London Restaurant Lists

WOODY’S LONDON RESTAURANT GUIDE (OR EATING REASONABLY IN LONDON)

WOODY’S LONDON RESTAURANT GUIDE (OR EATING REASONABLY IN LONDON)

E-mail me at WoodyAAL@aol.com with yourcomments! I ALSO WRITE LISTS FOR PARIS / ROME / BRUSSELS / BUENOS AIRES , ETC. FOR THESE GO TO WOODYSRESTAURANTLISTS@BLOGSPOT.COM

THIS GUIDE IS MEANT TO HELP YOU EAT FOR LESS MONEY IN THE PLACES THE “NATIVES” GO OR SHOWS YOU HOW TO EAT FOR A REASONABLE PRICE IN A MORE EXPENSIVE RESTAURANT IN LONDON. MOST PLACES WILL COST YOU AROUND $25. (ALL ARE UNDER $50 IF YOU KEEP YOUR WINE INTAKE IN CHECK!) REMEMBER SPENDING $25 FOR DINNER IN LONDON IS EATING CHEAPLY...(P.S. I need to update some prices.)

QUAGLINO’S, 16 Bury Street (589-6767) Tube stop: Green Park

Very trendy yet surprisingly reasonable. The entrees run around thirteen pounds, some under some over by a little. This is very good value by London standards at such a popular place to eat. The service is orchestrated. The crème brulee is fabulous and the food is generally wonderful. The bar is a “happening place” so you can just go for a drink to people watch. There is music so you can use it as an excuse to just mingle with hoi polloi there. When you enter the

restaurant remember that the first desk you get to is for the restaurant’s little boutique where you can buy signature souvenirs with “Q” emblazoned on them. Bypass this desk as the real reservations desk is down the stair near the bar. That will make you look like “you are in the know”. If you are just two you will likely be seated close enough to start a conversation with your neighboring table. At this place you will probably find this to be an interesting experience as Quaglino’s is so very “in”.

MOTCOMBS

26 Motcomb Street(235-6382) Tube Stop: Green Park

This is an upscale place to drink. I would not dine here as the food is a bit on the average side. If you want to mix with a slightly older crowd in the very chic area of Belgravia this is a great place to stop and quaff a brew.

SAL e PEPE, 13115 Pavilion (235-0098) Tube stop: Knightsbridge

A very lively restaurant The waiters yell and have fun, but the chic crowd loves it. Don’t come here if you want a quiet evening. This one is fun, reasonable by London standards, and the food is very good. They always seem to have an asparagus appetizer with lots of asparagus and usually served cold. It is a large portion which you could share. The entrees run around ten to twelve
pounds for most of the dishes. Of course you can always spend more! The place is always full but you can get in if you go early. Londoners don’t usually eat before eight thirty in the evening. (If you are an American that likes to eat early without making reservations you spend a lot of time in London promising to vacate the table by nine.) Everyone always seem to be having a good time here and a lot of the tables are close enough together that you are bound to engage in conversation with the people at the next table. If you want to meet some of the people be sure and open your mouth and speak to them. The English usually won’t start the conversation (opposite of the Irish) but if you initiate the conversation you can be promised a lively discussion.

THE ENTERPRISE, 35 Walton Street (584-3148) Tube Stop: Knightsbridge

My favorite neighborhood place; a Chelsea hangout. The entrees run about 12 pounds. Since it is “clubby” with lots of locals be sure and have a reservation for dinner. The bar is really fun because it attracts an upscale and attractive bunch from the “hood”. They always have chips and salsa on the bar for munching. The people who frequent the bar all seem to know each other. They are very nice to strangers so again, speak up. Ask a question. Get to know the natives. These natives all seem to make a very good living so you might make a few connections here too. It never hurts to network in a global economy. The food is good too! The main rooms are small with the bar and dining room seemingly all in one large room. There is bench seating under the windows done up in a pretty fabric. (Don’t worry; they have back cushions.) It is dressy enough to have tablecloths but casual enough to be a little informal. Most of the weekday people seem to be dropping in after work so you will see dressier clothes weekdays.

JULIE’S 135 Portland Road (229-8331, 727-4585) Tube stop: Holland Park

An absolutely darling place. Every room is different. They use the tiny Italian lights to make some of the rooms seem to sparkle. The wall colors are all pretty pastels and each room seems to have a theme. It is very romantic dining. Here is the trick. You can dine in the wine bar section of Julie’s for half the price of the main restaurant and still get the same excellent food as they share the same kitchen. This area is decorated more in sepia tones and is not quite as romantic. You can eat in the wine bar restaurant for around twenty-five dollars. (It is located up the stairs behind the wine bar.) Not so in the main restaurant but this is to be saved for a lovely evening out where there is more on the mind than food so you don’t mind spending a bit more. This restaurant is a little hard to find but it is not far from the Holland Park tube stop. This is worth the look. Take your honey! (Or go with a group; it is still fun.)

