Restaurant suggestions for our itinerary

What research have you done yourself? London is chock full of restaurants catering for all cuisines and all budgets. There are some good guides available online whose opinions and guidance I'll rely on more than a stranger on a travel forum whose idea of a good restaurant might well be Applebees!

You're also asking for a lot of recommendations. You may well receive a lot, you may not receive many, personally I forgot the first couple of requests by the time I reached the end of your itinerary. To be blunt, you're asking a lot from a bunch of strangers giving up their time for nothing, you've also quoted your price options in US$, is it too much to ask to convert it to £ so those of us local to the area know the exact figure you have in mind or are you expecting us to undertake our own online conversion?

I appreciate that you want to maximise your time in London and want to find the best options but restaurant recommendations are so subjective that it really is a pointless exercise because one person's excellent meal is another person's mediocre one. None of us know your tastes or what you consider good food or medicore food. My advice is to go on gut instinct coupled with a quick scan of online reviews and preferably a look at the menu if it's published online. This is how I pick my restaurants, a good example was last week in Mallorca, a group of six adults and six children, the choice of restaurant fell on me (again!) so a quick look at nearby restaurants on Google, a quick look at a selection of reviews for the higher scoring restaurants and finally a look at the online menu. You can usually determine what to expect by what the menu consists of. I chose one, the name was a bit a disconcerting, Restaurant Different, but the food was absolutely fantastic, the best meal any of the adults had eaten all week.

Have a look at Time Out London or the multitude of restaurant guides online. For fish and chips just opt for the closest proper 'Chippy', these are takeaway (or sometimes offering seating) establishments that are dedicated to selling fish and chips (or pies, sausages, chicken etc for those not keen on fish), there are good and not so good chippies but they are, in general, much of a muchness. However, fish and chips from a chippie is infinitely better than one from a pub or restaurant no matter how many times they cook their chips.

JC,

I have done some research on dining--it's overwhelming, thus I thought I might post on here and ask for personal recommendations to help whittle it down. Online reviews are also from strangers, not much different than strangers on a forum in my thoughts. There are lots of places that have "padded" their scores by having fake posters add reviews, one post wonders, etc., so not always accurate.

The prices I quoted were admission fees for my personal planning purposes for attractions we hope to visit--- not restaurant budgets. Yes, they're in USD and I should have deleted them before I posted our itinerary, I just missed it when I copied and pasted our itinerary.

We'll have 7 dinners out and hope to make the most of our budget and experience by asking for suggestions. I'm sure most of the Chippys are good but, there may be 1 that stands out that we've overlooked or didn't read about and would love to try. Locals have much more knowledge than we do on local restaurants.

Whatever restaurant suggestions we get, whether it's 1 or 200, I will look at and appreciate :)

I go to London nearly every year and in doing my research I always take a gander at 2 food blogs, The London Eater and Cheese and Biscuits.

Love pub lunches because I travel in November and December and after a long day out I enjoy relaxing with a pint and a bowl of soup or pot pie or bangers and mash. Comfort food.

Tons of fabulous “ ethnic “ cafes and restaurants. Many will have lunch specials and sign boards on the sidewalks will say what. Pubs will do the same.

Two years ago discovered the newly opened Dishoom ( a chain) when I wandered behind St Pancras to access the Regents Canal. The build up of Granary Square was still in the construction process.

This January met a friend for lunch at Comptoir Lebanese ( a chain) in the Duke York Square near the Saatchi Gallery.

Both Dishoom and Comptoir were good.

As JC suggested peruse Timeout magazine closer to your travel dates. And this Telegraph article from 2018 will give you an idea of how many dining establishments serve meals you’ll probably not be able to shop for at a Piggly Wiggly.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/england/london/articles/eat-the-world-in-london/

I cannot really tell you day-by-day but I will tell you some places we like in London after half-dozen visits.

• Punjab Indian in SOHO. Make res if you can or go early. Excellent service, great food, and we don't get Indian food often so appreciate it. Prices decent.

• Queen's Head pub at Piccadilly. Hubby had great fish and chips there last week and I had a terrific pie. Good prices.

• Wahaca Mexican, a British chain. Fabulous and fair pricing.

• In Hyde Park, the Serpentine Kitchen for lunch.

• Black Friars pub

When all else fails, pick a pub! Rick Steves lists many.

Online reviews are also from strangers, not much different than strangers on a forum in my thoughts. There are lots of places that have "padded" their scores by having fake posters add reviews, one post wonders, etc., so not always accurate.

I don't mean to suggest basing advice on Tripadvisor et al but rather dedicated food writer blogs or newspaper food writers, The Guardian/Observer's Jay Rayner is a very good critic for example. People who know their food and have a good reputation.

