poncho513

Could anyone please offer any suggestions on economical restaurants in London?

We had heard that "The Bridge", "The Stockpot", "Le Metro" and "Porter's English Restaurant" were good choices.

I'd appreciate any comments or suggestions as this is our first trip to London.

Also, is Kensington Palace worth visiting or would Windsor Castle be a better choice? We probably only have enough time to visit one of them.

How difficult is it to travel on the tube with luggage? We will likely each have a large suitcase (on wheels) and a carry-on bag. At least we won't be arriving or departing during peak times.

Thanks so much,
Erin

elaine

Hi
Kensington Palace is in town, there's usually a royal costume exhibit of some sort being presented, and you get to see some former royal rooms, primarily associated with Queen Victoria. It's also next to Kensington Gardens, nice for a stroll, or for afternoon tea in the Orangery.

Windsor Castle is much more imposing, much larger, but a daytrip out. (well,half to 2/3 of a day, anyway) There is a self-guided tour of some very impressive state rooms that were renovated after the fire a few years ago. There is a daily changing of the guard ceremony, and additional attractions like Queen Mary's Doll House, and a town to walk through.

You don't say how many days you will have. If only a few, perhaps wait until after you've spent a couple of days in London to decide how you want to spend your remaining days.

I have a long file on London; if you'd like to see it, email me at
[email protected]

Patty

What type of food do you like?

Robespierre

I have traveled with rollaround luggage on the Tube with up to 4 family members without ever encountering the slightest difficulty.

Sometimes we found the escalators out of order, but never failed to find an elevator.

Kate_W

First, a question: How many of you are there and why are you going to have such large suitcases? How long are you travelling for? Unless you're travelling for more than a few weeks and either a) coping with different seasons, b) packing athletic gear, or c) packing baby/toddler stuff, you should be able to get by with a 22" wheelie each. See the other threads recently posted packing light. Travelling with large suitcases on public transportation, especially if you are moving around much (your post doesn't indicate if London is your only stop) is a major hassle.

Answers to your questions: I think that Hardens has an online guide to London restaurants that includes a section on budget options. You have to register but access to some of the data is free. www.hardens.com Specific suggestions would include: a) Pizza Express (a chain, but one that generally has attractive rooms and interesting pizzas), and b) Wagamama (a mini-chain with Asian options, served at large communal tables - fun. Don't forget to consider buying lunch items in the department and grocery stores (lots of fresh items like salads, soups, sandwiches, treats) and then picknicking. Expensive in comparison to preparing it yourself but cheap compared to restaurants.

bettyk

What do you consider "budget"? Last year, we ate at several restaurants in the Victoria Station area where we stayed for under or around 10 GPB per person: The Duke of York (upstairs), Pizza Express and Bella Pasta. The food was quite good. We also had a very nice lunch at the Red Lion Pub (upstairs) on Parliament Road for about the same price.

We took the tube from Heathrow into Victoria Station with our luggage (a 22" rollaround plus carryon bag) and found out that there are NO elevators or escalators to the street level from the tube platform at Victoria Station. I did not enjoy schlepping my luggage up several flights of stairs!

smacknmo

Depending on how many of you are travelling you may want to consider a transfer from the airport to your hotel/flat. Try Justairports.com for an online estimate. I just paid £24 to go from Heathrow to Westminster and I paid £19 for the return. To me it is well worth it if you are taking the tube during the rush hour. If you are sharing the cost with the rest of the people in your party it is cheaper than the Heathrow Express. The tube is the most economical but can be difficult with luggage depending on your destination and whether you have to switch lines. The point about escalators that may not work is another consideration.
I love town of Windsor and the castle but if you are pressed for time I would do Kensington this trip. You will lose time getting to Windsor. That way you could do Kensington and still have alot of time to see other sites in London that day. If you do Windsor you probably would spend the entire day there. Can't go wrong with either choice.
You don't say where you are from but for us food is expensive since we are from the USA and the dollar is terrible. A hamburger and fries that would be £10.99 becomes a $22 hamburger for us. We like Pizza express and pubs. The way we tried to save $ was to buy some of our lunches at a Marks and Spencer convenience store. They have salads and sandwiches/wraps already made up and 3 of us could have a sandwich and drink for £20-22. If you have any suggestions when you get back let us all know b/c I am open for any to save $ on food. I am going back late April so i plan to do picnics in the parks. Good luck and enjoy your trip!

smacknmo

Sorry for the format but when I previewed my reply I DID indent each paragraph. Don't know why it came out the way it did, I know it is difficult to read.

jpie

If you get tired of English food, try Wagamama's. Here is a link to the locations in London:

http://www.wagamama.com/wayto/index.php

It is a really fun not too expensive Asian fusion style restaurant.

obxgirl

If you only have enough time to visit one I'd make it Windsor. IMHO, Kensington pales in comparison and interest with the exception of the gardens. Windsor (and town) can be done in as little as half a day or (obviously) more if you choose.

If you haven't, do a search on budget and London and restaurants and you'll see this topic has come up before. Lots of good and recent info.

yk

If you like ethnic food:
I recently ate at Wagamama (japanese noodle house) £20 for 2 for lunch
And Malaysia Kopi Tiam (9 Wardour Street) in Chinatown £18 for 2 for dinner.

hlocke1

I would also recommend Wagamama. They're all over the city, the setting is interesting, and the food delish (try the yaki soba!). Have fun!

Nigello

Try STRADA restaurants, which do fantastic pizzas in stylish surroundings. You can get a wood-fired pizza with a drink for about £7.50 before 7pm. Belgo is good also for mussels and chips (fries). Stockpot is also good.
If you require daytime food, try the supermarkets for sandwiches. Marks and Spencer, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Boots, Benjys (sorry, the lack of apostrophe is their mistake). $2.50 or so for a good sandwich - much better than their US equivalents. Eat a big breakfast at your hotel, take some fruit and you shouldn't have to splash out too much.

poncho513

Thanks for all the suggestions/advice.

In answer to some of the questions posted...
There are 2 of us travelling (my husband and myself). We arrive on a Monday morning and depart on the Friday afternoon. So we have 3 full days. I guess our suitcases aren't huge but perhaps we could get away with one suitcase between the 2 of us. and maybe a garment bag. Although I'm not a light packer. Also, we are from Ottawa Canada and enjoy all kinds of food. I appreciate all the restuarant suggestions.
We arrive at Gatwick Airport and plan to take the Gatwick Express to Victoria Station -- then take the Vic line up to finsbury (?) and get on the picadilly line to Arnos Grove Station. I've been on the london tube site and their journey planner is excellent.

Patty

As mentioned earlier, Belgo is good if you like mussels. It's an especially good deal for their lunch and early dinner specials. See www.belgo-restaurants.com for locations and menu.

Another place we really liked was Sofra which serves Turkish/Mediterranean food. Their 11 hot and cold mezes menu is perfect for 2 to share, served in small portions tapas style. Several locations www.sofra.co.uk - a bit more upscale than the communal style Belgo or Wagamama. Dinner here will cost about 30-40 GBP for 2 including a couple of glasses of wine.

JAKCruiser

I would suggest that you verify that there are elevators or escalators at each tube location. We made a BIG mistake last time in London by taking the tube from Paddington to Victoria. We were shocked when we found out there were no elevators or escalators at either location.We each had one roller bag but getting them up the long flight of stairs at each location about killed our backs.