Where to eat in London

Wherever in the world we travel, food reflects so much about the country we are visiting – from culture and history to the vibes of people and their characters. It kinda let us dive deeper into what a day looks like for the locals – which I very much enjoy when travelling.

On my second visit to London in October 2018, I had the opportunity to explore some places to dine, which in the end led me to one conclusion – London has so much to offer!

In this blog post, I will be sharing with you 7 places I chose to dine in central London – from instagrammable ones and pricey picks to on a budget options. TAKE NOTE that these are merely from my own experiences and observations, and for the record, I’m a person with not-so-typical palette having lots of dietary self-inflicted restrictions (I’ll try to be objective with my reviews – happy reading!) 🙂

• Elan Cafe (Brompton Road – Kensington area)

My first order of business – arrived in London on a Sunday morning, checked in at my hotel, freshen up and literally hunt a place to have brunch to keep me up – I have a day and a jetlag to overcome.

They have a number of branches within the city. I’ve been to the one at the Brompton House which I think is smaller than the others like in Park Lane.

Look at those colors!

I ordered this. The cappuccino is average, but the chicken sandwich is not bad. I think I finished everything in 15 minutes and explored the restaurant to take more photos. While I’m not a fan of pink color, I think the place is very well designed and you can basically see pink in all corners!

My rating?
Food: 3.5/5
Ambiance: 5/5

What I realized: London loves a nice brunch!

• Momo Resto (Heddon Street)

Momo is situated in Heddon Street where the famous Heddon Kitchen by Gordon Ramsay is. I’ve been there on my first visit to London and I find the food superb, worth the $$$.

I was feeling a little bit experimental that day, so I just picked a not so common cuisine for me and gave it a try – it’s a mediterranean cuisine!

I didn’t enjoy the food that much and probably because it’s new to my palette, (sorry Momo!). While the service and the place is very good, I find it very pricey.

My rating?
Food: 2.75/5
Ambiance: 4/5

What I realized: London has soooo much to offer so if you are feeling adventurous, you won’t run out of type of food/restaurant to choose from within the city

• Whyte and Brown (Kingly Court, Carnaby Street)

This is one of my faves because of the quality and taste of food, and service is amazing! It’s at Kingly Court which houses many different restaurants too, here’s how busy it looks like:

Now back to Whyte & Brown:

I ordered A LOT. I was starving and I was lured by it and thought I can finish everything. Poor truffle fries – I had to leave more than half of it, sorry!

My rating:
Food: 4/5
Ambiance: 4.5/5

What I learned: Cap the night with a nice drink – whether it’s wine, cocktail, or beer. London offers lots of nice drinks options

• Grind (Covent Garden)

Love love love this place! Where two of my favorite drinks are in one roof – coffee & cocktails. I tried their Espresso Martini and it was fab!

I would highly recommend this place to hang out on a Friday evening after work (or after a tiring itinerary if you are a tourist). Perfect place to chill and end a nice or stressful day.

Ok, the photo might not give justice to the taste of the burger but believe me, it’s SO good! Proof: I totally disregarded the fact that I got too much calories already that day!

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On my third visit to London this February 2019, with my husband. I went to Grind twice, one for drinks (Russian flat white cocktail – no photo sorry!) it was pretty strong but a good drink. For breakfast, we went at their Soho branch (photos below)

• Sketch (Mayfair)

..And the award for the my top instragrammable place in London goes to Sketch! I went there on a Saturday morning for breakfast so I had the luxury of time to go and check out the other open rooms (they have about 5 restaurants at Sketch, each with different themes). The lady was so nice that she let me go in to the famous ladies toilet though that area is still closed – so I managed to take these photos (not being photobombed!)

I ordered pancakes with blueberries for breakfast. I didn’t like the coffee but the pancake is nice (how can a pancake note be?) – got the hint there?

I probably should try the other rooms next time.

AND MORE PHOTOS;

My rating?
Food: 2.5/5
Ambiance: 5/5

What I learned: A good customer service is something that can be easily experienced in London – they are very chatty too

• Paper and Cup (Shoreditch)

Now over to the east side, Shoreditch. I felt like one of the locals at this simple café that serves really good coffee. If it wasn’t for my packed itinerary that day, I would’ve stayed and read some books while enjoying a cup of coffee.

Thanks to google maps, I was able to find this place. It’s not very near the train station. The weather was very cold so I was walking as fast as I can, glued on my phone trying to reach the place the quickest possible! It was worth it

There are lots of local shops around the area too – good for exploring

What I learned: There are lots of good neighborhood cafes in the city, a place to easily spend a day relaxing with a book in hand

I only ordered coffee which I think is good (3.5/5) and the ambiance is relaxing (4/5) specially if you love reading

• Coppa Club (Tower Bridge)

Igloos in London? Coppa Club is where you can find them! With the Tower Bridge, Shard and Thames River view, it’s better to go to this fancy bar/restaurant in the evening when the lights are up and you can see the majestic tower bridge

I cap my second visit in London at this place, and then walked by the Thames River. I came to realized again that London apart from its rich history and culture, people are very nice, thoughtful and such conversation starters. Something a pure blooded Asian would always appreciate

BONUS!

Who doesn’t love really good food without having to spend so much? Here are some of what I found to be a great place to eat without hurting your wallet:

PRET a MANGER
They are anywhere in London, and they serve freshly made packed food. Options range from vegetables, pasta, wraps, sandwiches, fruits, healthy snacks and drinks and so much more! You can easily complete a meal for £8-10. There’s also something that’s similar called EAT

ITSU
Your Japanese food go-to option. Although I didn’t really buy a proper meal from this place, I saw that the variety of jap food they have is pretty wide. From sushi rolls, rice bowls and lots of meat. Price range is like PRET. I should probably try this one next time.

CHICKEN COTTAGE
That day I craved for KFC fried chicken was the day I discovered this fast food gem! Chicken’s really good at a very affordable price. You can buy complete and sumptuous meal for as low as £6

LEON
My colleague took me here for lunch one time and I have to admit – I literally rushed into dining here again on one weekend when I randomly saw it at Shoreditch. They serve really healthy and balance food options – and again, on a budget!

SHORYU
Ok, this one may not be very cheap but hey Ramen here is so good! Even better than some Ramen restaurants I’ve tried in Asia. They also serve Yuzu and other cocktails – plus the pork puns, gosh it’s so good! Prices for a meal starts from £12

I hope that you find these options helpful! Always remember, a happy tummy will lead you to fulfilled itinerary! 🙂

Drop me a message if you want to know more about the places I shared. And please say Hi! to London for me whenever you are travelling there 🙂