Restaurant suggestions, please: near Buckingham, Westminster, or Eye

Molly
There's a ton of places to pick from.
Pubs offer great food and reasonable prices.
99% of the restaurants have their menus posted, and some even have daily specials.

At the Eye there's not a lot near the actual attraction, but a block or 2 before you'll find places.

I'd say just wing it. If all else fails grab something at a quickie place like Pret a Manger.

The Globe Theatre has a very nice "pub" adjacent to the theatre. While they call it a pub, it is actually very modern decor. They serve things like salads, sandwiches, quiche. The place has a view of St. Paul's which is directly across the river. I don't know how far it is from there to the London Eye, but probably less than a mile and it is a very pleasant walk along the South Bank of the Thames. I think the pub was called The Swan and there is a a fancier restaurant on the second floor. Westminster Abbey has a small cafe inside--I think it is in the cloister.

The "Time Out" listings magazine shows loads of eating places. You can search by postcode (zipcode?) or area. For example Buckingham Palace is in SW1 and the site shows 250 eating places of various sorts, see below

http://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/search.php?fpath_AreaId=&fpath_CategoryId=&name=&location_str=sw1&category_str=&submit=

This is not so much a restaurant recommendation as a plug for a favorite place. The Borough Market is not far from the Eye, and there is plenty to eat. It's more for lunch because it closes at 4:00 or 6:00. My teen daughters loved it. Lots of free samples, plus salads and sandwiches to buy and eat there.
http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk/index.php?pid=1

Regarding Borrough Market; Samantha Brown did a show regarding London and the market and she loved a stall that did grilled cheese sandwiches so there are all kinds of food stalls at the market to grab a meal. The whole area is lovely and you'll see lots of sights just walking to it such as the Globe, the 2 remaining walls of the Winchester Palace, etc. Love the area. Have a great time!! Happy trails.Pam

I will add one more place here, in case you end up a the British Museum.... When you come out the front, go to the left, then turn another left and up the street on the right will be Bloomsbury Square. If you keep walking straight (Past Bloomsbury Sq) and cross the street, to the left is a Tesco Express. My husband and I had a nice impromptu picnic getting sandwiches, drinks and fruit at Tesco and eating lunch on a park bench in the square. Piegons, kids, playground and green grass. It felt good to sit after walking for hours in the museum.

Cafe in the Crypt (next to and run by St. Martin-in-the-Field Church) is acros from Trafalgar Square. Good food (nothing really fancy) and good prices in a very interesting setting. Get on St. Martin.... website -- they have "Jazz in the Crypt" occasionally and concerts in the church. Wonderful!
For teenagers and adults -- Pizza Express (there are many in London) is a good choice -- very good food (we just had Caesar salad and pizza -- but went twice during our visit) and very reasonable prices.

My suggestion would be to pick a pub or restaurant close to where you are when you are hungry. There are a ton of things in and around those places, though I don't remember as much right near the Eye. Remember that in high-traffic tourist areas you get high-traffic tourist restaurants.

One place to definitely go at some point while you are in London is Jenny Lo's, though I don't know that I would try to get there during this particular day - rather out of the way from all of those places.

Planning is great - but don't OVER plan. As Bill Bryson says, "Traveling is more fun, hell life is more fun, when treated as a series of impulses."