Toast the City 2026: Voting is Now Open

Voting is now open for the Toast the City Awards, celebrating the very best that Aldgate has to offer.

The Toast the City Awards return for a second year, once again celebrating the restaurants, bars, green spaces and cultural destinations helping to make the Square Mile one of London’s most exciting places for all occasions.

You can now vote for your favourite Aldgate spots across 15 categories by visiting cityamevents.co.uk/toast-2026. Voting is running between 14th July and 21st August, followed by the Toast the City Awards celebration later in October 2026.

This year’s categories now include New Opening of the Year and Retailer of the Year, as well as bringing back awards for the Best Overnight Experience, Best Restaurant,  Best Art or Culture Experience, and more. The Toast Zone map goes beyond the official Square Mile, squeezing in even more places all the way to Aldgate East!

Vote for these shortlisted Aldgate businesses:

Best Art or Culture Experience

• Raven Row
• Whitechapel Gallery

Best Bar

• Dave’s Wine Bar
• Discount Suit Company

Best Boozer

• Hoop & Grapes Aldgate

Best Breakfast

• De Vine Restaurant Coffee Bar

Best Casual Dining

• Hotto Potto
• Petticoat Lane Food Market
• YeYe’s Noodle and Dumpling

Best Coffee

• Hermanos Colombian Coffee Roasters
• Potter & Reid
• The Columbian Coffee Company

Best Fitness Experience

• 24N Fitness & Liverpool St CrossFit
• Aldgate City Bouldering
• F45 Middlesex St

Best Green Space

• Aldgate Square

Best Overnight Experience

• Canopy By Hilton London City
• Sir Devonshire Square
• The Chamberlain Hotel
• The Culpeper
• The Gate London City
• Tower Suites by Blue Orchid

Best Restaurant

• Liverpool Street Chop House & Tavern
• Ottolenghi Spitalfields

Best Roof Terrace

• Florattica
• Jin Bo Law Skybar
• Skyline London
• The Culpeper

Best Sandwich

• Chaplin’s Deli
• Dauns

Most Fun Experience

• Axeperience Axe Throwing
• Boom Battle Bar
• Boulebar Spitalfields
• Dabbers Social Bingo
• London Sports Festival

New Opening of the Year

• Liverpool Street Chop House & Tavern
• Sartoria Liverpool Street

Retailer of the Year

• Bina Shoes
• Classic Football Shirts

More about Toast the City:

Toast the City is delivered in partnership with City AM and the City BIDs: Aldgate Connect BID, Cheapside Business Alliance, Culture Mile, Eastern City, and Fleet Street Quarter.

Toast Awards judges include:

• Steve Dinneen – City AM Life & Style Editor + Head Judge
• Adam Bloodworth – Deputy Life&Style Editor
• David Harry, AKA TheLondonSpy – London Tour Guide
• Allen Simpson – Deputy Chief Executive of UKHospitality
• Tony Matharu – Founder Blue Orchid
• James Robson – Founder Fallow, Roe
• Yasmin Jaunbocus – Head of PR at Hot Sauce
• Libby Brodie – City AM Wine Columnist
• Jaspreet Hodgson – Vintry Ward, City of London
• Martin Williams – CEO at Evolv (formerly D&D London)
• Soren Jessen – Founder of 1 Lombard Street
• Emma McClarkin – Chief Executive of the British Beer & Pub Association
• Kate Hart – CEO at Eastern City BID
• Izabella Kasinska – Head of Marketing & Events at Aldgate Connect BID and Cheapside Business Alliance
• Claire Dumontier-Marriage – BID Director and Aldgate Connect BID and Cheapside Business Alliance
• Lady Lucy French – Fleet Street Quarter BID CEO
• Caroline Hanson – Director of Communications & Marketing at Culture Mile BID
• Chris and Jess Galvin – Galvin La Chapelle
• Michael Browne – Wolseley City
• Leonid Shutov – Founder of Bob Bob Ricard
• Enya Buchenau – Humble Grape
• Karan Gokani – Founder of Hoppers
• Sheila Dixon – Founder of The Rising Sun
• Matthew Staite – Lazy Coffee Founder