Misc. re. London restaurants

Time Out London is a great place to look for restaurants. They do a ‘gastro pub’ guide that will be useful, but a lot of the choices are not in central London. I do think it’s worth travelling to more residential area to see what London is really about.

Yes, lots of people picnic in the parks. There are no restrictions on sitting on the grass or drinking wine.

Lamb is not usually served well done. It should be pink in the middle and that’s how any decent restaurant will serve it.

People certainly picnic in the parks, with the tipple of their choice.
In many grocery stores you can buy little single glass bottles of wine, and cans of pre mixed G and T, and other cocktails.
I don't know if either is a thing in the US.

You'll certainly get your fish and chips in Whitby, but be prepared for long lines and voracious seagulls trying to take them off you.

I presume you are going to Whitby also for more serious things like Whitby Abbey (and the Synod of Whitby), Captain Cook, the wreck of the HMHS Rohilla (one of the most dramatic rescues in the history of the RNLI), and the whale bone arch (commemorating the town's history of whale, seal and polar bear hunting- see also the town museum).
Regarding the Abbey and the former monastery - as an aside there is still an order of nuns at Whitby whose house is named after St Hilda, who founded the monastery.
One of their fields of work is being part of the ministry team at York Minster.

In summer of 2022, we dined at Shoty - a Georgian restaurant. The food was great. Atmosphere was great. I suggest making a reservation — we had reservations for 6:30 and by 7pm the place was packed. It’s located in South Kensington, so you would need to take the tube. The restaurant is a short walk from the South Kensington tube station.

https://www.shoty.co.uk/

For Vietnamese, there's a strip on Kingsland Road near Shoreditch with a few restaurants clustered together. It's years since I've eaten Vietnamese so my specific recommendations wouldn't be up to much. I'll paste a Google Maps link that you could glean reviews from if interested.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/2hy6Sh1ZyzZPhdAM6

edit: I'm not sure about those central London locations you mention. It's good to venture out a little usually for global cuisines, if you have the time or inclination.

Hello fellow Twin City resident:

We have been to The Kings Arms twice. They specialize in Thai food and it is a good old neighborhood pub. (25 Roupell St.). Good beer and ambience and the food is pretty good too. I especially like it as it is mostly locals.

I will be in London/York and then Whitby later this month and will try to remember to come back and recommend some nice Whitby places for you, but apologies ahead of time as I will likely forget. Have fun.

Old Bank and The Ship in Holborn are my two picks for food. Worth seeking if you’re in the hood or near the right metro line. Otherwise, my pub food experiences have been mediocre at best.

For me, it’s not a trip to London without an evening on Brick Lane for a curry. Eastern Eye Balti House is my go to, but walking around and bantering with the hawkers is part of the fun. There’s an array of ethnic eateries around here, mom and pop style places. Pride of Spitalfields is my favorite pub nearby, but no one goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.

Joy King Lau in Chinatown.

Abu Maher ( Syrian . Definitely has lamb dishes ) near Queensway Underground Station.

Saffron is a great for Persian food in the Richmond neighborhood.

I like the laid back atmosphere, food and drinks at Kurk Grill Bar in East Sheen.

Any of the pubs in those 2 neighborhoods of London will be costly. They are heavily touristed areas.

You want an atmospheric pub? Try the Blackfrair across the road from Blackfrairs Station.

Other Pubs to consider: The Dove in Hammersmith,
Anchor and Hope near the Thames Barrier, the Mitre in Richmond ( best pub dog, Rudi ) and the Haven Arms in Ealing.

Some suggestions:
-Georgian- definitely agree with Shoty, recommended above, one of my favourites in London
-Thai- lots of Thai places in London, and many pubs now serve Thai food (a notable one is Churchill Arms in Notting Hill area, and there's also Crown and Cushion which is very close to Waterloo and has Thai and Laotian food- I have not eaten there but for for Laotian food you also have Lao Cafe near Trafalgar Square). For Thai that's a bit different I really like Kiln (Soho) but you need to book in advance.
-Vietnamese- as mentioned above, Kingsland Road is the place to go. I also like Cay Tre in Soho.
-Lebanese- the place to go is Edgware Road, near Marble Arch, the are loads- you will also see one company (Maroush) that has quite a few different establishments
-Curry- there are so many in London it's hard to choose- people here often recommend Dishoom (which I agree with) and my longstanding favourites are all in Whitechapel- Needo's, Lahori Kebab House, and Tayyab's- I believe the first two are run by people who used to work at the third one
-Pubs with good food- in general, I recommend Fuller's pubs as having the best food of any of the chains. The Dove as mentioned above is a Fuller's pub. Definitely book that one in advance especially on a weekend.
-You can definitely get duck here, especially at Chinese or Thai restaurants. I don't eat lamb so can't assist with that one, tho I most Indian/South Asian restaurants serve lamb.
-Joy King Lau as mentioned above is a good standby in Chinatown, I also quite like Bar Shu for spicier Szechuan. For traditional Cantonese my favourite is Phoenix Palace by Baker Street. In Chinatown, Leong's Legends and Dumplings Legend are also both very good. If you want something a bit different in Chinatown I also love Rasa Sayang for Malaysian food, and there are quite a few Korean places in Chinatown now too.
-In general near Waterloo there are loads of great restaurants along Lower Marsh and The Cut, including a branch of Roti King (very popular Malaysian place with a few locations).
-People definitely picnic in the parks here, and you can absolutely consume alcohol in the parks. Mid September it hopefully should still be warm enough to do this.
-Whitby is lovely, hope you enjoy your time there! I think the best fish and chips places there are takeaways rather than sit-down. We went to a sit-down one last summer that was just ok.

