Fox @ Excel

If the Excel corporate campus has an unofficial ‘local’, it’s the Fox. Spread over two floors at the west entrance to the centre – a lanyard’s throw from Custom House DLR – this is also a useful muster point for show organisers & visitors. Brick walls & industrial beams point to its former life as a tobacco warehouse, though the rest is more like a town-centre boozer with conference rooms. Beer-drinking groups will find popular names including Foster’s, John Smith’s & Amstel, while wine buffs can pick from a dozen or so bottles in the £15-25 range. Prices are also pegged back on the menu, where ‘little & large’ plates (nachos, BBQ ribs, chicken goujons etc), baguettes, pastas & so on are the thing. Meanwhile, happy-hour cocktails may tempt after a long day’s networking.