My son and his girlfriend are passing through London this Wednesday on their way to the US from Uganda. They've pretty much eaten rice, beans and chicken, and Indian food for the last 6 months. It would be so helpful if someone could recommend some less expensive restaurants in touristy areas of London. They'll only be there one night (staying at Heathrow, but they'll have all afternoon and evening to spend in London proper). They're young and don't have a lot of money (but we'd be willing to chip in).

Thanks in advance! (P.S. I did a search and found what seemed like some interesting suggestions, but the threads were from 2000 and earlier).

Followup - is there a website like menupages or yelp (or opentable) for London?

Well, depending on where they'll be and what they like to eat:

La Porchetta (pizza, several locations)
Wagamama (noodles, several locations)
Belgo Centraal (mussels, frites, etc)
Pizza Express (everywhere)

You can always use some fast food joints like Wimpy's
http://www.wimpy.uk.com/

I guess I should be a little clearer - area of town isn't an issue, since they have no particular plans (and only have about 7 or 8 hours -- both of them have been in London previously, though). They're definitely not looking for fast food of the Wimpy's/MacDonald's variety. Pizza in a nicer restaurant might be fine (not something like Pizza Express). So, sit-down restaurant, decent food, not terribly upscale/expensive. Thanks again.

My favorite "quick" yet quintessentially London restaurant is Dionysius at the corner of Tottenham and Oxford.

Best doners in the West End (after the demise of Gig's , and a decent Greek menu.
Here's a weblink for you:
http://www.londoneats.com/search/com...staurantID=576
Spend the time having a quick bite and enjoying the scenery nearby.

Best, Dave

I like Dionysus at the corner of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court. There's a takeaway side, but the restaurant side is nice but not formal. Last time I got a chicken doner with salad and chips, probably around £8; I can't remember what else they had on the menu, but the doner was good! Wagamama is great, I think, but it sounds like they're looking for nicer, more sit-down experience, so the cafeteria-style seating may not be the right atmosphere. It is inexpensive, good food, though.

Oh, that's funny - Dave and I were posting at the same time! Great minds, I guess.

How about taking them into the restaurant/food area of Harrod's? The pizza place looks interesting, especially since the chefs sing opera while working (though I confess I haven't eaten the food at any of the places).

Wagamama's gets mixed reviews in this forum, but we thought it was OK, especially the one on the river.

Dionysus sounds great - I'll suggest it. Actually, they may like the food court at Harrod's (it's where my son was introduced to Indian food about 10 years ago), so I'll remind them of that, too. And I'll tell them about Wagamama's in case they decide they'd rather spend their few hours in London wandering around rather than eating (they'll have 2-1/2 weeks in the US to eat whatever they want before they return to Uganda). Thanks.

I would suggest a branch of Strada or ASK, both moderate priced (for London) Italian chains. You can get a plate of pasta for about 8 or 9 pounds. Food is quite good, Strada is slightly better quality. There is one close to the London Eye, along the Thames, that could be good.
www.strada.co.uk

Also check www.squaremeal.co.uk and www.toptable.co.uk for restaurants by location and cuisine.

Kay

Giraffe is good, with a nice range of options too.

http://www.giraffe.net/

Giraffe is excellent for breakfasts as they have a lot more choice than most places but I found their lunch/dinner menu a bit limited.
Kay

Carluccio's is another decent Italian place that's not terribly expensive. I usually always hit it once every trip to London.

Ate at Navajo Joe's (Covent Garden) and really enjoyed it. Not too expensive either & very good food.

Not sure what your definition of "moderate priced" means...

I'd recommend Belgo Centraal in Covent Garden. I had dinner there back in Sept - had 1 beer, an excellent mussels pot entree, and a dessert. Total was £23. I got to share a table with actor Brendan Fraser, so that was priceless!

you've got lots of good suggestions so far. But not quite sure why you say &quot;<i>not something like Pizza Express</i>&quot;

Pizza Express is actually fairly upscale - not like a Domino's or cheap pizza joint in the States.

here is an example of their menu http://www.pizzaexpress.com/MainMenu.pdf

Some locations:
85 Victoria Street,

25 Millbank,

450 Strand,

Royal Festival Hall - The White House,

26 Panton House - near Haymarket

80-81 St Martin's Lane,

Janis, you're right, I too quickly dismissed Pizza Express. I know you're from the Bay Area -- would you say it's something like Amici's?

I'm actually from near Sacramento and the only Amici's I've been to is the one on Lombard Street. So I don't know if they are all similar - but yes Pizza Express is sorta-kinda like Amici's. But PE is maybe a bit more &quot;dinner house-ish&quot; if that makes sense.

There's a great Greek restaurant just around the corner on a little side street from the British Museum called 'Konaki', at 5 Koptic Street.

A 3-course dinner can run as low as 12gbp per person. For 50gbp total, they could eat like kings plus share a bottle of wine. This is an independent, family owned restaurant. The food is excellent, and the atmosphere is friendly and old-fashioned.

My sister took us there to eat; she first heard of this restaurant on the recommendation of acquaintances at the British Museum. Apparently it is popular with museum workers, though the night we went it was full of young professional types. This place is not listed in any guidebook that I know of, and they don't have a website, but if you google it a few British restaurant review websites pop up.

There is actually a Pizza Express right across the street from Konaki-we ate there another night, and paid far more money than we did at Konaki, for very mediocre food. Pizza Express is really popular but I can't say I like it.

...the address is actually 5 Coptic Street, not Koptic...