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Eating Out
Guide to Drinking and Dining in London
London is best known for its incredible
variety of authentic ethnic cuisine as well as a recent resurgence
of the English fine dining tradition. Every area of the city can
boast a range of pizzerias, curry houses and restaurants selling
Chinese, Thai, Malaysian, French, Spanish, Greek, and just about
every other world cuisine you could think of besides. The city also
has an extraordinary number of pubs, many of which serve excellent
and affordable pub food.
It's impossible to present a comprehensive list of the breadth of
restaurants available in London but here are a few of our personal
favourites in the city:
PRICE GUIDE: (average cost of a main course):
 =
less than GBP10,
= GBP10 - GBP18,
= GBP18+
English
Rules
35 Maiden Lane, WC2. Tube: Covent Garden
Tel: +44 (0)20-7836-5314
Established by Thomas Rule in 1798, this is London's oldest
restaurant. The food is classic British, and the service, atmosphere
and overall experience make for a very memorable meal. Specialities
are venison, steak and kidney pie, oysters and puddings.
Simpson's-in-the-Strand
100 Strand, WC2. Tube: Charing Cross
Tel: +44 (0)20-7836-9112
Oak-panelled English excellence - Simpson's serves top-class
traditional cuisine in sumptuous surroundings.
St John
26 St John St, EC1. Tube: Farringdon
Tel: +44 (0)20-7251-0848
Trendy and friendly restaurant serving offal, pig's ear and other
unlikely delicacies St John has become a favourite with the media
types and bright young things of the vibrant Clerkenwell area.
Medieval Banquet
Ivory House, St Katharines Dock, E1. Tube: Tower Bridge
Tel: +44 (0)20-7480-5353
As much entertainment as it is a dining experience, the Medieval
Banquet transports you to olde worlde England where you dine in
medieval surroundings, complete with generous trenchers of food and
foaming jugs of ale. The all inclusive banquet includes the floor
show entertainment, a real "knight" to remember. Hit the price tag
for GBP5 off the standard banquet price.
European
Belgo Centraal
50 Earlham St, WC2. Tube: Covent Garden
Tel: +44 (0)20-7813-2233.
Belgian eating, monastery style. This large and often noisy basement
restaurant offers mussels, chips and much more alongside an
outstanding selection of beers and schnapps.
The Eagle
159 Farringdon Rd, EC1. Tube: Farringdon
Tel: +44 (0)20-7837-1353.
This classic pub has developed quite a reputation for superb
European modern cuisine.
Le Pont de la Tour
36D Shad Thames, Butlers Wharf, SE1. Tube: London Bridge/Tower Hill
Tel: +44 (0)20-7403-8403.
Excellent cuisine, an extensive wine list and an unsurpassed view of
Tower Bridge make the exorbitant prices worthwhile for that special
occasion.
American
Planet Hollywood
Trocadero, 13 Coventry St. Tube: Piccadilly Circus
Tel: +44 (0)20-7287-1000
Generous portions from the American-style menu are generally worth
the prices. It is a fun atmosphere, with some impressive movie
memorabilia, and children are made to feel welcome. Hit the price
tag icon for a discount on any meal purchased.
Fish
Livebait
43 The Cut, SE1. Tube: Waterloo
Tel: +44 (0)20-7928-7211.
Slightly trendy place but very tasty fish - with a great selection
of baked in-house breads to offset the marvellous flavours. Handily
located near the Eurostar terminal at Waterloo, Livebait is ideal
for those just arriving in London from the continent or those about
to leave. There is also a branch in Covent Garden. (Tel: +44
(0)20-7836-7161).
Zilli Fish
36-40 Brewer St, W1. Tube: Leicester Square
Tel: +44 (0)20-7734-8649.
One of the best seafood restaurants in London. The superlative food
and attentive service attract a buzzing media crowd to this highly
popular restaurant in the heart of gentrified Soho. The house
speciality is seafood risotto, while the tiramisu is a sound choice
for dessert.
