ENGLAND - London ... ideas for a new resident?

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abjcooking

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Sorry I haven't been around lately. I found out a few weeks ago that we are moving to London for a few years and have been so busy getting everything in order for the move. If anyone has good suggestions on London restaurant's I would love to hear about them, especially in the Marylebone/Regent's area since that is where we will be getting an apartment. I'm not looking for anything expensive or overpriced, just good food and good atmosphere. Not the fancy tourist type of places.
 
Simpsons in the Strand is justly famous for roasts (beef and lamb) cheeses, beautifully roasted and sauteed vegetables, fine wines etc, and should be experienced at least once in your lifetime. Is it pricey?, actually very reasonable for the quality. I've also enjoyed many of the wine bars in town.
 
Moving to London for a few years is great and I know you will find lots of great restaurants. Harrods has a great food court and when I was there quite a few years ago with a girlfriend we traveled around and found all sorts of neet and inexpensive restaurants.

Have a great time.
 
In a hurry at the moment, so will just give a few.

First of all, you have to try the pubs. Many of them have some fairly decent fare, some do a nice joint (roast) on Sundays. Find one you like.

Rules restaurant, 35 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, not far from the Strand. It claims to be the oldest London restaurant, it features game and traditional English food.

It is not inexpensive, but is not on the very pricey side. Men usually wear jackets. It can seem to us a bit stuffy, but the food is good and it is an experience. Have recommended it to many who have gone to London and have only heard raves. We often go there when in London (usually get there once or twice a year).


A sleeper, and one not very well known, is the Ognisko Polish Club, 55 Exhibition Rd, down the street from the Victoria and Albert Museum (a great place, no a must, to visit). It is in a Georgian house and well appointed. The food is Polish/continental and well done. Starters are from 7 to 10 pounds and most main courses are in the 11 to 16 pound range as I recall. Service is good. Wine menu is OK, not inspired. Google for menus and pictures.

OK, for cheap Polish, and we love the place even since the original owner died, and the place has been rebuilt since the fire, is Daquisse. It is a football field walk away from the South Kensington tube stop. Fancy, heck no. Decent grub, and quite inexpensive. Nice variety of vodkas.

O Fado, a Portuguese restaurant, 49 Beauchamp Place, a short walk from Harrod's is good. Got turned off a couple of years ago and have not been back since but the food was usually good and fairly inexpensive.

Have found the food court restaurants at Harrod's quite pricey. Tasty but not worth the pounds (which are going for about 2 bucks).

And our opinion of Simpson's on the Strand is not all that positive. As a carvery we find it somewhat overpriced and there are others about that serve traditional English food at least as good and for less money.

Just our opinion.

And then there are the pie shops (you have to try one), fish and chip shops (most of them are awful in my opinion, can usually find better F&C in pubs), and all sorts of ethnic foods.

Sure you will love the place.

But really gotta go. Have a great time.
 
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Wish I could tell you the name of the restaurant we ate at, but all I can say is that it was near the train station, and near a park that begins with an H lol. The marathon runners were coming through that area if that helps? Probably not, but the restaurant was doing pasta and it was fantastic!
 
That sounds like Hyde Park (I've run there) and there are quite a lot of restaurants. Pizza on the Park is there, and that's gorgeous. On Sundays they have a jazz band wandering around playing at tables. It's very friendly and a lovely place to be.

I've been to London twice now and both times have been to Pizza Express, which is a chain, but very good. There are lots of nice places in Covent Garden.

Sofra is great if you like middle eastern food. It's quite inexpensive, and does some great set menus, and is very vegetarian friendly. The food is ostensibly Turkish, though the whole region is reflected in the menu. The food is so tasty and fresh, and the staff are lovely. There are a couple of Sofra's in London.

Also, the Bunker Bar in Covent Garden does great cheap and cheerful food cooked on the premises. It's mainly traditional British food, and they do great burgers. Book a table if your going on a Friday or Saturday night.

You have to really watch pubs in Britain, a lot of them are in chains, where the food is cooked centrally then re heated on site, and not nice.
 
Thank you. These suggestions help a lot. When we went there a few weeks ago we went to one of the bars, that was a chain. I noticed that several of the bars in the same area had the exact same menu, obviously owned by the same people. I ordered the roast beef sandwich. The meat was so chewy I couldn't even eat it. I am saving all of your suggestions so we can try them out. We will be up there for at least 2 years so I should have time to try them all. Thanks again
 
abj, I cannot tell you how sorry I am that I am not you moving to London for 2 years. Best of luck in finding a good flat and some good food, and be sure to tell us all about it.
 
I haven't been in London for more than 6 years by now (wow... 6 years?? really!!) so I may not have the most updated information, but whenever I was in London I always ate pretty good without distroying my budget. I always stayed in the same zone as well, I used to eat everywhere and honestly I can't remember any good ones around the immediate vicinity, but come on, from there the tube/bus connection will take you just about anywhere with ease! So... here are a few of my favourites...

Sitara (Indian) on Edgeware Rd. (not far from Paddington sta.)
Trojka (Russian) near Chalk Farm sta.
Manna (Eclectic Vegetarian fare) also near Chalk Farm sta.
Food for Thought Neal St. near Covent Garden

Don't overlook the pub grubs at numerous pubs everywhere, too... they usually offer great value for your money!
 
There is a wide variety of eating places in London. From simple cafes and fish and chip shops to Indian and chinese and everything in between. And if you get homesick for a taste of the USA there are loads of Starbucks, Pizza Hut, Subway all the fast food places (except Wendys but Wimpys is close enough).
By now there are probably other american establishments opened up that I don't even know of yet.
I miss the fish and chips and having breakfast in the local cafe. They're simpler and quicker than the diners over here and the quality can be a bit hit and miss but I loved them!
 

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