TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums World Wide Travel LONDON for 7 days

My first time to London and we're only there for a week.
Where should we eat? Any idea on some good pubs? <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/dine.gif" alt="" />

I am certainly not an expert, but from my brief experience in London, pub food was mediocre and only there to give you something to eat with the excellent cask ales! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/drinking.gif" alt="" /> The Italian and French restaurants had the monopoly on good food! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

That's because the English can't cook!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Laugh.gif" alt="" /> ...ducking here to avoid blows from the Brits around here!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

And if they are pitchers on a cricket team, you better look out. On the question of pub Food, i have found that for lunch it is the perfect meal for me. Plowmans lunch, Perfect, or eggs,bacon sausages,tomatos and beans, or sandwiches, ham, turkey, beef or cucumber. Just pick and choose. A Perfect lunch for me with a pint or a glass of white wine.

I can't even repeat what we think of American food!!! We've just come back from France and on the whole the food was extremely poor. I hope visitors to Britain will be pleased that their misconceptions re food are totally wrong. Bear in mind though that in London food will be grossly over priced and most likely no Brit has been anywhere near to it! Sadly London is generally overpriced and rip offs will be common. Unless the visitors are really into seeing the major sites, which you can do in a day or a year depending on intensity, I would suggest getting out into real Britain. Go at least well outside the M25 ring road and you will find beautiful scenery, history and charm and good food without the down sides of London.
Now I'm going to get hit re my thoughts no doubt ........

salica: I agree that the food outside of London was very good. I also thought that there was some good food IN London, but just not in the *pubs* that we visited.

The possible reason is that pubs in London are really still that: pubs, and essentially their turnover iis based on the drinking community, whereas outside the city, pubs have had to evolve into food providers in order to survive. Of course there are always exceptions, but that is the generalisation. Good and bad everywhere. Also depends on what you call London.......

Corblimey- just seen your post. A Yank telling the English they can't cook. Did the pot just call the kettle black.
Get out of "Central Florida" and get to London, now recognised - by the cognoscenti- as the gastronomic capital of the world. Bring lotsa bucks though.

Raison D'etre is a good restaurant in London to eat daily meal. I personally do not know much more because I hardly visit there 2-3 times during my last visit there but I like their food so much and also heard a lot from my friends about this who go there always in summer vacations. The staff in this restaurant is really nice and welcoming. Also,the fresh food with good value is available at the affordable prices.

London is probably the best food city in the world - and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. The caveat to that is, it's a great food city because it serves brilliant food from all across the world - not because of great British food. Although you can certainly find that if you look. There is probably not a single type of cuisine that you can't get at almost every price level. Even the French grudgingly admit that London is now the food capital of the world - so you know it must be true.

Trick is, stay off the main roads in tourist areas. Because those will be the one's with the highest prices and the crappiest food! Pubs in London generally don;t serve great food (there will be some exceptions like the Anchor and Hope), but pubs in wealthy rural areas will serve AMAZING food. That's not London though...

If you want British food, try Roast (general British food), Hawskmoor (steak), Poppies (fish and chips), Quo Vadis (seasonal British food) and if you have lots of money then places like Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. But the most proper British food is a curry. Go to Brick Lane, near where Jack The Ripper did his work, and try not to find a bad one from the miles of choices. Or you could get a rainbow bagel instead.

I liked the food outside of London.

I agree that London offers everything for food, It is the probably the world's best melting pot, but there are not any English cookbooks. I am Irish and Irish food is about avoiding starvation and not taste. When in an area ask the locals where they eat. Be prepared for long lines at immigration at LHR when you land. Certainly get out of the city in ANY direction there is a lot of see and do with just random experiences, no planning involved.

YEAH