London Pub Grub

Yes, you will find fish & chips, Shepherd's pie, you will also find..... roast beef, chicken, gammon (ham) with these you would get a veggie and some kind of potato, jacket potatoes (baked), different kinds of sandwiches, steak and kidney pies, etc. You will have a nice choice of food to pick from....enjoy!!

You know what they say about assuming?! Not to mention with the internet you can actually view menus on line. There are many Red Lion pubs in London. If it's the Red Lion down Crown Passage you'll find a traditional tiny pub with a friendly staff and fairly mediocre food. Great pints though and the charm cannot be beat! If it's the Red Lion on Whitehall/Parliament street it's a larger pub,(tables up stairs) with intriquing conversations around you given it's location near Parliament and 10 Downing Street.http://redlionwestminster.co.uk/food-and-drink Haven't been to The Salisbury so can't comment. Will say that at the Oxford Pub in Camden Town (Kentish Town Tube) had one of my best pub meals in a dozen visits to London. Then again it's a gastro pub which many traditional pubs have evolved into. http://www.theoxfordnw5.co.uk Personally, I'd skip The Salisbury and go here instead. http://www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk/theblackfriarblackfriarslondon/

I love a good Steak and Kidney pie! It's similar to a pot pie except the ingredients are much better and the crust is flaky and wonderful. Fish and chips; usually pretty decent fish, but often served swimming in grease - I let it drip dry a little before eating. I'm not sure I've had Shepherd's pie other than at pot-luck in the US, it may be something to serve the tourist more than standard fare. Expect everything you order to be served with overcooked peas. When I get hungry, I ask a local for a place nearby to get decent pub grub and always add "nothing fancy" so they don't send me to an expensive restaurant.

Another fan of steak-and-whatever piesI had a really good steak-and-ale pie with mashed potatoes and some julienned veggies at the Museum Tavern across the street from the British Museum. Also had some excellent Swedish hard cider (Kronenberg Wild Cherryyum!) that I've been searching for at liquor stores here since I got back last month.

"Shepherd's pie other than at pot-luck in the US, it may be something to serve the tourist more than standard fare." Shepherds Pie (minced lamb) and Cottage Pie (minced beef) are UK household staples. Historically they were usually served at the begining of the week in order to use up meat left over from the Sunday Roast meal. I presume the overcooked peas refer to the dish called Mushy Peas. It is made from marrowfat peas rather than ordinary garden peas. A good old fashioned traditional dish.

Nothing like a great steak and kidney pie!! ...preferably one with meat! Anyone know of a good place in The City? Good Shepherds pie is always with lamb and not just for tourists! Decent pub grub is hard to find these days along with a nice traditional pub without the dreaded piped music. Might try the Salisbury...Red Lions are just Ok. Website Allinlondon.co.uk has some interesting pubs although they tend to attract a lot of tourists. Look up historic pubs...they are pretty special and, of course, old.

I agree with what has been said about the food. It generally is pretty good meat and potatoes type fare. As someone mentioned, the Salisbury is a Taylor-Walker Pub, basically a chain that operates many historic pubs. It does mean that they will have a common menu, but I found their food to be good quality. If you want more info, here is a link to their menu: http://www.taylor-walker.co.uk/food/

@ Besty The City from my neck of the woods is San Francisco. Are you referring to London? If yes then you'll find a great steak and kidney pie on Kensington Church Street at Ffiona's. http://www.ffionas.com Small restaurant that specializes in classic English fare. Personally, I enjoyed the pork sausages with bubble squeak even better but that's just me. Did I mention the bread and butter pudding? Did I? Pub grub has definitely evolved since my first experience with it in 72'. Must say mushy peas haven't been part of my pub dining in years. Poached salmon with lemon creme fraiche has. A Ploughman's lunch has. Wild mushroom soup has. Venison has. As well as chip butty, any number of British Rail Sandwiches, and crisps. I try to stay away from the pub chains such as Fullers and Weatherspoons. True classic pubs have been on the decline for years. Bought out and reemerged as wine bars or gastropubs. I prefer the traditional, small, untouched pub and search for a new find each trip. Something like the Wenlock Arms which friends now tell me is going to be sold and closed by December. Sad.

DLB you should get a copy of the Drink Deck London for your trip. We picked one up for our trip to London and it helped us find great bar venues for food and drink and saved us money! It's a deck of cards that offers 52 spots across different neighborhoods and includes some of London's best pubs and gastropubs! It cost $30 but we used 5 cards during our visit so we actually made back the cost of the deck, plus saved additional money and got to see neighborhoods and bars we would not have visited otherwise! Here's a link to their site: http://thedrinkdeck.com We ordered ours a week before we left and it arrived post marked from Chicago so I am sure it would reach you easily in TX. Have fun!