I wasn't sure how to classify this as it is both restaurant and London curiosity in one--a pizza joint in the heart of the financial district, the City of London, which was originally a Turkish bath (and it shows)!
As a restaurant, there's little to get excited about--weekday lunchtimes, it's full of suited lawyers and bankers; evenings too (though ties are sometimes loosened) but then there's also live music to make dinner go with a swing. The food is overall average, service a little patchy, and prices not particularly low (though I would put in a recommendation for the garlic mushrooms). The point of going there is the amazing (and rather surreal given its location) decor and exterior.
The remarkable building is in classic late Victorian faux-Islamic style; it opened in about 1871 though the present interior decor dates from 1894 (designed by Harold Elphick). Amazingly, the baths survived WWII bombs to the City (many surrounding buildings were less lucky) and remained open until 1954. At the height of the trend for Turkish baths in London in the late 1900s until the turn of the century, there were some 60 open to the public, with a smaller number operating on a members' only basis. These days, they are more a peculiarity with just a couple still operating today (for the record, Ironmonger Row Baths Ironmonger Row Islington, Ladywell Leisure Centre Lewisham High Street, and York Hall Old Ford Road have single sex Turkish baths and The Porchester Centre Queensway has both single sex and mixed bath sessions; the rather more up-market Royal Automobile Club 89-91 Pall Mall is sadly members' only).
The first thing that strikes you is the exterior of this little Turkish delight--onion dome (which used to be for water storage), complete with crescent and star, and lovely (and nicely illuminated from within) stained glass windows. Inside, the upstairs is what used to be a payment kiosk atground level with the baths below. The best of the baths is lost with no marble in sight, though you the nicely coloured green and blue faience wall tiles and tiled columns remain and a small part of the mosaic floor is exposed (under a perspex covering) near to the bar). It makes for very interesting and curious surroundings to enjoy your pizza...entrance to the baths in their heyday was three shillings sixpence!
Nearest Tube : Liverpool Street