The food in London is incredible! There is such a variety of cuisines to satisfy the foodie in you. I had a long list of restaurants and bakeries I wanted to visit, some we didn’t get to, but the ones we did were incredible! I’m sharing where I went, what I ordered, and my honest review.
Sweets & Caffeine
Maitre Choux || Paris-Brest Eclair, Red Love Eclair, Spanish Raspberry Pink Eclair, Early Grey Tea & Flat White
This spot is known for their delicious eclairs. Imagine my excitement when I found out the South Kensignton location as it was just a ten minute walk from our hotel! They have a larger location in Soho as well. We went here on our first night in London and it did not disappoint. I really enjoyed the Paris-Brest Eclair and Red Love Eclairs. I wanted to order one of each but my sister stopped me, something about not getting diabetes. But fear not, I will be back to try all the delicious flavors!
Crosstown Doughnuts || Vegan Blood Orange
My obsession of dounuts is no secret. Naturally I would find a doughnut shop to visit while I’m in London. I went to the Soho location which offers a variety of delicious flavored vegan doughnuts. I went with the seasonal vegan blood orange doughnut and it was really tasty. It was super light and very yummy. It doesn’t make my top list of doughnut places, but it gets an honorable mention.
Cutter & Squidge || Strawberry Pavlova Biskie, S’more Biskie, and Early Grey Tea
I found this adorable shop when looking of desserts in London. They are known for their Biskies, which are sandwiched desserts. They are absolutely delicious and extremely filling!! I wish I could have tried all the flavors. This is one place I would definitely go back to on my next trip to London.
Saint Aymes || 23K Gold Unicorn Latte and Lady Rose Tea
This cafe is located near Hyde Park. They are known for their 23K gold drinks (so extra!) but worth the splurge. I went with the Pink 23K Gold Unicorn Latte, about £7.45. It was rather delicious and I really enjoyed it! My mom and sister ordered a pot of Lady Rose tea which my mom became obsessed with. To the point where she asked to purchase a box of the tea!
Sketch Afternoon Tea || Classic Afternoon Tea
This place is a splurge for afternoon tea however we wanted to go somewhere extra and chose Sketch. The afternoon tea consists of 4 courses – tea, assorted finger sandwiches, scones, cake, and mini desserts. They have a variety of delicious teas and you can order as many as you want. We tried just about every tea there was – even matcha – and the verdict is still out on it. Our waiter was extremely nice and made sure all of our sandwiches were meat free and the desserts didn’t have any alcohol or lard in it. I do recommend making reservations way ahead of time and for earlier in the day. We got in around 11:30am and the Gallery was not completely full and were able to snap some photos and enjoy the quiet. Be sure to visit the eclectic bathroom while at Sketch – a mirror selfie is highly encouraged.
Peggy Porschen || Rhubarb & Custard Blossom Layer Cake, Carrot Cupcake, Orange Blossom Early Grey Tea
This was one of the last bakeries we went on our trip. The aesthetics of this place are definitely charming. My favorites were the blossom layer cake and the orange blossom earl grey tea. The rhubarb and custard cake was absolutely divine!! I finished every last bit of it. Thankfully it wasn’t super busy while we were there and we managed to get a table outside. I think everyone should visit Peggy while their in London, although I don’t know if I would go back every time I’m in London.
Breakfast
Elan Cafe || Acai Bowl, Grilled Ras el Hanout Chicken Breast Flat Bread, and Avocado on sourdough with Eggs
I went to the Brompton location for breakfast with my mam, sister, and nephew. We went there around 8:45am and managed to get the last table in the back room with the floral wall. Our waitress was telling us that normally there is a line outside and it gets busy super quick! Our food was absolutely delicious. The acai bowl was almost too pretty to eat! The chicken is halal here therefore my sister ordered the chicken flat bread and it was delicious. I was way to stuffed to order the croissant – which is the only thing I wanted! I will have to go back next time to try all the cakes and desserts.