RULES, 35 Maiden Lane/ Covent Garden Tube stop: Covent Garden

I almost did not put Rules on my list as it is a bit expensive. I did want to at least tell you about it as Rules is billed as the oldest
restaurant in London. It is also very romantic and charming. There are lots and lots of pictures virtually covering the wall. All are a little askew so if you are a Virgo you won’t be comfortable. I would save this for a winter trip because of the cozy atmosphere. The food is excellent. However I must warn you that it is a furred or feathered menu. You will really enjoy the preparation of the foodeven if you do not normally like game. It is a tad touristy (well-heeled tourists as the entrees run around 16 pounds). It is also a little tough to find. The location is very near the Savoy Hotel so just keep asking people to guide you. Do spend the money some time to try this place.

FINO’S WINE CELLAR, Swallow Street (Marble Arch tube stop) Tube stop: Marble Arch

If you want a big plate of very fresh tasting food try this inexpensive wine bar. The eating room is small and a bit of smoke wafts up from the popular wine bar below but the casual food is good so it is worth a stop. (Just don’t go on Friday night when everyone is there!) The location is right behind Oxford Street and the Dorchester Hotel. It is a block from the Marble Arch. The Italian waiters are lovely and most fun to talk to. The crowd comes from the posh area around the American Embassy several blocks away so it always looks to be an interesting group. Remember, this is a wine bar first and foremost so it is going to be a drinking crowd first and foremost.

P.J.’s,

52 Fulham Road (581-0025) Tube stop: South Kensington or Glouster Road

Another neighborhood place in which you will see the same people time and again. It is a place I duck into for coffee because they have a big Italian espresso machine. The entrees run around 8 pounds and are very good, bistro style meals. I have never not had a good meal here. This is a smart crowd. Lots of “Hooray Henry’s” here. I think you might enjoy people watching in this trendy bistro.

LE BOUDIN BLANC, Sheppard’s Market, Mayfair Tube stop: Green Park

Sheppard’s Market is a darling little walking street area. It is located generally behind the Hilton Hotel that is on Park Lane (adjacent to Hyde Park). There are a number of restaurants in this area but I really recommend this place. The meals are delicious and the prices are very good. It is a small room so I would call ahead for reservations if you hope to dine after 8p.m. The area is so cute that it is worth the foray.

LE PONT DE LA TOUR, 36 Shad Thames, Butler’s Wharf bldg. (403-8403) Tube Stop: Tower Bridge

THE CHOP HOUSE.

CUCINA,

Three Conran restaurants located side by side across the Tower Bridge from the Tower of London. Le Pont de la Tour is the Flagship of the Conran group so hope you are able to qualify for an expense account for this one. However, you can eat in the bar for half the price and the food is good. The piano music starts around 8:00p.m. in the bar. It is fun to go sit in the bar so you can watch all the glitzy people entering the restaurant while eating your much less expensive repast and have fun listening to the music.

The Chophouse next door is less expensive and has terrific English food with a little bit of a Continental flair. You can rely on most of the Conran group venues for excellent food and this is no exception. I think you will like the light, casual decor (blond pine). All these places have outside dining which is a plus.

Cucina is perhaps my least favorite of this threesome because the food, while good, was not special. I have only eaten there once so give it a try. The service was excellent.

MEZZO, Soho, Tube stop: Piccadilly Circus or Leicester Square

This is my least favorite because it was so big and crowded. It attracts a very young crowd. The men will like it because the twenty-something’s parade down the long staircase to the dining room in their short, short mini skirts. I found the tables too close together. The fact that the kitchens are visible and seem to cascade down the wall allowing the patrons to see many levels of glass windows looking into the cooking areas is interesting.

BLUEBIRD, 350 Fulham Road (559-1000) Tube stop: Glouster Road or closer/West Brompton or Fulham Broadway

You have to see it... It is a grocery store with the most amazing displays. Everything on the shelves is a work of food art. These jars and bottles will make great hostess gifts back home. They have a cook store and a deli/bistro with side walk tables facing an outdoor fruit stand. The crowd is smart, well dressed, well heeled and checking each other out. Obviously a place to see and be seen. The restaurant upstairs (by elevator one floor up) is very modern. I haven’t eaten here yet but I checked out the prices. The entrees ran about 12 pounds but the choices were interesting. You cannot go wrong with a meal at Conran establishments so I am looking forward to dining here. To eat much more reasonably at Bluebird sit downstairs at the little bistro. They have a selection of salads and other simpler fare as well as a popular bar. The outside seating for coffee will be an amusing afternoon for people watching.

