Good food in London
 

Will be in London for a few days the beginning of May --- will be staying in the Earls Court area ---where would you suggest for us to eat - one likes beef,one likes fish and I like anything and everything ! Of course it can't be too expensive - budget is about $15.00 per meal per person

In London, that will not get you very far. You could certainly have a meal in pub, or takeway, or supermarket food, but don't expect to have a nice meal at that price in a fancy restaurant. Sometimes there are good lunch specials to be found.

LOL

Don't laugh but I flew to London from Boston alone in 1997 and for the first time in my entire life ate at Pizza Hut and Kentucky Fried Chicken because that was the only place I could afford! I have since found out that curry places are what I should have been checking out and buying picnic foods at Harrod's food court.

Sad but true --- London will be at the end of a long trip and I'm afraid that will be about what we can afford --
Perhaps a suggestion of some good pubs ???? Where they are --- maybe an address --- take pity on us and offer some suggestions !

I feel your pain, but seriously, you are not going to be able to eat in a pub in Central London for $15 per person.

Back again. Try Italian (!), Indian (!!), and Greek (!!!) to eat well on a budget. The English don't know how to cook and charge way too much.

Isn't Harrod a really, really expensive department store ???

Is it "that" Harrod - that you suggest we eat at ?????

You'll be able to eat cheaply by buying pre-made supermarket food (sandwiches, salads, etc) from places such as Tesco and Sainsbury. They're actually quite good. You can have a pub meal one night, then compensate the next night by having a Tesco picnic in your room...

Fish and chip takeaways are usually pretty cheap, as are kebab/curry takeaways.

Wander away from the tourist areas and explore the backstreets to find cheap eats, they're out there. Also look at TimeOut London for more suggestions.

Yes, it's "that" Harrod's and Harrod's take out can be quite reasonable and very good.

Do not even think of buying picnic food at Harrod's - unless you have won a major price in a lottery. It is good, but outragously expensive.

My suggestion: Take half of your meals from supermarkets - sandwiches, cold meat pies etc. - and the other half in inexpensive ethnic snack snack bars. And once or twice in a not-so-fancy-looking pub (but not in the banking district).

I have found this website helpful as it has menus and you can search by area
www.toptable.co.uk

Some others are london-eating.co.uk
londonrestaurantguide.com
www.coventgarden.uk.com/restrev.html

I am sure there are a lot of local places that aren't listed in any guides. I have asked this question and really didn't get much of a reply but plan on doing some looking as we are walking in different areas and look at the menus

Harrod's is a Department store. Beaupeep meant food halls have all sorts of prepared foods so you could put together a picnic. Very good - they are not cheap, but you could picnic for a good deal less than 15GBP pp.

Just about every large supermarket plus places like Marks & Spencer also have prepared foods for picnics/eating in your room.

But for an actual sit down meal w/ a drink of some sort and service - $15 is about the bottom of the barrel at only about 7GBP. Even just a sandwich and a soft drink will cost 5-7 GBP

Here is one other that I found helpful
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&...ear=London,+UK

You can change the category on top to pubs or a specific cuisine for a restaurant

You could have a very plain pizza, and just a pizza in most pizza/cheaper Italian restaurants, similar suggestion for a pasta dish.

However, if you want to come in on budget then a "meal deal" a McDonalds/Burger King/other fast food chain will come within budget. Somehow I doubt that this is what either of us would call "good food", but on such a tight budget it'll be hard to recommend anything else.

Indian food perhaps could come in at that price if you eat one dish, but then that isn't really how it works.

Buying takeaway food from a supermarket might be an idea, and if you have access to a microwave oven then you can even indulge in ready meals. As for buying things to eat in Harrods, you will get a sandwich and a biscuit if you are lucky, any suggestion of delicatessen food is a false economy.

How about eating cheaper in other places (where food costs less anyway) then spending more in London?