Bangladeshi
Numerous: Brick Lane Area
Tube: Aldgate East/Liverpool St
London has a lively and historic Bangladeshi quarter centred on
Brick Lane, where a bustling market is held every Saturday from
05h30. The streets are lined with good-value balti restaurants with
amiable touts making extraordinary claims to get you in their
premises.
Asian
Tokyo Diner
2 Newport Place, WC2. Tube: Leicester Square
Tel: +44 (0)20-7287-8777.
Located on the edge of China Town, this simple restaurant caters to
an even mix of British regulars and Japanese students, often seen
queuing outside on a Friday night. The service is friendly and
quick, and the food is above average. A little cramped, very popular
and handily located for all the other attractions of the West End.
Itsu
103 Wardour St, W1. Tube: Oxford Circus / Piccadilly Circus
Tel: +44 (0)20-7479-4790.
Perfect sushi and innovative dishes are enjoyed in the funky,
intimate atmosphere of this essential Soho eatery. Help yourself to
warm saké or cold beers; press the red button for efficient
attention. Try the excellent meso soup to start, and the wonderful
crème brûlée to finish.
Yo Sushi!
52 Poland St, W1. Tube: Oxford Circus
Tel: +44 (0)20-7287-0443.
Sushi rotates on conveyor belts in front of you, as you sit on high
stools. Plates are colourcoded which means that you simply pluck
what you want from the conveyor, and pay according to how many
plates you stack up at the end. Eccentric, functional and good fun.
This is the original outlet although now you will find Yo Sushi!s of
various sizes located throughout the city.
Vegetarian
Mildred's
45 Lexington St, W1. Tube: Oxford Circus / Piccadilly Circus
Tel: +44 (0)20-7494-1634.
Long-running, inexpensive and very popular, Mildred's blends good
service with a varied menu of well-executed veggie favourites.
Bars
London's bar scene has evolved from the ubiquitous pub toward a more
funky, idiosyncratic lifestyle environment, tucked away in
side-street venues. Three main central areas for evening drinking
are Clerkenwell, the West End, and Soho but you won't be caught
short no matter where or when you're seeking liquid sustenance.
There is currently a rash of chain pubs all over the city including
names such as All Bar One, Hogshead and the Slug and Lettuce. These
tend to be rather featureless pubs of bland appearance, and although
the food and drink on offer are of a good standard, prices tend to
be slightly high for a pub (although low for a "trendy" bar). You
shouldn't be fooled into thinking that a visit to one of these
represents an English "pub" experience. The same can be said of the
other chains in the city such as O'Neill's (Irish), the Walkabout
(Australian) and most outlets owned by the ubiquitous JD
Wetherspoons (the equivalent of a pub supermarket - great value and
reliable but not somewhere you'd particularly choose to spend an
evening).
Soho and Central
From infamously seedy to terminally hip - Soho has been reborn in
recent years as a centre for London nightlife and now features many
popular and trendy bars. Good evidence of this is the eccentric
Garlic & Shots which pioneers Transylvania cool (14 Frith St, W1),
while Pop attracts a hip crowd of friendly trendies (14 Soho St,
W1).
Soho is also home to the majority of London's gay bars. Head for the
area around Old Compton Street, and you'll find a whole host of gay
and lesbian bars and pubs. Round the corner in Wardour Street is the
friendly café/bar Freedom (no. 60), packed and lively Village Soho
(no. 81) and the popular Friendly Society (no. 79).
To find a more traditional hostelry you should really head out of
Soho to more central areas. A Victorian pub with a lot of style is
the Salisbury, located just behind Leicester Square tube. Recently
subject to a lavish and expensive refurbishment the nouveau light
fittings are a treat and the pub looks tremendously authentic (90 St
Martins Lane, WC2). Venture to Covent Garden to find the distinctive
Lamb & Flag (33, Rose St, WC2) - three centuries old and still
dispensing real ale. Although undeniably authentic the basic
interior isn't to everyone's taste. Between Covent Garden and the
Strand you'll find a selection of bars including the Porterhouse (21
Maiden Lane, WC2) a modern Irish brew-pub that also does excellent
food. Other venerable names around here include The Chandos (29 St
Martin's Lane, WC2), one-time favourite haunt of the theatre set.