THE APPRENTICE, right behind Pont de la Tour, The Chophouse, etc. at Butler’s Wharf Tube stop: Tower Hill

A Counsel training restaurant allows you to get a really good meal served by apprentice chefs and wait staff at a good price. (The main course runs about 8 pounds.) Since the Conrans and other area establishments help sponsor this school you are assured that you will get good value for the money you spend. It is only open on weekdays and takes limited sittings so make sure you make a reservation. The menu changes frequently. It is always an interesting experience in this sparsely modern restaurant.

LE PALAIS du JARDIN, 136 Long Acre (379-5353) near Covent Garden Tube stop: Covent Garden

Le Palais du Jardin is a typical French Brasserie with the cold seafood bar in front just like you see in Paris. A nice bar is near the cold seafood arrangement from which you can crowd watch . They also have sidewalk seating. The food is reasonable and quite tasty in the French style. There are interesting shops on this street that runs into Covent Garden from Leicester Square. You can find some peace and quiet here from the almost overwhelming amount of people in this area.

LE CAFE du JARDIN, 28 Wellington Street, Covent Garden (836-8759) Tube stop: Covent Garden

Pre-theater or after theater this little French Bistro offers a nice meal at a good price. It is located a block from the theater where Miss Saigon is playing and also very near the Royal Opera House. Also very French: from the waiters to the bistro type food you will not go wrong grabbing a bite here. It has a casual atmosphere but typically the style of the French bistro.

BELGO, 50 Earlham Stratum, (813-2233) Soho /Covent Garden area Tube stop: Leicester Square

Be prepared for a crowd when you approach this place. But it is fun! The food is typical of what you will eat in Belgium ; Carbonnade, French-fries, etc. If you arrive at 6:ooPM the roast chicken is 6 pounds. 6:15 p.m. it is 6 pounds 15. , etc. all the way up until 9:00p.m. I believe. You can sit in a room that has picnic style tables and really go casual or you can sit on the saner side where they take reservations and have a nice, quieter place to eat your food. The waiters dress like monks (or so it seemed to me- I guess that is what they were supposed to look like!) I do love carbonnade and waterzooi so it was a nice harking back to Brussels. And you can’t beat Belgian fries! A long list of Belgian beers adds to the attraction. If you have a reservation you can by-pass the line so either call ahead or pass the line to the hostess desk and ask if you can get a table on the restaurant side. (Save yourself the trouble however and tip the Concierge in your hotel to make the call for you.)

RICCARDO’S, 6126 Fulham Road (370-6656) Tube stop: Glouster Road

Very inexpensive. The pasta runs around 4 pounds. The portions can be on the small side. At first I was perplexed at the small size until I went back and read the bottom of the menu which says that all portions are appetizer size so order accordingly. I found, however, that if you order the most expensive items on the menu (only 7 pounds 50 pence) that you get a very good dinner size portion. (Additionally, the portions seem to have grown since my last dinner here.) The food is extremely tasty and well presented for the price. I ordered the grilled vegetable and Gorgonzola cheese appetizer on my second visit and it was so large it was hard to finish the special that I ordered for my main course. The monkfish was topped off with a very delicious but very rich wine/ butter sauce. I changed the new potato accompaniment to the sautéed spinach. The spinach was so nicely prepared that I was glad I had made the switch. It is always crowded because of the good prices so go before 8p.m. or make a reservation.

SOFRA, 1 St. Christopher’s Place (224-4480) (also at Shepard’s Market) Tube stop: Green Park or Marble Arch

There is another darling walking street right off Oxford Street; a block down from Selfridges Department Store called St. Christopher’s Place. This is an area of a lot of Italian Restaurants and a few other types. Sofria is a Turkish restaurant located both in this area and the other wonderful walking street I mentioned called Shepard’s Market. The food at both locations is inexpensive and very good. The pre-fix menu portions are small so order ala-carte. The food is fresh tasting and it is a change from the ever-present Italian. The shops alone in this area are worth the trip

LE METRO, out the backdoor of Harrods, turn left.28 Basil St. (589-6286) Tube stop: Knightsbridge

Inexpensive but very fresh tasting food. It is a wine bar but the place is small so there is really no separation from the restaurant

LETS BE.................REASONABLE! 