Keeping in mind I'm vegan so have never eaten there - I've seen some recommendations for The Laughing Halibut which is a fish and chips shop near Westminster Abbey.

https://thelaughinghalibut.has.restaurant/

I also always try to hit a little Egyptian fast food place on St. Martin's Lane in the National Gallery area called Koshari Street. I can actually get Koshari at my local Farmer's Market at a stand run by an Egyptian guy with a PhD who works at the local University for his "day" job, lol. His is actually better (his grandmom's secret recipe, haha) than the one in London but that one is pretty good. Very inexpensive, sit at the counter or takeaway. A couple of years ago I ate in one in the South Kensington area but it does not look like it's still open. Too bad, it was a good location.

https://www.kosharistreet.com/

Across from the V&A in Exhibition Square, there are a number of casual restaurants, many with outdoor seating if the weather is nice.
- Fernandez and Wells is great for breakfast and lunch. I love their fried eggs with harissa and yogurt, their coffee is Monmouth coffee (a local London roastery that has excellent coffee), and they have good sandwiches filled with various cheeses and charcuterie for lunch.
- Casa Brindisa serves Spanish tapas
- Comptoir Libanais is a local chain that serves Lebanese

For the day you are in Chinatown
- Head to Bao on Lexington Street in Soho. They serve bao (Chinese buns). It is a tiny place and there is often a queue. The bao are excellent.
-There are also many Chinese restaurants to choose from in Chinatown, but you will want to do a little research.

Dishoom has several branches. I went to the Kensington branch on my last visit and it was much less crowded than the Covent Garden branch which always seems to have a long queue.

For your Covent Garden night, you could get fish and chips at the Rock and Sole Plaice or go for Indian at Dishoom, Masala Zone, or Punjab.

Thanks for all of the specific replies! I'll check out the food blogs too. Do any of these require a reservation for dinner?

I'm making a list and including:

Casa Brindisa serves Spanish tapas
Comptoir Libanais
Punjab Indian in SOHO.
Queen's Head pub at Piccadilly.
Wahaca Mexican
Hyde Park, Serpentine Kitchen
Black Friars pub
Laughing Halibut (LOVE the name)
Bao on Lexington Street in Soho
Dishoom
Rock and Sole Plaice-fish n' chips
Masala Zone
Brasserie Zedel
Shoryu
chains include, Wagamama (Japanese-ish), Tas (Turkish-ish), Nando’s

As of now, we're thinking almost all of our meals out will be DINNER and not lunch. We'll be packing our lunch to take with us and eat on the run each day.

If it helps here's a couple of my current favourite restaurants (I'm a Londoner) :
DISHOOM- It's a chain of Mumbai 'Irani' themed cafes across London but the, Kings Cross one is arguably the best. Absolutely amazing menu and fantastic service.
ZERET KITCHEN - Affordable Ethiopian in Camberwell. I've been to Ethi and Zeret is pretty authentic.
HONEST BURGER - Small chain serving up reasonably priced exceptionally good burgers. The Covent Garden branch is the best.
ARCHIPELAGO- Pricey but probably the only place in London serving up stuff like Alapaca, python and bee! Magical atmosphere.
JENNYS- bit of a weird one to recommend to tourists I know but Jennys is an old school London caff in the Elephant and Castle shopping centre. It's not glamorous but it's real South London! Get there before the E and C is pulled down for redevelopment very soon.

I highly recommend that you visit Buckingham Palace if it is open for your dates in July. Book through the Royal Trust. It is worth so much more than a “ walk by”.
Fish and Chips, London: The Laughing Halibut,
Strutting Ground, Westminster. Lunch after or before Westminster Abbey.
Dinner: Elyston Place, Chelsea

Thanks for the additions.

Adrian--you had me until you mentioned Archipelago with python and alpaca :(

Greenwich market has many street food stalls, for the opportunity to try something new and reasonably cheap.

Adrian--you had me until you mentioned Archipelago with python and alpaca :(

Alpaca I would imagine to taste similar to goat or lamb, no problem with that for me.

Python? I've had rattlesnake chilli in Texas and it was quite tasty, not as good as a beef chilli but pleasant enough, there's more meat on a python so I'd imagine it'd make a good meal.

I chose an appetiser of alligator last time I was in Florida, the children were aghast at my choice until it arrived, they saw that it was crispy and deep fried and their tune changed, the lure of crispy, deep fried food is too much to fight as a child and even though they knew it was alligator they couldn't resist. Cue mutterings of appreciation, "it tastes like spicy chicken" and "can I have some more?".

However my choice of dolphin during a previous visit to Florida was met with much disdain from my family, I crossed a line on that occasion!

What do you think of this slightly altered (from my original itinerary) itinerary and restaurant selections?

Suggestions for Saturday dinner?

