re: London Eats

Great list, Jack. Thanks. Any of those places that are truly standouts from the crowd?

Also...

quote:

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The beer is better than you ever had it in a bottle back home

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I'll take that challenge

I've spent a lot of time in London over the last three years and most of my free time has been spent eating around the city. A couple of years ago I wrote two posts summarizing a couple of meals my wife and I enjoyed and I've linked them below.

Post 1

Post 2

Hopefully these will be helpful. Pollen Street Social is great, I highly recommend it and there are a few other options in that neighborhood if it's not available. Across the street is Little Social, the little sister restaurant. It's more like a brasserie, but the food is outstanding.

If you want high end, I'd probably skip Ramsay as the chef de cuisine, Claire Smyth, who ran the kitchen for several years, left last year and I have no idea who is running the kitchen now. The meal I had there was pretty much perfect. As an alternative I suggest Helene Darroze in the Connaught Hotel in Mayfair. I've eaten there a half dozen times and it has been perfect every time. The room is beautiful, the food wonderful and not too precious. It's also one of the best deals in London at lunch: for about $60 per person you get three amuse, three courses, a bunch of mignardises, and two glasses of wine. This is a Michelin two star restaurant and that quality and quantity of food for that price is a steal. Another high end option is Marcus in Belgravia. This is chef Marcus Wareing's flagship restaurant. He's a Ramsay protoge and again, beautiful room, fantastic food.

For something a little different, seek out an Ottolenghi, there are several across London. These are more like a deli than a restaurant, but most have a table or two and the one in Spitalfields has a bunch of tables. The mediterranean food is fantastic and if you want that kind of stuff but a more formal experience, check out NOPI, which is Ottolenghi's sit down restaurant. NOPI is a great spot for breakfast also.


For Italian
About five minutes away from Pollen Street Social is Ristorante Frescobaldi, which is an Italian restaurant owned by the Frescobaldi family, which are like the Mondavis of Italy. The space is beautiful, the food fantastic, and they serve virtually all the Frescobaldi wines by the glass. I've eaten here probably twenty times, it's my go to for Italian in London. Also very good is Locanda Locatelli, Boca di Lupo, and Polpetto in decreasing order of formality.

Neighborhood spots
Blixen is a very good neighborhood restaurant in Spitalsfields. St John is awesome, as others have said, but keep in mind it is not a formal place and they serve a lot of organs . Picture in Fitzrovia is a casual smaller plates place with excellent food, as is Comptoir Gascon near the Smithfield Market (also near St John). There's also a Polpo, which is a sister Italian restaurant of Polpette, near here.


If you want a traditional Sunday Roast, Hawksmoor is a good option and there are several in London. I've eaten at three locations and they're very consistent. Good beef, casual atmosphere, well edited wine list. The onion rings at the Guildhall location are awesome and the peanut butter shortbread dessert is one of my favorites.

Have fun and be sure and tell us all about your experience!

I've spent some time in the Kings Cross and Potters Bar areas of London. I would advise you take at least a night or two and go to just a random pub. great food to be found. Try the stereotypical dishes too, don't avoid them. bangers and mash, spotted dick, get traditional fish and chips.

If you act like a food and restaurant snob, you'll miss a lot of the food and atmosphere that makes London great.

Borough Market is a great way to spend a couple hours, and they have plenty of food to eat there. They had a raw bar, where I tried my first sea urchin. The "Louisiana Barbecue" shop was a kick.

The Brits throw "Louisiana" in the name of everything from burritos to burgers that have no apparent connection to Louisiana food. I think they use it to indicate quality or that it has some flavor.

On a Friday or Saturday, head out to Notting Hill area and the Portobello Road Market. The wife wanted to go, and I was skeptical, but it was great. Lots of old clothes and crafts and crap, but also lots of ethnic food booths, fish shop, crepe stand, cheese shop, etc. Great way to spend a morning.