cp

Now that I'm not in my 20's anymore, I'm finding that the beer diet I used as fuel on past trips to Europe doesn't work so well anymore.<BR><BR>My question is really about eating on the go while I'm in London. So far I've been pointed to cafes at the Tate Modern and St Martin in the Field. Will there be a lot of different places where I can get a salad or a plate of pasta (or both) and not have it run 15 pounds? <BR><BR>Do other museums have recommendable cafes?<BR><BR>Do I need to bring power bars?

c

There were more than enough cafes, sandwich shops and don't forget Pubs! you can eat as little as you like in a pub- I seem to remember a place called Valerie Pattiserie and Pret a Manger...great places for sandwiches or more.Look into the Wren Cafe at the St James Church, they have great cafeteria style lunches, lots of food,not expensive at all.Also the St Martins in the Fields Cafe in the Crypt...much more fun than it sounds

Patrick

Pret a manger is very popular with locals. They replentish salads, sandwiches, and even fresh sushi hourly. A clerk at one told me that everything left over each day is delivered to "the poor and homeless" each afternoon and everything is fresh the next morning. Surprisingly good -- a far cry from what 7-11 offers in the US! Pizza Express is all over the place, and in addition to their pizzas you can get very good, inexpensive pastas in a hurry.

KenCT

Just to clarify.... From the previous posts, you might assume that Pret a Manger is one restaurant, as I did when noted the recommendation before my trip last year. It is a huge international chain and there's one on just about every corner in London, and there are even a few in New York. I read someplace that they're owned by McDonald's, but the food is in a whole different league.

janis

Pret a manger is the best "fast food". Very good, fresh, unusual sandwiches to eat in or take out - great for a spur of the moment picnic in a park. They are EVERYWHERE.<BR><BR>My favorite museum/gallery restaurants: Up-scale Italian cafe in the Nat'l Gallery overlooking Trafalgar square.<BR><BR>Rest/cafe on the top floor of the Nat'l Portrait Gallery - rooftop views towards Big Ben<BR><BR>Cafe in the V&A - good food. Go there immediately after entering the museum. Using the free museum map/guide and sit a while to plan your visit.<BR><BR>Any of the three cafes (two casual one expensive) in the Great Court at the British Museum. Wonderful architecture and people watching.<BR><BR>And the two restaurants at the Globe Theatre - greta views over the river.

janis

Where did "greta" come from. That is GREAT views.<BR><BR>(Oh, I wish there was an edit / modify feature - but I guess that would require registration/passwords.)

c

janis, I like the greta views~<BR>better than just plain great~c

egg

Pret a Manger is not owned by MacDonalds although to everyone's dismay they have bought a share in the company. Pret try to treat their workers fairly, use fresh ingredients etc. The revolting MacDonalds have realised that their chain is considered very down-market in the UK. If people want a snack they prefer sandwiches.

washingtonian

My husband took power bars to London and was glad he did. He needs a snack every couple of hours or he gets grumpy and the bars really do the trick when you don't want to spend time tracking down a decent cheap place to eat.

tom

OH My Gawd! Someone has to resort to Power Bars when there is a pub on every corner and hundreds and hundreds of places to get a good quick bite. Sure, a sawdust power bar is better than eating real food.<BR><BR>Did he also take his favorite cereal and beer with him?

washingtonian

Powerbars are pretty good these days...they have definitely improved. We don't do pubs or beer and usually have the included breakfast at the hotel. I would never force anyone to eat a powerbar at gunpoint or anything, but I repeat they are a quick, easy, healthy, convenient, accessible snack while traveling. My opinion (and hubby's), not yours. that's fine.

tom

washingtonian - why on earth do you "not do pubs"? You do realize one doesn't need to drink to "do a pub"? Some of the best and cheapest meals in the UK are found in pubs. Teetotalers enjoy pubs just as much as drinkers. They are a major part of the experience - I feel sorry for you.<BR><BR>

Dale

Hi: Assuming that you're travelling in the warm weather, why not nip into a local Spar grocery store or a Boots Chemists, grab a sandwich, a drink and a piece of cheese, and head for a quiet little spot and eat in style? What could be any better, or quicker, than sitting on a bench and people-watch in London? Failing that, I think most of the museums have some kind of eateries and are usually pretty good. Oh, and by all means, take some bars with you. I did, and they sure taste good when you need something to tide you over until you can stop for a full meal. Have fun,<BR>Dale

Q.P.

When I'm visiting London I start the day with a hot breakfast (usually at the B&B) and thereafter pretty much live on ready-made sandwiches, interspersed with fruit and cheese. A lot of the pub grub, I find, is too greasy to eat very often; it doesn't set well on my stomach. And, y'know, I always take my favorite granola bars along when I travel anywhere, too, because there are many times when you're stuck somewhere waiting in line, or don't want to stop and look for something to buy, and a handy, relatively healthy snack like that is just what you need. I keep a small store of them in the bookbag I carry everywhere, along with a water bottle.<BR><BR> I always have to make a little money go a long way when I travel, and this eating plan has worked well for me, and allowed me budgetary room to splurge now and then on a good restaurant. One fun thing for an American about the sandwiches at Pret a Manger and elsewhere is that so many of them are interestingly different than you'd usually find in the States. Over the past few visits to Britain I've actually acquired a taste for sandwich fillings like tuna with sweetcorn And the varieties of crisps (i.e., potato chips) to go with them are astoundingly diverse!<BR><BR>Q.P.<BR><BR>p.s. I also like little cafes like the ones you mention at St Martin in the Field. For instance, there's a nice one at the British Library, if your rambles take you that way--nothing special, just a cheap and pleasant place. In Bloomsbury, near the British Museum, you can find a good meal for very little at the cafeteria in the basement of the School of Oriental and African Studies.

Ellen

One problem with pubs I've seen is that they permit smoking and I come away coughing and stinky, and the smell clings to my clothes all day. Yuck!

washingtonian

That's the main problem for me too, Ellen.

cp

Thanks all for the great info, I really appreciate it.<BR><BR>I don't actually eat power bars, they are yucky. Truth be told, I use the GU™ packets because they hit my system quicker,don't upset my stomach, and taste like paste instead of cardboard. <BR><BR>So, uhm, errr... what exactly *IS* pub food. Most of the food that I eat falls under what I call Italifornia style. I draw the line at organ meats, blood and brain products, so I won't be having any kidney pie or black sausages. These are the kind of things that I associate with pub food. So what do they serve as food in pubs?

janis

co - you will have to go far to find black pudding/blood sausage. It is there but you'll seldom see it on a menu. As for pub food? Take your pick. Pubs offer everything from Ploughman's lunches (Bread, good cheese, Branston Pickle, fruit and sometimes lettuce/tomato to Steak pie (with and without your hated kidneys), fish and chips, pasta, salads, cottage pie, all kinds of curries, etc. <BR><BR>Just abour something for everyone (except touchy Americans who expect everyone to stop smoking if they give a dirty look)

janis

Thet's cp (o and p keys are TOO close together)

Ruth

Also, esp. at weekends, pubs will often do roast beef and yorkshire pudding at lunchtime. <BR><BR>Really it depends on the pub - some will have nothing but microwaved lasagne and day-old sandwiches - others will have some of the best home style cooking.