Yes, $15 may be hard to do. Here's my list from my trip in May 2005:

http://www.luvtotravel.homestead.com/Londondining.html

My best meal was at Brown's, but that was 12.50£. Cheapest was a sandwich at Pret a Manger for 3.30£.

Monica ((F))

I am headed to London this week. Recommended to me was The Table, near Borough food Market at 83 Soutwark St. South Bank. Described as offering Mediterranean inspired salads, pastas, bakes and garnishes.

Thanks for all you help - I think I'll start fasting ---- sounds like I better be ready to be HUNGRY --- but that is okay --- I really appreciate everyone's help !

My friend just read all the posts and she said "I wonder what they do to you in London if you eat a meal and --- don't have enough money to pay" ?

I just scoured my journals to see if we ever managed that cheaply in London. The two of us had a really good lunch upstairs at the famous Lamb and Flag Pub in Covent Garden. I had roast chicken with chips, Lee had cottage pie with chips and peas. He had a glass of wine, I had a beer (half pint). The TOTAL for the two of us was 15 pounds, so that is actually a little less than $15 each. And the food is good there.

We did a couple cheap lunches in Chinatown, and fish and chips at both Harry Ramsden, and Rock and Sole Plaice. Each of those meals came out with drinks between $15 and $20 (US) each. We also had hamburgers and fries (really good for both), a malt and a ginger beer at Hamburger Union for a total of 16.45 pounds for the two of us -- right at $15 each.

So it can be done.

Obviously you know you've got a very tight budget. If breakfast is included with your accommodations, fill up and skip lunch, getting at most a sandwich from a Tesco or Sainsbury's (cheaper than Pret a Manger). That will give you a little more money to play with at dinner.
It's not great food, but certainly edible: the Cafe Rouge chain offers good Prix Fixe values if you're willing to eat early (before 5 pm). £8 for two courses or £10 for three (if you've skipped lunch, you probably won't mind eating early).
www.caferouge.co.uk
You may find some pubs offering two for one specials, keep your eyes peeled for those.
One small chain restaurant group that we really like is Prezzo. Their rotisserie chicken is excellent as are the fries served with them (and yes, they say fries on the menu and not chips). Also quite good is their insalata livorno.
www.prezzoplc.co.uk

If you've got budgeted $15 pp budget for lunch and another $15 pp for dinner, you can skimp on one meal and actually do pretty well on the other (your choice as to whether you want a bigger lunch or bigger dinner). But if $15 pp is to cover lunch AND dinner, your meals will be very basic.

My favorite Indian cuisine, in Soho:

http://www.redfort.co.uk/welcome.htm

NeoPatrick, your list is making me hungry!

Here's a link to Time Out Cheap Eats' list of the thrifty fifty:
http://www.timeout.com/london/restau...res/173/2.html

You might want to check out Belgo Centraal at 50 Earlham St. in Covent Garden. While we were there over New Years they had a special with a few choices...we had the roast chicken, french fries, and apple compote (and I think some kind of vegetable) and a drink, a small beer...and the price we paid was the time we arrived. I think we got there at 5:45 so we paid 5 pounds 45 pence. I think the special went from 4:30 to 6:00pm...it's worth a look see. That would fall in your price range even with this terrible exchange rate right now.

To inject, possibly, a bit of humor the restaurant does exist and is 10 minute or so from Leicester Square. The late great Warren Zevon

"I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand
Walking through the streets of Soho in the rain
He was looking for a place called Lee Ho Fook's
Gonna get a big dish of beef chow mein

Aaoooooo!
Werewolves of London!
Aaoooooo! (Repeat) "

I've been to London several times, one time I was pretty much totally broke. I had a big breakfast at my b&b, then a sandwich mid afternoon..sandwich was about $5. Also would buy a huge bottle of water and fill up a smaller bottle in my hotel room. I'm not usually too hungry when I travel for some reason..you can buy bags of crisps and such for quite cheap.

My suggestion: many places have lunch specials--Indian restaurants often has specials for around 5gbp. I'd say do that for lunch, than grab a sandwich for dinner. You can get a decent meal in a pub for under 10 gbp.