Thursday—
Arrive LHR 8:30 am
Drop bags to lodging in Fitzrovia
Regent’s park/Queen’s Rose Garden/Primrose Hill (eat while walking)
Camden Market? /walk Regent’s Canal?
St. Paul’s Evensong 5:00 pm
Dinner (Black Friar’s Pub or Bao Taiwanese)

Friday—
Westminster Abbey Verger tour (10.00 am, 10.30 am, 11.00 am, 2.00 pm, 2.30 pm)

Royal Mews (10:00--5:00)
Buckingham Palace-- walk by
Dinner (Laughing Halibut (Chippy))

Saturday—
TRS cruise
Greenwich Market (shopping & lunch at market)
Royal Observatory—Prime Meridian free photo only
Fan Museum 11:00—5:00 & afternoon tea 12:30--4:00??
Queen’s House?
National Maritime Museum?
Cutty Sark boat?
Walk under Thames tunnel to train back to London
Dinner—??????????????

Sunday—
Mass
Hyde Park
Kensington Palace walk around
Queen’s Arms—(Sunday Roast early afternoon?)
Harrods’s (closes 6:00 pm)
Selfridge’s (closes 6:00 pm)
Liberty London (closes 6:00 pm)
Dinner-light meal

Monday—
St. Martin-in-the-Field’s
Horse Guards Parade 11:00 am
National Gallery (10--6:00)
Trafalgar Square
Chinatown
Dinner-(Brassiere Zedel (French) or Shoryu Ramen)
Piccadilly Circus at night

Tuesday—
British Museum (10--5:30)
Covent Gardens—shopping/plaza?
Dinner—(Masala Zone or Punjab or India Club (Indian) or Rock and Sole Plaice (chippy))
Theater show at 7:30-- show to be decided yet

Wednesday—
Tower of London Yeoman Tour (10:00--3:30), Tower open (9:00-5:30)
Tower of London free Raven Talks (11:00 & 1:30 lasts 15 min)
Garden 120—rooftop views of London (120 Fenchurch St)
Dinner—(Mayfair (Chippy) or The Minories Pub)

Thursday—
Leave Fitzrovia lodging at 10:45 am
Depart LHR 3:00 pm

Hi Joby,

What a wonderful and exciting itinerary you have made for yourself! If you want to use Tripadvisor - have at it! We have used it every trip and even tho they are strangers, I think anonimity makes it more honest? Plus, those folks are travellers so I think they may head for the same places that we might. I wonder if the Time Out publications are restaurants that may pay to be in there? I don't know for sure, tho. Just my two cents.

We are there for a week in July, too.

May i offer a couple suggestions?

I note you have mass on your Sunday agenda. We have done the 11:00 a.m. service at Westimster Abbey, it's free, it's like a Catholic mass (if you are familiar with that) and it is cool to see the space used for its intended purpose, worship. Just show up a bit before 11 and look for the entrance. Bear in mind there is no wondering around after the service, you head right to the exits.

This time we ordered our Oyster cards online for delivery to the States before we leave. You can now use them right off the plane at Heathrow and on the fast trains, the Express and Connect.

Finally, I am a big believer in ordering things online before we leave. We ordered tix to tour Parliament, the building next to Big Ben. this will be our third tour and it is incredible. Here is the link:

https://ukparliament.seetickets.com/content/ticket-options
Happy travels!!

Tripadvisor is the one which charges for better listing. Tripadvisor is the one with lots of fake - many more now than when they started - (and many real) reviews.

Timeout is unbiased. The comments to the reviews are open to anybody.

We like to take advantage of the early dining/pre-theatre price fixe menus offered by some places.

Brasserie Zedel, mentioned by Emma, offers 2 courses for £10.50 or 3 ( includes dessert) for £13.75, but you do not get a choice; it is steak haché with frites.

https://www.brasseriezedel.com

Côte Brasserie (several locations around London) offers an early dining menu for €12.95 (2 courses) or £14.95 ( 3 courses) and you choose a starter and a main from 4-5 choices.

https://www.cote.co.uk/restaurant/covent-garden/menus/

We have dined here very well 3-4 times.

We were just in London last week and walked the Regents' Canal path from Little Venice to Camden Market. We planned on lunch at Camden Market and arrived so hungry we went through with the plan, but the market was so crowded I was miserable. More like eating for survival ( standing with a plate in hand as there was no place to sit). Not fun and we will not make that mistake again. The chicken Katsu and sweet potato fries were good but the experience was not enjoyable.

Regarding the Visitor Oyster Card mentioned above ( the one you order in advance, delivered to your home), note that you cannot get the deposit back with that card. If you buy regular Oyster Cards upon arrival ( it just takes a minute), you can get a refund of the £5 deposit plus unused ££ on the card right from a machine. (There is probably a maximum amount for a machine refund but we had very little left on the one card we turned in for refund. The £5 was in coins but we don't mind; I just save them for our next trip along with the banknotes).

For your Sunday mass you might consider Lady of Mt Saint Carmel which is located in the neighborhood behind Kensington Palace.

I’ve attended mass when I was staying in the Bayswater neighborhood. Nice walk into Kensington Gardens past the front of the palace, then a left on the side path and keep following it out to the busy road and turn right.

After mass then walked over to the V & A for cake and tea.

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions--all are appreciated!

Any specific suggestions for our Saturday dinner after Greenwich all day??