MY OLD DUTCH, 221 Kings Road Tube stop:

South Kensington or Sloan Square

If you want to have what seems to be the world’s largest crepe (the size of a large pizza) with an endless variety of toppings for 4 to 6 pounds stop in and fill up!!! Their dessert crepes are decadent but as large as the dinner crepes so take friends to share the dessert. You can go vegetarian or have a combination of veggies and different meat or chicken toppings. These are very tasty and filling. The decor is light pine and very casual. This is a good place to go when you want to save some money and try something new at the same time.   

L’AUTRE, SB Shepard Street, Shepards Market (499-4680) Tube stop: Green Park

It took some convincing to get me to try a restaurant billed as having Polish and Mexican food; especially when it has a French name. When we arrived there I realized I had been at this place before. I thought it had been billed as a wine bar a year or so ago and it is a puzzlement that the emphasis had changed. I ordered what appeared to be a French item on the menu, passing up the Polish and Mexican items even though they were nicely described. I had remembered the food being good and surprisingly my chicken, covered liberally in melted Brie and a Dijon mustard sauce, did not disappoint. We had started with very large mushrooms in butter and garlic, which were very tasty. The others had duck and polish sausage respectively and raved about the food. I am always suspicious (and usually rightly so) when a restaurant tries to do two or more types of food but this one seems to make it work. The restaurant is tiny. It is nice if you can sit outside in the summer as Sheppard’s Market is the darling walking area I described earlier so the people watching is great. The main floor of L’Autre is cute and cozy. If you are relegated to the downstairs you are viewing the cooking and it is a little basic as far as decor is concerned so try to opt for upstairs.

1 a LAUNCESTON PLACE, London W8 5Rl (phone 937-69120) Tube stop: Glouster Road This place is a little hard to find but yummy, yummy, yummy it is good. The food is really delightful; the atmosphere is upscale but also so cozy and comfortable to be in that I enjoy every moment. It looks like it could be a very stuffy upper crust typically English hideaway for those in the know. You will find the service very friendly. The surprise is that they serve a two-course menu for 13.50 pounds for a really excellent meal! Three courses run about 17 pounds. This all includes service. Wine is separate but you will find the house red is truly delicious. If you can find this darling little hide-a-way I think you are in for a treat. I do always enjoy an evening meal at this darling and hidden establishment. (Last check they had gotten rid of the set price Menu. It may be too pricey now.)

 THE BEETLE & WEDGE Moulsford on Thames

Oxfordshire (phone 0491-651381)

If you can find this restaurant you are going to have a great day in the country. Make it a part of your excursion to Oxford and Blenham Palace (a must see). The Beetle & Wedge is a darling Toad Hall like hotel situated right on the bank of the Thames. They have a restaurant on the property in an old boathouse appropriately called The Boathouse. A French woman who knows cooking runs it. Here you will have a delightful meal in a warm and wonderful setting. Have a drink out on the bank of the Thames and watch the boats drifting by. Then have a lovely meal in the warm and inviting atmosphere of The Boathouse. The whole setting is idyllic. It is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon so do make it a point to go out of your way to find Moulsford on the map. The hotel is reasonably priced if you want a little country interlude.

 TRATORRIA PARMIGIA

22 James Street

(Tel: 0171-629-0272) Tube

stop: Bond Street

If you want a very inexpensive Italian meal that is plentiful and filling find this tiny restaurant near the entrance to St. Christopher Square. It is not gourmet but the prices are excellent and the food is well worth the cheap price. There are three or four Italian restaurants on James Street. This is one of the first you will come to as you turn off of Oxford Street. It IS very small and the area is very busy on weekends so you may want to call ahead if you find yourself wanting a reasonably priced meal on a Friday or Saturday night. There is outside seating during the summer. You will be find yourself being very neighborly in the winter because the tables ore intimately close. I have eaten here several times. The first time I had pasta. It was thick, spicy and as good as most pastas I have tasted with the spicy tomato sauce. In London they believe in caliente when they advertise spicy. The last stop at Villa Richi I had a chicken with a mushroom sauce, vegetables and garlic potatoes. Every Italian restaurant I have tired in London serves a chicken breast that has been flattened and has a tiny bone at one end of the oval piece. You feel like you are getting a large portion of chicken. My chicken was served this way. The sauce had plenty of mushrooms and gave the chicken a good flavor. The vegetables were al dente and the potatoes were tasty. This is a good place to go if you are tired of sticker shock at most London dining establishments. 

NANDO’S

117 Glouster Road

www.nandos.com.uk

This chain is a favorite with the crews because it is very inexpensive and serves large portions of chicken and vegetables. I think you will like the preparation as it is a bit spicy and exotic. Don’t dress up as Nando’s is meant to be casual. You can check out the prices and the menu on line. The website will also note the many locations. If you want to save some money and have a “goodly” portion you might want to stop at one of the Nando’s near you.