West End
Within easy walking distance of Piccadilly Circus, On Anon is a
multi-levelled bar with eight theme areas (London Pavilion, W1).
Nearby Tiger Tiger adopts a similar approach with different areas
catering to your moods (29 Haymarket, SW1). A good midweek bet is
the ever-popular Jerusalem, with its tiny dance floor and unique
atmosphere (33-34 Rathbone Place, W1). Just off Shaftesbury Avenue,
Waxy O'Connor's Irish bar (14 Rupert St, W1) is a surprisingly
massive place hiding behind a tiny entrance on Rupert Street.
Descend through the middle level with a full-sized tree in it to the
labyrinthine bars downstairs, full of nooks and crannies, but always
crowded. For a traditional English pub, try the Red Lion, 400 years
old and holder of London's second oldest beer licence (23 Crown
Passage, SW1).
Clerkenwell and The City
Match, voted 1999 London Bar of the Year, is hip and stylish (45-47
Clerkenwell Rd, EC1). Smiths of Smithfield meanwhile is an
innovative multi-level food and drink emporium, converted from a
warehouse situated opposite the meat market (67-77 Charterhouse St,
EC1). Nearby Fluid is the place for sushi and retro arcade culture
(40 Charterhouse St, EC1). Alternatively try Bed for a really
laid-back evening in its Moroccan influenced ambience (57
Charterhouse St, EC1). For pool tables, beanbags and an effortlessly
hip clientele try out Clerkenwell House (23-27 Hatton Wall, EC1) or
the subterranean and aptly named Pool Bar (104-108 Curtain Rd, EC2).
The area also has many historical English pubs that have been around
for centuries. The Olde Mitre Tavern is a gem if you can find it,
with two tiny bars serving traditional ales (1 Ely Place, EC1). An
undisputed London classic is Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese where prime
ministers, ambassadors and peers have rubbed shoulders with literary
luminaries such as Charles Dickens and Samuel Johnson (Wine Office
Ct, 145 Fleet St, EC4). Be aware that many pubs in "the City" close
at weekends when there are no office workers in the area.
Recommended
Pubs
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese
Wine Office Court, 145 Fleet Street, EC4.
Underground: St. Paul's/Blackfriars, Phone: 020 7353 6170.
Frequented by Samuel Johnson and Charles Dickens in their time, this
pub, established in 1667, remains the most famous of the City pubs.
The Grenadier
18 Wilton Row, SW1.
Underground: Hyde Park Corner, Phone: 020 7235 3074.
This supposedly haunted pub hosts an interesting tradition of
drinking Bloody Marys on Sunday.
Nag's Head
10 James St., WC2.
Underground: Covent Garden, Phone: 020 7836 4678
One of the most famous Edwardian pubs, the Nag's Head is very
popular with young people currently.
The Dove
19 Upper Mall. W6.
Underground: Hammersmith, Phone: 020 8748 5405.
Very scenic and atmospheric riverside pub boasts of famous
ex-regulars such as Charles II and Ernest Hemingway.
The Cow
89 Westbourne Park Rd., W2.
Underground: Westbourne Grove, Phone: 020 7221 0021
Frequented by fashionable Londoners.
The King's Head and Eight Bells
50 Cheyne Walk, SW3.
Underground: Sloane Square, Phone: 020 7352 1820
Home to a splendid antiques display.
Lamb & Flag
33 Rose St., WC2.
Underground: Leicester Square, Phone: 020 7497 9504.
A venue for bare-knuckle boxing in days of yore.
Spaniard's Inn
Spaniards Rd., NW3.
Underground: Hampstead, Phone: 020 7455 3726.
Rich with historical literary associations, this pub was frequented
by Shelley, Keats, Byron and is the scene for a famous tea party in
Dickens' Pickwick Papers.
Black Friar
174 Queen St., EC4.
Underground: Blackfriars, Phone: 020 7236 5650.
London's only Art Nouveau pub hosts spectacular marble friezes
portraying monks in its marble interior.
Bunch of Grapes
St. Thomas St., SE1.
Underground: Covent Garden, Phone: 020 7836 4108.
A traditional pub, its has been popular since Victorian times.
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