I had a really excellent Indian meal at the YMCA for 7 GPB.

There's also a good convenience store in ther Earl's Court tube "mall" that sells great sambussas for 1.10 -- great snack.

Indian and other ethnic places can be just as expensive as European restaurants.

It must be the high rents.

But yeah, walking around, there were some lunch specials, even in tourist areas.

Marks and Spencer and other supermarkets had a lot of takeaway foods which looked decent. The salads were good, better than the stuff available at Whole Foods.

If you stay in an apartment or some place with kitchen, then you could also get some meals which require heating. Not frozen, just refridgerated but you'd have to heat before eating.

IIRC, fish and chips seem to be like 8 pounds everywhere.

I've had this list awhile so not sure if it's still of value. Things free or almost free to see and do.
Have fun!

http://www.londonfreelist.com/home.asp

Try wetherspoons pubs, i'm not sure exactly where they areon in Lond, but they'll do edible pub food for about £6-8. They usually do 2 for 1 offers too(well they do around the country so i'm sure they do in London too)

Carluccio's is an Italian chain of cafes that is cheap(ish) and cheerful. Pastas are in the $14-20 range. Things like bread are extra (that's how they keep it relatively cheap). It's buzzy and stylish, locations abound. Definitely on my list of less expensive eats.

Pret a manger has great sandwiches. Look for a chain of bakeries called Maison Blanc for good baguette sandwiches.

Neal's Yard for cheese - they'll give you multiple samples. Could be good for a free snack, lol.

Brick Lane is sure to have some cheap Indian fare. Chinatown is another excellent suggestion.

Marks and Spencers has salads as well as sandwiches, and a whole array of heat-and-eat foods, if you have access to a microwave.

Also, near the King's Road in Chelsea, one of my favorite low-key establishments: The Chelsea Bun. Good for a HUGE brekkie, cheap prices too.

I'll second Carluccio's but do check out Wagamama.

www.wagamama.com/

There isn't a wetherspoons in Earls Ct but the Courtfield is pretty much the same thing. Pubwise Earl's Ct is a bit pants. Apart from the Courtfield which is cheap - and a bit nasty - most of the other pubs are overpriced chains.

There is however one gem -= The Kings Head down Hogarth St, which may very well be the best pub in London. It sells excellent food - although it would be out of your budget (mains are about £8-10).

Also in Hogarth St are quite a few cheap chinese and curry places, as well as a little group of philipino places. I've no idea what they're like - sorry.

There is also a wine bar and french bistro that does a set meal that might just about fit your budget. Also there is a hotel (no idea what it's called it's opposite the Best Western) that has a restaurant that does pretty good indian food.

Churchill Arms Pub (near Notting Hill Gate tube station) Thai food for 6 GBP We love the pad thai. Sometimes we share 3 orders for 4 people.

This isn't what you would call a meal but since I won't eat most foods my lunch usually consists of a small bottle of wine and a bag of crisps or a brownie or something basic off the cafe menu at the museums or churches that we visit everyday.
My husband eats the real food in the cafe. I think I usually spend $3-4 on my lunch.

There is a small chain called the Stockpot - where you can eat a good meal inexpeinsively. Google for locations - there is one near Harrods for example.

Nandos are good value - periperi 1/4 chicken meal (with 2 side orders) plus a soft drink is in your budget.

Try Stockpot. It a chain of dinner style restaurants. Cheap hot food very quickly served. service can be a pit off but you pays you money..... I go with a team mate from work and get a 2 course meal for about £15.00
http://www.allinlondon.co.uk/restaur...aurant-491.php

I second travelgirl on the Churchill Arms. We loved the Thai food, and I think almost everything was 6 - 8 GBP. It's a fun atmosphere as well.

Tudorprincess I fear that your prices are out of date. A glass of wine in most museum cafés - which are notoriously pricey for what they are anyway - will cost around 4GBP so to get some sort of "nibble" with it will set you back most probably in the region of 5-6GBP.