Thanksgiving in London - restaurant recommendation
 

We (family of 4, kids 15 & 10) will be in London for Thanksgiving. We would like to dine at restaurant where we can get dressed up and the food and service is great for thanksgiving. We prefer it not be American food. We don't want any trendy places, where celebs go unless the food is great. We are hoping to make our special meal (and most expensive meal) during our stay. Any recommendations?

For a wonderful, traditional "special occasion" dress up meal, I would suggest either Simpson's in the Strand, or Rule's.

It would be helpful if you can give us food preference (do you like simple/classic or more compex/ fusion-style?) and a general budget range.

Having said that, my suggestions are Brown's nr Covent Garden, Mews of Mayfair, or Smith of Smithfield (upstairs for more posh setting). Rules is also a good choice, esp if you like games though a bit more expensive, say GBP60 per person with wine. If the weather is good, the Terrace near Holland Park is lovely.

Simpson's in the Strand is VERY traditional - think like what someone's grandmother - or greatgrandmother served. The last time some one took me there the wait staff had an average age of about 80.

The food is certainly edible- but I wouldn;t put it any higher than that. It certainly is interesting in terms of giving an idea of what London was like in the 1950's.

The above post is also spot on for Rules - museum dining.

What sort of thing do you like, and what's your budget?

You could try Butlers Restaurant, located inside the Chesterfield Hotel in Mayfair.

We went there (coincidently) last Thanksgiving and had a wonderful meal. Excellent service too.

http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/l...ers-restaurant

Last year, when in London alone for Thanksgiving, I had a long lunch at Zuma, a top Japanese restaurant in Knightsbridge, near Harrod's.

The food was terrific, service was good, I enjoyed the experience and it was a fun, if nontraditional Thanksgiving.

They have lots of small plates which would be good for kids. A mix of sushi and cooked food.

It is trendy and not cheap spot, but the food is worth the £££. I've seen celebs there on occasion, but not every time.

www.zumarestaurant.com some reviews here:
http://www.london-eating.co.uk/2642.htm

Another option is The Wolseley, which has a good menu with both plain and more adventurous options. A little less expensive than Zuma. You can dress up if you like, but nice casual is fine. It's also more child friendly

www.thewolseley.com

reviews: http://www.london-eating.co.uk/3771.htm

Thank you all for responding. To be more specific...compex/fusion-style but not too far out there. Our favorite restaurant is Gary Dankos in San Francisco. My kids watch the food channel and thus love cooking and trying different dishes. We like Indian, Thai, Japanese, Middle eastern, typical meat and potatoe as well.

It does sound like Rules may be a bit too "traditional" for them. We are looking for somewhere trendy and yet the food is good. I just did not want to go t a restaurant where it's trendy and the food and service is lousy. Budget: 45-55GBP per person (we don't drink.

Thanks again.

Right. You gave me better ideas. All the places I recommended earlier may be a tad on a conservative/classic side for your taste. I can think of Arbutus in Soho (fusion, a tad on carnivore side, I'd go for a la carte than much-cheaper but limited-choice pre-theatre) or the Ivy (their Private Room has set menu in the range of GBP50-70).

It's lunch rather than dinner at your budget, but I recommend Maze, a Gordon Ramsay's restaurant at Grosvenor Square near US embassy. They have a lunch "tasting-menu"--something like 6-8 courses (each dish is small). Good fusion, I found the service discrete albeit a tad on a slow side (for a business lunch, that is). About GBP50 per head without wine. The original Gordon ramsay's at Claridge's has a 3-course set lunch for less than that.