London: British Museum
 

I'm planning to spend a long afternoon here and was considering a stop at a pub or even dinner in the area before going back to the hotel.

I've heard the new Great Court stays open after the museum closes and has several restaurants. Would appreciate feedback:

from folks who have eaten or had a drink here or know of good places in the local area. I'm open to all kinds of food suggestions, including Thai, Indian and North African.

on your favorite section(s) of the museum and other visit tips

From all your threads it looks like you are going to take the time to explore more of the less visited places. Of course, "less visited" does not apply to the British Museum. The great court is fantastic - some of the most interesting B&W photos I have ever taken were in the court. (You can get almost the same effect using color film since the court is stark white and the shadow patterns are black).

It does stay open long after the exhibit halls close. There is a posher restaurant up on the top mezanine, a couple of casual cafes elsewhere. Have only eaten in the cafe and the food was good and the people watching was great. I've tried to eat in the restaurant but once there was some sort of glitch and the opening was delayed and another time it was very busy.

Even if you don't eat there, it is an amazing space and you should explore it and the reading room. There are other places to eat within the museum which have good food too. That is great about London museum/galleries -- many have really good restaurants.

janis, thanks for all the feedback. It really shows that you love London.

And I thought I was the only person who still liked to take B&W photos. London must be a great venue for it.

You're welcome. Yes - I always take some B&W film in London (Paris too). The results are amazing.

ttt

I loved the look and feel of the Great Court and had a pretty good snack in one of the restaurants.

Anybody else like the Great Court or have eaten there?

Other than being one of the great architectural triumphs of the 20th century the Great Court doesn't have much to recommend it. The Reading Room it encloses is absolutely stunning. Obviously, I didn't like it.

My only experience with the Court Restaurant was the palpitations of my heart when I studied the menu prices.
Settled for the lunch counter on the back wall.

jsmith, my heart has skipped a beat or two at some menu prices before. The hard trick is to remain calm and act like nothing really looks good. Whining about the high cost is bad form.

Had friend once who was eating rather high on the hog on his trip until he realized the exchange rate was not 1 to 1. The stunned look on his face was priceless!

We had lunch at the restaurant at the top of the Great Court. It was quite good, but a bit expensive. I would say eating there depends on your budget. If you can afford to eat there without worrying about the price you're spending, by all means enjoy a meal there. If a meal there would be your one big splurge then I would probably spend my money elsewhere.

KathrynT:"If you can afford to eat there without worrying about the price you're spending, by all means enjoy a meal there."

I wish this was my situation. One splurge per trip is usually my limit. Thanks for the warning.