Restaurant recommendations for London

[sayhello]

I'm heading to London in a little over a month (not with ABD this time -- *shocker*!) I was hoping to get folks' recommendations for favorite restaurants in London.

I'm not specifically looking for fancy/pricey places (but if you know some, those are good, too). We're going to be there for 9 days, so that's a lot of restaurant meals, and I'd like to hit some different places.

Also, if anyone can recommend good vegetarian places, we do have some vegetarians on the trip. They can usually manage to find stuff at regular restaurants, but a place they could go specifically for vegetarian would be nice, too.

Thanks!
Sayhello

 

[emilymad]

It is definitely not fancy but we love Pizza Express. Tons of locations all over London. Yes, it is a chain but we find the food good and reasonably priced.

We also love Paul Bakeries. Great for breakfast or a quick snack/sandwich.

Carluccios Italian restaurants are also very good. We ate there twice on our last trip because it was across the street from our hotel. Very casual but the food is good and you can make reservations on their website. It is another chain but a million times better than an US chain Italian restaurant.

We also like the Cote chain of French/Bistro restaurants. Tons of locations but they also get really busy.

I know this is a lot of chain restaurants but we have good experiences at all of them. We found it handy to know which chains were good since we didn't always know what area of the city we would be in.

We also ate at an amazing small Italian restaurant in the Holborn area. I don't remember the name but it was one of our best meals ever but very much off the beaten path.

Have a great trip! I am jealous!

 

[BadPinkTink]

In the West End Theatre land of Piccadilly Circus / Leicester Square / Shaftsbury Avenue / Covent Garden area there are tons of restaurants in all sorts of price ranges
Hard Rock Cafe
TGI Fridays
Rainforest Cafe
Angus Steak House

Various Locations around London
Bella Italia
Nandos
Pizza Express
Slug and Lettuce
Weatherspoons
Gourmet Burger Kitchen
Giraffe
Garfunkles]
Shack Shake
Carluccio's


For something a bit more upmarket but still reasonable try the food hall in Selfridges

Harrods and Harvey Nicolas in Knightsbridge have a some nice restaurants, some on the more pricey end.

As you have 9 days I would recommend taking the Jubilee line tube to The O2. Its not just a concert venue but is a place Londoners go to eat and to the cinema, it has a wide selection of restaurants which are open every day, not just when there is a concert or event.

I would also take a trip to Canary Wharf, again not somewhere people think of, but it has great shops and restaurants, mainly open Monday to Friday but some places open on Saturdays to.

For something more adventurous, have a wander around Spittlefields near Liverpool Street, lots of great small restaurants and cafes as well as some of the chains mentioned above

For Coffee / Pastries / Snacks
Pret A Manger
Cafe Nero
Costa Coffee
Starbucks ( different food and drinks to USA)

 

[emilymad]

I second Nandos. I wish we would get some of these chains in the US.

 

[BadPinkTink]

I second Nandos. I wish we would get some of these chains in the US.

Nandos is a London must do One of the things I missed most when I moved back to Ireland but they have now opened up a few locations here in Dublin and Im so happy.

 

[sayhello]

Thanks, folks! Chains are definitely OK, especially if the food's good! (Although I'd rather not eat at a chain that I can eat at here at home! ) I will definitely check out Nando's and a lot of the places you mentioned. I'm traveling with a group, so it will be nice to have a range of places to suggest, since it's always rough to get a consensus.

Pizza Express. OK, always good to have a good pizza place on the list. Sometimes you just want a good pizza...

The O2 sounds interesting. I guess I really never knew what it was, although I've seen it from the Thames.

And I and another person were planning to check out Old Spittlefields. Good to know that's a good option!

I was planning to check out Selfridges (after seeing the show!) so it's good to know the food court is worth a check.

I've done Pret a Manger and Cafe Nero, and agree those are good options! There's a Pret a Manger right next to the hotel we're staying at, so I imagine it will get it's share of visits!

I'm writing this all down. Google maps is going to get a workout!

Thanks!
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[sayhello]

Ooo! There's a Nando's just up the street from our hotel! Cool!

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[bamagoofy]

I enjoy Fionna's (sp?) in the Kensington area. It's a small bistro place, mid level prices. You do need a reservation during peek times because of the size. Fionna is the owner and it very personable.

 

[sayhello]

I enjoy Fionna's (sp?) in the Kensington area. It's a small bistro place, mid level prices. You do need a reservation during peek times because of the size. Fionna is the owner and it very personable.

Appears to be "Ffiona's". Not too far from the Hotel I'm staying at. Sounds cool! Thanks!

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[SingingMom]

DD & I went to a very "British" restaurant in Borough Market called " Roast" that was pretty good. Our ABD guide friend from UK brought us when I visited DD during her London semester. He said it was very "typical" British Sunday dinner. We enjoyed it! We also liked the food at Harrods.

 

[Rapunzellover]

The Orangery at Kensington Palace would be good for tea. Or Fortnum and Mason's.


If you have tea lovers in your group.

 

[janiebubble]

If you are looking for something quick and tasty and veggie friendly try the Leon chain. They're all over London and make a nice change from fast food! We also like Wagamama (Japanese chain again good for vegetarians) and Wahaca (especially the one on the South Bank).

 

[Saph]

Has anyone tried any of the Gordon Ramsay restaurants? Husband and I were thinking of trying on our trip next year.

 

[emilymad]

Borough Market is fun to just eat at one of the food stands. It is crazy though but we may have gone on a Saturday which I am sure made it worse.

 

[sayhello]

Has anyone tried any of the Gordon Ramsay restaurants? Husband and I were thinking of trying on our trip next year.

I've been to his "Foxtrot Oscar" restaurant, but that was 4 years ago. It's a more casual restaurant, and we signed up to do a "traditional Sunday Roast" meal. The restaurant was *definitely* casual (we ate in the basement!). The food was absolutely delicious! The hit of the dinner was the "cheesy cauliflower". Everything had a slight twist to it, and the cheesy cauliflower was just a luscious take on good old comfort food. If it's still around, I can highly recommend Foxtrot Oscar! (It was not cheap, but it was worth it).

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[sayhello]

Thanks, all! Keep it coming!

And @Rapunzellover, we were thinking of doing a traditional Tea. I'll check those out.

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[SingingMom]

We didn't love tea at the Orangery and we are HUGE afternoon tea fans! (Our favorite is the Plaza Hotel in NYC). Tea was better at Harrods, the St Ermin's Hotel, and I think we went to the Waldorf too!

 

[emilymad]

We had a more casual tea at Bea's of Bloomsbury. It was much more casual then a formal afternoon tea but it was very good.

 

[sayhello]

We didn't love tea at the Orangery and we are HUGE afternoon tea fans! (Our favorite is the Plaza Hotel in NYC). Tea was better at Harrods, the St Ermin's Hotel, and I think we went to the Waldorf too!

We had a more casual tea at Bea's of Bloomsbury. It was much more casual then a formal afternoon tea but it was very good.

Noted!

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[Rapunzellover]

The Ritz has tea too...and the landmark (abd's former hotel).