CampbellSoup, if you have read the above posts you will see that your big mistake was that you went to a couple of the most OVERPRICED places in London. You could have been in a nice pub or restaurant and had far better food for less money than going to MacDonalds and Garfunkels.

Just got back from London last week. We ate mostly at chain restaurants such as the ASK (by Victoria Station)where the prices for food were no different from what we pay in Canada. A pasta dish was 7-8 GBP and at home we pay CAN$14 at Boston Pizza. Their pizzas were priced similiar.

Had a nice greek dinner of mezedes at the Real Greek in Bankside by the Thames and it was very reasonable, even the Amstel beer was cheaper than at home.

Where you could pay more would be for the special drinks or desserts (had a great dessert at Garfunkels but it wasn't cheap).

I guess the food budget could be trimmed by an occasional meal from Pret a mange or Tesco as the amount of ready made sandwiches (and other food)is amazing.

And it pays to shop, most restaurants post their menus at the door so it's easy to compare prices.

It very much depends on where you want to eat.

But, as an example, the US chains (Fridays etc) charge about double what they do in the US. So - you can search and dine inexpensively - but expect everything to cost much more than even in NYC.

flanneruk

Yes, it can be ridiculous - esp for an American from a small town. first they have to deal with the pound being worth $2, then they have to deal with food in a big city costing more than in a small town.

So - people thinking they can get a whole blue plate special (salad and main course and bread and coffee) for $10 - or 5 pounds - are in for a shock.

Reuters UK: 9/12/2007: London Restaurants are the World's Priciest, surpassing Tokyo and Paris:

http://uk.reuters.com/article/domest...e=domesticNews

There are restaurants to fit every budget. London is full of ethnic restaurants that are very reasonably priced. Pub meals are also easier on the budget, and a great way to have a chat with some locals. They'll be happy to recommend some places to eat. If you want to eat in some better restaurants, try having your main meal for lunch... definately easier on the wallet. There are lots of places to grab a quick sandwich, or soup that are quite inexpensive. The museums have cafes as well.

ATTENTION ALESKA
REad you response. Intersted in Taking my 16 year old grandson to London for Xmas. Where did you stay? Was the location good? Any suggestions greatly appeciated [email protected]

We found lunches in the pubs to be a little less expensive than other places. We also went to Selfridge's and got makings for picnic lunches~the picnic we had overlooking the cliffs of Dover was spectacular! We found sodas to be outrageously priced, so we drank water~healthier for us anyway! As most of the replies state, you can pay a fortune in London at some of the restaurants, just like you can in any big city in the states.

ShirleyT, we used Priceline to snag 2 rooms in Kensington at the Holiday Inn. We got a terrific deal. In Paris, we didn't care for the quartier layouts and were afraid to bid for fear of getting a bad location. We paid less for 2 rooms at a 4* in London than 1 room nightly in London. Perfect location, a 2 minute walk from the Gloucester Rd. tube station. Consult http://p070.ezboard.com/bpricelineandexpediabidding for bidding advice. Good Luck!

Makes that 2 rooms less in London than in Paris, sorry.

In Jan 07 we ran across a cozy Singaporean/Malaysian restaurant in Soho, reasonably priced, excellant food, very friendly. Can't find the card right now but it was off the diagonal street that runs thru Soho (that same night there was a small riot a few blocks away because one of the Prince's g/fs (Kate?) was having dinner a few blocks away).

No sooner said before I found the card--
Melati at 30 St. Peter Street (between Berwick and Wardour, not far from the Piccadily Circus tube station). they have a website--www.melati-restaurant.co.uk

We like to eat at the West End Kitchen on Panton Street. It's between Haymarket & Leicester Square. They have a set price meal for about 5-7 GBP not including drink as well as individual choices.

Maybe the official Visit London website can offer some good advice:
http://www.visitlondon.com/attractions/eat/value-eats

Since my travels to London and my --probably bit weird -- interests often take me to places outside of the inner city (which I would "define" to be the part enclosed by the Circle Line), I did not find eating out that expensive.

As many others have also said, I usually focus on:

> Street Food, Ethnic Food (Southbank, East London, West Kensington/Earls Court, whereever)
> Pub Meals
> Museum Cafeterias (In my weird mindset, I always found it okay to spend money there, when in return you get to see awesome museum collections for free)
> Take-away sandwiches from any supermarket for a lunch in one of the parks, the Heath, in Greenwich, whereever..

I have a different take on London than others who have posted. I led 6 students on a four country tour this past summer and London was the most expensive city to eat in. Period. By far. Having been to Paris and Rome many times, I never thought the Euro would be a bargain.

I'm not trying to be contentious but the line of reasoning that argues that London isn't any more expensive than New York City doesn't seem valid to me. Or at least its not particularly valid for the 293 million Americans that don't live and eat in New York City.

I can only afford to travel if I am frugal about what I eat and where I sleep. London is a bit of a shock to a traveler like me.

Incidentally, I don't know if any of you have heard of the "Big Mac Index," which the Economists publishes. It's a cost of living index which uses the price of a Big Mac as its "currency." Try

http://tinyurl.com/35xzvf

sshepard, I'm not sure whom you are disagreeing with. I feel that most here agree London is very expensive. Some posts were tips here to keep it from being simply prohibitive. I didn't see anyone suggesting that other cities in Europe aren't cheaper. Pretty much everyone (I think) agrees that London is the most expensive city in Europe -- if not one of the most expensive in the world.

The comment about New York DOES apply to you IF you go to New York. Of course if you don't go to New York then it makes no difference if prices there are high or not, but the point was mainly that really major cities like New York and London generally DO have higher costs (but the point was also made that with searching, both also have bargains to be found). Even then the NYC comparison was mainly made, I think, to show that London is not TWICE as expensive for food as a city like New York, although it might be for a more rural town or city in the US.

ditto what NeoPatrick said. London and New York are useful to compare since both are the major city in Europe and N America respectively.

Of course London will seem extremely expensive to someone who has never been to New York.

I think most of us have heard of the Big Mac index - it is mentioned on here a couple of times a week at least. But it really isn't a totally valid index for a lot of cities - London included. McDonalds is about the cheapest place to eat in the States, but other types of food may be cheaper in other countries.

If all one wants to eat are big macs/fries - then yes. But if one wants the best budget options, an MickeyD's is probably not going to be the cheapest.

Thanks for the insight. Immediately after I posted I realized that my wording was wrong in that others weren't saying London was a bargain but they were saying that you could get by there if you knew what you were doing. Unfortunately, I did know where to find the dining bargains. Maybe next time.

I don't eat at McDonalds back home, though I did in London once because I was on a budget and I found it cheaper than the other places in the neighborhood. Call me irresponsible. . .

Is London twice as expensive as other big cities in Europe? No. Is it more expensive than Paris and Rome? I think so. But I don't think than many here would disagree with this.

Regardless of the expense, I think London is a "must see." The way the American dollar is going these days, I think it will be quite a while before London (and the rest of Europe) is cheaper. So you should go now. And try to avoid American fast food chains. :-)

..

Check out the book Europe on a Shoestring for some very reasonable prices. It has been an excellent source for my upcoming europe trip.