Hope that is helpful, good luck planning your trip!

Head up to the river from your hotel. Round the Royal Festival Gall there are all sorts of restaurants. I would also suggest the "Archduke" bar and restaurant in the railway arches behind the RFH.

I'm appreciating the comments and questions. I'm looking at some of these places on Google maps

@Stuart, Thanks so much for the Whitby suggestions! What I meant by my Fish and Chips comment, it does look to me like they can't be avoided in Whitby. We aren't going to Whitby for the fish and chips. I think a meal or two of fish and chips would be sufficient for the entirety of our trip. I would be interested in your restaurant suggestions for Whitby. Right now, the restaurants I'm looking at are Pizza West, Magpie Cafe, and in Staithes, Cod & Lobster.

@Jay, Sounds like we have similar itineraries. I would love any reports you could send my way. For York, our BnB sent a long suggested list. What we are leaning toward is The Hole in the Wall, The Royal Oak, The Cross Keys and No 8 Bistro.

Jules, not to deviate from the topic (although I sort of am), have you tried the new Laotian restaurant in Minneapolis called Khâluna? My daughter and I went there back in May and it was wonderful. It's over in Kingfield.

When I asked my London friend to pick a Thai restaurant, we went to Champor-Champor Thai in the shadow of the Shard. Nice Thai food and decor. Two stops from your hotel on the Jubillee Line. Reservations advisable. Afterwards, we walked 2 minutes to the casual Horsehoe Inn for a drink on the outdoor patios.

They have a nice description of the restaurant:
https://www.champor-champor.com/#section-about-us

ADDED: I found this fun write-up in "35 London Restaurants to Try Before You Die"
Note: the article is from 2015, so be careful with other recommendations. I went to Champor-Champor in 2024 and it appears to still be open.

Champor-Champor: so good, they had to name it twice? An amazing Malay/Thai fusion food experience in London Bridge. Load up on the free banana bread and daily-changing canapés while you perch above your fellow diners in one of the Wendy house-style booths. Utterly charming and ridiculously delicious.

@Mardee, I have not, thanks! Its by the Lake Harriet Rose and Japanese Gardens!

Yes, you could stop by there on the way. We were kind of rushed so didn't have time, but it would make for a nice evening outing. :-)

Go to Trenchers in Whitby for fish & chips. The Magpie is just trading on its name now, not nearly as good.

I have tons of suggestions - and you’ve gotten some excellent responses here. But I would also like to recommend Harrison Webb, a YouTuber who knows food and has excellent taste. Check out his latest! (And no - I do not know him personally, and this is not paid placement.)

https://youtu.be/reHFleboqbg?si=I8pUwU8o1K3skrb-

I'm inclined to agree- go to any of them up in town, not on the harbour. Going to the Magpie, even if you want to brave the mile long queue, would be like going to Rick Stein's at Padstow, in Cornwall.

It's like if you came to my town in Cumbria, you'll go to Crosby's for your fish and chips. Nothing inherently wrong, but expensive and trading on a reputation, and a harbourside location.
You really want The Cottage- better portions, cheaper, always cooked fresh, but off the tourist radar.
And yes it is in a cottage!

@Stuart, do you mean the "Fish Cottage" in Sandsend? Any opinions on Cod & Lobster in Staithes? Other recommendations for Staithes?

Jules, when I said The Cottage above, that is a highly recommended chippy in my town in Cumbria. Sorry for the confusion.

I note from your other thread that you are driving as opposed to on a day trip on the steam train. That opens up lots of options.

