Favorite places to eat in London

For breakfast, lunch, or tea - The Muffin Man at 12 Wrights Lane, about a 3 minute walk from the High Street Kensington tube stop. Also, the Crypt Cafe in St. Martin-in-the-Fields, at Trafalgar Square. And I agree with you, the Orangery is always a must stop for us. For dinner, we just look for the nearest pub wherever we are, and if there's a crowd it's usually good! We hope to make it to Gordon's Wine Bar near Trafalgar Square when we visit this fall. Previous posters have raved about it, but it's always been too crowded when we've tried in the past.

I have Crypt Cafe and Gordon's on my list also. Thanks for the suggestions. (And I'm not excluding anyone's reviews of places listed in the book...)

I'm almost embarrassed to admit this publicly, but I do enjoy visiting the (very touristy) Sherlock Holmes Pub on Northumberland Street, not too far from Trafalgar Square or the Victoria Embankment. The food is just average, but good, and the prices are not cheap, but don't break the bank entirely. And I just love the Sherlock Holmes stories so much that a side trip to the pub for lunch (or last visit, dinner) is worth the splurge just to enjoy the decor inside, especially if I can get a table next to the recreation of Holmes and Watson's flat at 221b Baker Street. Conan Doyle's detective stories just "are" London to me, so when I'm in town I have to stop in at least for a pint of ale. It's where I had my very first bangers and mash, too, and I can't forget that.
Matt

Jamie Oliver has opened a couple of cafes called Jamie's Italian - we tried it in Cambridge and it was wonderful. With more time, we would have gone back to one in London. Also, enjoyed The Orangery. But the real find was a small French bakery on Belvedere St between Westminster Bridge St and Chicheley St by the Marriott Hotel (back side of the Movieum). I wish I could remember the name, but it's worth seeking out if you're in that part of London (London Eye, Florence Nightingale Museum, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben). This gem of a place is dripping with Alice in Wonderland charm - it was like walking into a fantasy place and we literally felt like kids in a candy store. The tea, coffee and sweets hit the spot in the afternoon between lunch and dinner.

My current favourite is Princi at 135 Wardour Street - Soho area. An Italian smart canteen type cafe, set up by the guy who started Wagamama.

Loving the great ideas and looking forward to more! Matt, never be embarrassed about something you find fun. We love museums, art, and history, but we also love the interesting, the off beat, the strange, and even the sometimes childish and silly things. It all makes for great experiences.

Dellinda, I like the Stockpot. It's a bit touristy but the food is good and the prices are reasonable. There is a curry house down and a round the corner from King's Cross rail station, (sorry can't remember the name) I thought it was very good and the prices were also reasonable.

We like to stop into Fortnum and Mason's and buy items for a gourmet picnic which we usually eat in nearby Green Park. We usually do this the night we are going to the theatre so we don't need to worry about rushing dinner in order to be at the theatre in time. You can also get good picnic fare at the Simply Food small grocery shops. (I think they are part of Marks and Spencer)......The above mentioned Sherlock Holmes pub is also fun for a theatre evening. It's pub on the street floor, more of a restaurant upstairs where the Sherlock Holmes display room is located. It isn't super touristy-when we have been there, we saw lots of people who appeared to be "career types" stopping off for a drink before heading home.

Our favorites are the lunch pubs in the city in the maze of alleys behind Threadneedle Street there are three or four, all excellent; all with 99% city types in dark suits and bowler hats. Also dr Butlers Head in the City, a bit more touristy but with great traditional British food. And any sandwich shop you find. It is an artform in London

If the Princi is as good as the Milano Princi, I wouldn't miss that!

Lola, I believe the Princi on Wardour Street was set up by the Wagamama founder who got together with the owner of Princi in Milan. Never been to Milan - off to Italy next week - but Tuscany - so wont be able to try the Milan Princi unfortunately.

Short of a trip to India, the best Indian food on the planet is to be found in London. There is no shortage of great places, refer to Chowhound or others for specific recommendations in the area you are staying.

We have eaten at Harrod's and been very happy. They have a great food court on the first floor. We had delicious fish and chips. UPSTAIRS they have a fabulous lunch buffet. It ends at 3:30 PM though.

The Cote restaurant, which does bistro French food. Superb food and service, but a casual atmosphere. Several locations, but we visited the one in Covent Garden. They have a website that would let you check it out and see if the menu appeals.