Picadilly Circus Restaurants
 

Are there any good restaurants in or around London's Picadilly Circus area? Places that the locals could enjoy as opposed to the tourist traps? Any price range is okay. Thank you!

First remember that virtually everyone in the various Fortnums eateries is either a Londoner (of whatever nationality) or a Gloucestershire matron up for a day of patronising tradesmen.

But the simple answer is Chinatown. Eat three times a day there (even black pudding + bubble in a greasy spoon doesn't quite match a good congee for breakfast) and you can't go wrong.

The Wolsey next door to The Ritz and a "cousin" of The Ivy, simple food served around the clock in stylish surroundings.

Caviar House - a place suitable only for foreign executives on an expense account.

Jermyn St. has some delightfully old fashioned eateries, explore, indulge. The same advice for St James's too.

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Two or three blocks down Haymarket from Picadilly Circus is a branch of Wagamama frequented by locals and tourists.

Right around the Trocadero building on the Lecister Square side of Picadilly Circus is a branch of Yo! Sushi. I guess one would consider that touristy.

Across from the Regents Palace Hotel is an even better sushi conveyor belt operation where you see a lot of Japanese people called Kulu Kulu.

Le Caprice, close to the Ritz (same owners as the Ivy, same sort of menu)

Quaglino's, off Jermyn Street; a large brasserie-style restaurant (have the passion fruit pavlova for dessert).

The Criterion, right on Piccadilly; there will be tourists there, but it's quite a beautiful place.

L'Oranger, St James Street; excellent, romantic French restaurant.

Wilton's in Jermyn Street; very old-fashioned, very English, very expensive. I haven't been to this one, but am told that you need a jacket/tie.

I would avoid Quaglino's. Terrible value and we had poor food when we were there last year. Liked it alot quite a few years ago but for us it seems to gone way down hill.

The Atlantic Bar and Grill on nearby Glasshouse is great. I found the Criterion just a few steps from Picadilly to be very bright despite good food and service, but many rave about it on all accounts.
I agree about Chinatown.

Which reminds me of a story:

Before Fodors, I used to do a lot of trip research for restaurants on Chowhound.com. There are many Londoners on the International Board there, and they were really talking up a certain restuarant in Chinatown, and the special Shanghai menu there.

Of course we went. The special Shanghai menu was pretty expensive (can't remember the price, but it was high) but I had read so much about it, that I thought it would be worth orderintg. We did.

Out came the first course of beautifully presented cold pig's offal and worse. There were knuckles, and penises, and eyelids and toe-jams (well, that last is an exaggeration, but not much of one). These were all artfully sliced, dyed lovely colors and put together with some sort of gelatinuous substance. We tried to eat them, but they tasted worse than anything I'd ever tried before.

Next came a soup, and I use the word loosely, that consisted of broth that had pieces of chicken intestines, nicely tied in knots, mind you, and a chicken penis floating in it. Yummy. Not.

Course after course of this stuff kept coming at us. Fortunately, we were both in a good mood, and we just laughed and groaned over every taste. By the time we were brought the "Lion's Head" my husband said he was sure that it was indeed a part of a real lion's head.

So Chinatown for sure, but be sure you know where you're going, and what you're getting into!

My thanks to everyone for all the great input. The story from Tuscanlifeedit was a hoot! My best girlfriend is a Hong Kong born American and I've experienced quite a few of her cultural delicacies that test even my adventuresome palate.

For a special (i.e. expensive) meal, the Lindsay House in Romilly Street - see www.lindsayhouse.co.uk. I think it has varied between 1 and 2 Michelin stars. It's in a tall thin 1740s townhouse & spread out over several floors - almost like being in a private house, and quite an experience.