The Fish Cottage at Sandsend is a bit unusual in today's world in that they fry in beef dripping, as do (or did) several in Whitby. When I was young that was normal, you get an intensity of taste which is very different from the normal frying in oil, and is much sought out by afficionados.
But what really sets them apart is the range of types of fish they have in their sit in restaurant, which is exceptionally wide.

@Stuart, thanks for the clarification. Yes, we will have a rental car, but we are strongly considering spending a day visiting the towns on the historic train route. Is this something you'd recommend?

You all have been so very helpful. At one point, I had the restaurants narrowed down to 12, except I have 8 nights. I'd be curious what people think of my choices (though everything is fluid). I gave some priority to restaurants closer to our hotel, and to pubs, because they're so British, right? I would appreciate a heads up on places we might need a reservation.
*Champor-Champor
* Shoty
*The Kings Arm (25 Roupell)
*Eastern Eye Balti House
*Joy King Lau
*Roti King
*St Martins Crypt (hot food only Thursday thru Sunday nights)
*Blackfriar's Pub

Also, anyone been to Hoppers? In Soho, Marylebone, Kings Cross. Sri Lankan

Jules- re the NYMR railway yes I would, but book at least 14 days out to get 30% off the price of a day rover.
I don't suggest starting such a day from Whitby as the trains are based at Grosmomt and Pickering, so don't start from Whitby that early. Also line constraints of the single track means that service into Whitby is less than on the rest of the line.
Grosmont to Whitby is shared with National Rail.

What I would do is to drive to either Pickering or more likely Goathland (aka 'Aidensfield') and start/end the day there. As an absolute aside Goathland station was also Hogsmeade in Harry Potter. But there is also the Mallyan Spout waterfall walk, as well as the history of the station to explore. When it was a National Rail station it was very important for the extraction of Whinstone (the local stone) from the surrounding hills.
Regarding the stations- Newtondale Halt is a walkers stop with no road access and no village, wonderful walks.
Lewisham Village is 1 1/2 miles up a lung busting road from its station. I assume you are driving to Whitby from York on the A169. Both the village and station are worth the visit, but I would do them on the drive. You can also do the 4 mile walk to Levisham Station from Newtondale.

I know I can be accused of spending other peoples money, but if a dining car train is running on the NYMR and you can afford it, do it. Might be Sunday Lunch, Afternoon tea or Dinner, but it is an experience, if not a cheap one. The dining car train runs on many UK heritage railways. If you've done the Napa Valley line in the US, it's rather like that, as a best analogy I can think of.

Also don't discount the normal service train to Middlesborough - another very worth while ride there and back. If you are lucky enough to get a Music train night grasp it with open arms- the evening return service train at normal fares on a few days a year has live music on it, being your own booze.
It's not unique on National Rail, but very unusual.

PS- if you go to Hutton le Hole and fancy a driving challenge you might like to drive the Rosedale Chimney - one of the steepest roads in the UK.

I can only comment on the Kings Head.
It’s an OK pub, popular with after work drinkers so I would avoid between 5-7pm especially on Thursdays and Fridays. It’s not big and I don’t think I have ever been there and not had to stand at some point. But it does still feel like a traditional pub. The Thai food is fine, but nothing special. The street it is on is nice and regularly appears in films that need to look ‘olde London’.

A minor point but in the UK we don’t drop the street, road, square etc from addresses. We have a lot of places with similar names. It took me a couple of seconds to work out what 25 Roupell meant in your post Similarly ‘Trafalgar’ in your original post, I knew what you meant but no one here would ever call it that.. I was once stopped by an American tourist asking for ‘Bond’ and was totally confused before I realised she meant Bond Street. Worth knowing if you ever need to ask for directions.

Hoppers is very good- to me it is like Dishoom for Sri Lankan food (as in the style of restaurant and general "vibe").

Jules, maybe I missed this, but where are you staying?
We spent 11 nights in London in 2023 and stayed in the Belgravia area. We loved the fish & chips at the Thomas Cubitt pub. Dishoom in Covent Garden, and I highly recommend Rules. Oldest restaurant in London, very historic! Go upstairs. Definitely make reservations. We also loved Surprise pub in Chelsea. They had a live band. We celebrated an anniversary at the top of the Walkie Talkie building. Wonderful! For other suggestions you can watch Somebody Feed Phil, London episode on Netflix.

@Tammy, thanks for the comments. We are staying at the Premier Inn Waterloo/Westminster. I love Phil, I apparently forgot he had a London episode.
@Stuart, Thanks! I'll buy my train tickets today.
@Cat, Thank you, I'm glad to know that Hoppers is good, it did sound interesting to me.
@Emma, Thanks, good to know.