Restaurant review: The Orangery, London

Restaurant review: The Orangery, London

May 2026

A healthy, well-priced and sustainable lunch in central London? Yes, it exists! 

I'm often looking for a venue to host business lunches in central London that don't break the bank or my daily calorie allowance - a task which often feels much harder than it should! I'm therefore feeling very pleased with my new discovery, The Orangery.

Very conveniently located just a stone's throw from Tottenham Court Road station, The Orangery offers up genuinely healthy dishes created with fresh produce, grown by innovative vertical farms housed within the restaurant itself. According to the restaurant's website, 35,000 plants are cultivated within the underground vertical farm, which diners can catch a view of  while heading to their seats.

The farm is run in partnership with Square Mile Farms, who have been proudly  ESGmark® certified since 2024. It uses hydroponic and vertical growing methods, where plants are grown in nutrient-rich water under LED lights. According  to The Orangery, the farm grows as much produce as 1.1 acres of traditional farmland, clearly highlighting the benefits vertical farming brings in terms of land and resource efficiency and meeting demand all year round. 

The deliciously fresh and fragrant basil in my salad, freshly plucked and having travelled mere metres from the farm downstairs to my plate, focused attention on the broader sustainability benefits of urban vertical farms. They reduce transport costs, supply chain emissions and minimal food miles just make for a much tastier dish. My guest thoroughly enjoyed the tabbouleh salad with fresh farm herbs. 

The space itself is large and welcoming, and could easily accommodate larger groups. The staff were attentive, friendly and let us take our time without rushing us, again a novelty in central London. 

Overall, an extremely pleasant lunch. I walked away feeling like I had room to eat a cookie on the tube and inspired to grow my own fresh herbs at home.  

Review by Portia Patel, Co-founder, ESGmark®