Haunt

When Peter Street lost its Caffe Nero it gained Haunt, an independent coffee shop and wine bar. Stepping inside, you feel like this corner spot in the beautiful St George’s House, with its views of the Midland Hotel and Central Library, has finally got the classy occupier it deserves.

Haunt is an early-till-late place which will serve you coffee before work, a posh BLT at lunchtime, and a gin martini come 5pm. With its globe lighting, marble tables and chessboard flooring, it has an Italian plaza cafe feel (the lingering ghost of Nero, perhaps).

The meat sharing board features unexpected elements such as watermelon jam and truffle honey, alongside the prosciutto, salami and bresaola. Gourmet sandwiches (made in-house) include a smoked salmon on ciabatta with pancetta, egg, rocket, and caper and dill mayonnaise.

The wine list is largely Italian and has plenty of intriguing selections. It’s complemented by Italian cocktails, spritzes, and aperitivo including an eight-strong Vermouth menu.

The food and drink is good but for many, the location will be their reason for stopping by. In particular, the temptation of a window seat with an espresso martini and a view across to St Peter’s Square.

Haunt always have something new to try and regularly update their menu. There’s a new French toast flavour to try every two weeks and the best way to stay up-to-date is to follow their Instagram page.

Offers

Look out for deals throughout the day, such as their bagel and a hot drink breakfast offer (8-10am, Mon-Fri), and their upmarket version of a takeaway meal deal which gives you a freshly-made focaccia sandwich, any hot drink and a homemade bake for £10 (Mon-Fri from 11am).

Happy hour is 4pm-8pm, Sun-Thu. Those £20 bottles of prosecco look particularly tempting for a mid-week catch-up.