Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
We cover the full range of eating options from cheap-and-cheerful pitstops via a few
fashionable favourites to London's smartest destination restaurants. Among the
cafés
,
you'll find bakeries, brasseries, chippies, sandwich bars, coffee shops and several ethnic
eating places where speedy service and low prices are the priority, whether you're
grabbing a quick lunch or a late-night snack. In any of these, you should be able to fill
up for under £10. Our
restaurant
listings, meanwhile, concentrate on places where you
can get a sit-down meal, with full service and all the trimmings, usually in the evening
but at lunchtime too. We've also provided a list of the top
gastropubs
, where you can
eat great, modern food in relaxed surroundings (see box, p.383), and a list of
specialist
food stores
for top-notch picnic supplies (see p.431).
ESSENTIALS
Costs
It is possible to pay an awful lot for a meal in London,
but, compared with many European cities, you can get
considerable value in the mid-range places. Even in the
most expensive restaurants, set menus (most often served
at lunch) can be a great deal, and, as small “sharing plates”
are all the rage, you can eat for a very reasonable price in
some very smart venues.
Tipping
Tipping 12.5 to 15 percent for service is usually
discretionary, but considered normal practice. Some
restaurants will add a service charge automatically to the
bill, so it's always worth checking.
WHITEHALL, WESTMINSTER AND ST JAMES'S
CAFÉS
Café in the Crypt
St Martin-in-the-Fields, Duncannon St,
WC2
T
020 7766 1158,
W
stmartin-in-the-fields.org;
!
Charing Cross; map p.46.
This handy location - below
the church in the eighteenth-century crypt - is a nice spot to
fill up cheaply before hitting the West End. The daily changing
selection consists of standard, if tasty, British comfort food,
with lots of veggie dishes. Jazz nights Wed 8pm.
Mon & Tues
8am-8pm, Wed 8am-10.30pm (jazz ticket holders only
after 6.30pm), Thurs-Sat 8am-9pm, Sun 11am-6pm.
lake. It can get chaotic, but the Modern British food -
including afternoon teas (£7.50-25.50) and breakfasts - is
tasty, if pricey, from the Peyton & Byrne restaurant group.
The café section is cheaper.
Daily 8-11am (from 9am Sat
& Sun), noon-4.30pm & 5-11pm.
The Vincent Rooms
76 Vincent Square, SW1
T
020
7802 8391,
W
www.westking.ac.uk/The_vincent
_rooms/brasserie.html;
!
Victoria or St James's Park;
map p.36.
A daily changing menu of modern French food
- open lasagne of duck livers, pan-fried sea bream with
crab and chilli risotto - is cooked and served by the young
student chefs of Westminster Kingsway College (where
Jamie Oliver and Antony Worall Thompson, among others,
learned their craft) in this excellent-value dining room.
Mains £8-12.
Mon-Fri noon-2pm, plus some eves
6-9pm; closed Easter, summer & Christmas holidays.
24
RESTAURANTS
Inn the Park
St James's Park, SW1
T
020 7451 9999,
W
www.innthepark.com;
!
St James's Park; map
p.66.
Park restaurant in a stylish curving wooden building
with panoramic windows, and decking, overlooking the
MAYFAIR
CAFÉS
MoCafé
25 Heddon St, W1
T
020 7434 4040,
W
momoresto.com;
!
Piccadilly Circus; map p.78.
This
is the café of the more expensive
Momo
restaurant, serving
reasonably priced, tasty meze, honey-soaked pastries and
aromatic mint tea in a wonderful Arabic tearoom that spills
out onto a terrace. Everything, from the lanterns to the
crockery, can be bought to take home. The main restaurant,
meanwhile, serves pricey couscous, tagines and North
African/Mediterranean fusion in a dining room that
transports you straight to the Kasbah.
Daily noon-1am.
Tibits
12-14 Heddon St, W1
T
020 7758 4110,
W
tibits
.co.uk;
!
Piccadilly Circus; map p.78.
Modern Swiss-
German veggie café offering seasonal self-service salads,
sandwiches and hot dishes from across the globe. You pay
by weight, so prices can mount if you're feeling greedy.
Mon-Wed 9am-10.30pm, Thurs-Sat 9am-midnight,
Sun 11.30am-10.30pm.
Ì
The Wolseley
160 Piccadilly, W1
T
020 7499 6996,
W
thewolseley.com;
!
Green Park; map p.78.
The lofty
and stylish 1920s interior (built as the showroom for Wolseley
cars) is the big draw in this opulent old café-restaurant. The
Viennese-inspired comfort/bistro food is good, though pricey
- come for a big breakfast (haggis with fried duck egg,
perhaps?) or afternoon tea (£9.75-32.50).
Mon-Fri 7am-
midnight, Sat 8am-midnight, Sun 8am-11pm.
RESTAURANTS
Kiku
17 Half Moon St, W1
T
020 7499 4208,
W
kikurestaurant.co.uk;
!
Green Park; map p.78.
An
elegant, simple Japanese place serving up top-quality
sushi and sashimi (£2.20-45), along with hot dishes,
