delivery anywhere in the City of London.
St Swithins Wine Shippers
11-12 St Swithins Lane
City of London EC4N 8AL
tel:020 7621 9972
email: info@stswithinswineshippers.com
www.stswithinsshippers.com
Wine shop and tasting trace.
TOURIST INFO
https://tfl.gov.uk (Transport for London)
https://art.tfl.gov.uk/projects/permanent-commission-by-daniel-buren/
www.visitlondon.com
www.londonpass.com
www.visitbritain.org
You can hire The Don and The Sign of The Don for birthdays, engagement parties, wedding receptions, for lunch, dinner and weekends for parties of up to 120 people.
More about food and drink at the Don in the next post. Also see previous posts on The Don. Please share links to your favourite posts.
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
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