Coppa Club || Porridge, Smashed Avocado Toast, Earl Grey Tea, and Flat White
The igloos at Coppa Club are absolutely wonderful. It’s all about the aesthetics. I checked for several days until a spot opened up online to reserve the igloos for breakfast. The food is good – it’s not out of the world – but it’s mostly about the location, views, and ambience. My mom and sister really wanted to try classic British porridge and they really enjoyed it. I went with a classic (or basic as some may say) Avocado toast. Surprisingly it wasn’t too expensive for the location. I do recommend making reservations well in advance! We had reservations for 9:30am and all the igloos were packed by 10:30am.
Lunch
Poppie’s Fish & Chips || 2 Large Traditional Cod Fish & Chips
You cannot go to London without having a classic Fish and Chips. I looked up a ton of places before deciding to go to Poppie’s for lunch. We went to the Soho location and really enjoyed our meal. We ordered the cod fish and it was very meaty and delicious!
HIPCHIPS || Savory Chips with Beetroot & Lemongrass Marmalade, Moroccan Yoghurt, and Jalapeno, Lime, & Coriander Dips
This place is more of a snack stop. It’s right next door to Poppie’s and I grabbed a take away box after lunch. I could kick myself for not getting a box of savory and sweet chips!! It was right after lunch therefore my family was fully stuffed. But as soon as we got back to the hotel this entire box got devoured. I will definitely be going back next time to try both savory and sweet chips along with all the dips.
Gymkhana || Potato Chat, Duck Egg Bhurji, Kesar Pista Chicken Chops, Kid Goat Keema, and Saffron & Pistachio Kulfi Falooda for dessert
My sister was adamant on getting Indian food while we were in London. I tasked her with finding the restaurant as she is obsessed with Indian food. She went with Gymkhana for two reasons – 1) it’s halal 2) it’s a Michelin star restaurant. They offer an incredible lunch menu, 2 course or 3 course. I went with a 3 course menu in order to try the saffron & pistachio kulfi falooda for dessert. Everything was absolutely delicious!! We were so stuffed after our meal that I had to nix the ice-cream shop we planned on going to afterward. I highly recommend making reservations in advance and having lunch at Gymkhana!
Big V London (Borough Market) || The Holy Smoke and Classic Facon Cheeseburger
There is so much food at Borough Market! At first it was a bit overwhelming to decided what to have for lunch, but then I came across these amazing and delicious burgers from Big V. We ordered 2 burgers and split it among the three of us. Honestly I should have ordered one and ate it all by myself – it was that good!!
Dinner
Rabbit || Mushroom Marmite Eclair, Endive, Carrot Hummus, Charred King Oyster Mushroom, Hand Dived Single King Scallop, Pan Roasted Gurnard, Baby Spring Vegetable Pappardelle, and Sticky Spatchock Quail
Since we were staying in Chelsea I wanted to find a few restaurants that were near (walk able) from our hotel so we wouldn’t have to go back out to other parts of London. I honestly found Rabbit restaurant my searching on google maps for restaurants near our hotel. I am so happy we went here because the food was incredible!! The restaurant is a farm to table concept and everything is tapas style and totally shareable plates. The food is incredible!! Every plate was tasty and I couldn’t get enough of it. I highly recommend making a reservation and trying this gem of restaurant when you are in London!
Hafez Resturant || Persian Food
While we were in London it was also Persian New Year. On the night of Persian New Year we went to a Persian restaurant to enjoy some traditional Persian food. I loved the ambience and decor of Hafez restaurant. The food was really good and the portions were great. I am biased toward Persian food in DC and Toronto as they are amazing and some of my favorites!! This place wasn’t bad but we mostly went because it was Persian New Year.
L’oud Des Euraise || Persian Grilled Lamb Cutlets and Barbaqued Ribs & Wings, Rendang Chicken Tikka with Olive Quinoa & Burnt Cucumber Cream and Honey Grilled Plum and Spice Poached Fig Served With Walnut and Halva Ice Cream for Dessert
This was another restaurant I found in the Chelsea area that was near our hotel. It’s a Lebanese fusion restaurant and the food is halal. The portions are huge – we ordered two entrees for the three of us. The food is extremely tasty and a blend of delicious flavors. It’s a very small and quaint restaurant but the food is incredible!!
Be sure to checkout my full itinerary post here and the most Instagrammable cafes in London blog post here!
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