When you’re travelling in or out of town, it doesn’t get much more convenient than a train station hotel and if you’re in and out of East London and the City, it doesn’t get much more convenient than Andaz London, the five-star hotel part of the Hyatt group.
The red brick building, which dates back to 1884, is absolutely huge – it does wrap around an entire corner of Liverpool Street, has five restaurant and bar spaces, and 267 rooms – but you don’t really appreciate the size until you’re inside the lobby. That doesn’t capture your attention for too long though because they’ve gone for the maximalist approach to design here (makes sense when you’ve got a lot of space to fill), with street art on the walls, and lots of jewel tone velvet furnishings.
There’s more street art in the rooms (the vibe is City business meets arty Shoreditch loft) along with statement lamps, huge king beds, a black & white tiled bathroom with walk-in showers and REN toiletries, 55-inch TVs you can cast to, Nespresso machines, and complimentary snacks and softies from the mini-bar. If you do want a bev, they run wine evenings in the lobby so you can stop for a drink before you head for dinner.
Andaz is home to multiple restaurants and bars including the 1901 wine lounge, Japanese spot Miyako, and Lady Abercorn’s Pub & Kitchen. We ate at Rakes, a cafe by day and bar by night, and it’s taken the same maximalist design cues from the lobby with a marble staircase and statement floral sofas in the entranceway, a deep claret dining room and a soft green, foliage heavy bar area. It’s gastropub-style fare with a Mediterranean slant, with dishes like ham croquettes & chipotle mayo, calamari & squid with saffron aioli, braised lamb leg souvlaki wrap with mixed veggies, and glazed beef short rib with truffle mash, all in hearty portion sizes that make you grateful that bed is a flight or two of stairs away.
With a train to catch the next morning, we decided to skip the gym, which is fully kitted out and open 24 hours a day, and focus on breakfast instead. This is served in the Eastway Brasserie and it’s one impressive spread. Egg dishes, waffles, and French toast are available from the a la carte menu, but the buffet is really where it’s at. The enormous cold selection includes pastries, doughnuts, cured meats, cheeses, salads, breads, cereals, granola, yoghurts, fruits, seeds and nuts, spreads and preserves, and juices; and then the kitchen pass is loaded with sausages, veggie sausages, hash browns, mushrooms, beans, and scrambled eggs. We aren’t ashamed to say we went for more than one spin round the room.
Andaz London’s location makes onward travel an absolute breeze but that brekkie might just be worth missing a train for – and if you do happen to miss one, they’ve got plenty of comfy beds for you to crash on.
40 Liverpool St, London EC2M 7QN
hyatt.com