London Rec's Needed

Excellent news.

Bump.

Thanks, and I would do that, for most meals...but I'm not going. One of the party members doesn't care for Indian.

Golden Union

I would stick to pub, Indian and Italian food. Go to sale e Pepe in Knightsbridge great Italian food, dishoom for indian and then honest burgers.

For fish and chips, I really enjoyed the queens head on denman.

Otis,

Ruston guy here. Was working out last week at Tech and struck up a conversation with a coed. She is just back from 4 years undergrad in London. I mentioned that we were headed there next week. She offered and sent me a detailed email of her favorites. I'd be happy to share it if you like. Gigs, just off of Tottenham Court Rd was her choice for fish and chips.

Recommendations for London is actually pretty difficult because there are so many great things, but I’ll try to narrow it down into some categories.

Pubs:
- The Marquis Cornwallis in Bloomsbury is a GREAT pub. It’s rather large, as far as pubs go, so theres usually a place to sit — which is quite rare in great London pubs. This pub was my resident pub while I lived in London as it is around the corner from my flat, but my opinion on it does not come from a strictly biased place. It really is a wonderful pub.
- The Court on Tottenham Court Rd has good happy hour deals, generally has enough space for everyone, and is in a great location.
- Ye Olde Cheschire Cheese in Aldwych is like going back in time. It’s a dimly lit cavern with good food to go with your favorite pint. Soldiers used to sign their names in books that line the walls of some of the rooms here.
- My general advice would be if it’s crowded, it’s probably good. You should avoid chain places, such as “London Pub”. They’re not very good & are very overpriced.
- If you haven’t already had it, try a pint of Aspall Cider. It’s quite good, especially if you don’t want a beer, and is usually on tap. I drank about 30 different kinds of cider throughout my time in the UK (& still drink it regularly in the US) and Aspall is still my favorite.

Coffee:
- Please don’t go to Starbucks
- Caffe Nero is a very good chain coffee place, but the taste and prices are better than Starbucks. You’ll find one every few blocks, and they all have good, free wifi (this is harder to find in London than you might expect).
- If you don’t like chain coffee shops, then try the Department of Coffee and Social Services. They have delicious, no-frills coffee, with a few locations throughout London.

Food:
- Go to Brick Lane in the East End & find any Indian/Bangledashian place that is crowded-ish (this will be all of them on a Saturday). There will be people on the streets trying to give you a deal to make you eat at their restaurant (25% off, a free drink, etc) and those are great deals. Take them. Londoners are all about curry & for good reason — London has some of the best curry & it’s inexpensive.
- Tayyabs has amazing curry, but it’s always crowded which can sometimes make it difficult to get a table. But it’s exception food for very little money if you can make it,
- Viet Food in Chinatown for Vietnamese food.
- Gigs, just off of Tottenham Court Rd has the best fish & chips around! It’s very cheap, especially if you get take-away and it’s always great (especially if you’re tired and have been drinking).
- Bloomsbury Market is Thursdays from 11am to 2pm and you’ll find all sorts of delicious things. I recommend going for lunch, especially if it’s sunny. Bloomsbury is an academic neighborhood, so you’ll be surrounded by students.
- In general, you should avoid eating in very touristy areas like Leicester Square (pronounced “Lester”), Piccadilly Circus, etc. Food in these places will be very expensive & not actually very good. Also, London has so many wonderful places to eat! There’s no need to eat at a chain place.

To See:
- Millenium Bridge - this is my favorite place in London. My favorite thing to do is stand in the middle of the bridge and just looks around at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Tower Bridge, the Tate modern, Shakespeare’s Globe, etc.
- Walk along the South Bank in Southwark. It’s bust with people from all walks of life in a wonderful way. Wahaca has good Mexican food here.
- Covent Garden is worth it to check out, but fair warning: it is crazy and busy no matter what time you go. And some of the street performers are straight up weird. Creme de la Crepe has delicious crepes in a sit-down setting though.
- The National Gallery & National Portrait Gallery are my favorite galleries in London. Just really lovely British work, and located in Trafalgar Square.
- St. Paul’s Cathedral is gorgeous, but you have to pay to walk around it — unless you go to a service. Then it’s free.
- Go stand on Westminster Bridge & you’ll have a great view of Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, etc.
- Victoria & Albert Museum in South Kensington. The V&A has everything, including a great exhibition on theatre right now. Everyone will find something they like there. It’s huge.
- Borough Market is a great covered outdoor market in the financial district. My friends and I used to go here even in the bitter, bitter cold of winter when it was -4ºC because we loved it so much that it was worth it to freeze our hands and faces to get the unparalleled bread, cheese, and sausages. The highland beef burger (there’s only one, they will be giving out samples, you will know it when you see it) is amazing and worth it (also Scottish beef experience!). They sell all different types of food, both prepared and not.
- Neal’s Yard. You will see why when you get to this little haven.