Travel bucket list idea:
London, United Kingdom (UK)
Bucket List Experience
British food has undergone a revolution in the last twenty years; high-profile chefs such as Mark Hix and Fergus Henderson have sparked a culinary revival, with traditional flavours and dishes reinvented with contemporary techniques and ingredients.
Rich gravies and jus characterise many meat dishes; tangy with blackcurrants, red wine and handfuls of sage and marjoram, while strongly-flavoured hard cheeses – most notably Cheddar – flavour many vegetable and pasta dishes.
Bread remains a national passion; good bakers can be found everywhere, with chewy sourdough, fluffy white ‘bloomers’ and sugar-coated doughnuts (filled with raspberry jam) classic favourites. Traditional British desserts are sweet and treacley, while cakes are often rich with dried fruit.
The new wave of cooking in London is known as ‘Modern British’; hearty meat dishes – lamb shanks, casseroles, steaks and pies. For something lighter, bar snacks are a great British tradition; many pubs offer small plates of pork crackling, Scotch eggs (egg wrapped in sausagemeat and breadcrumbs) or sausage rolls. Streetfood is everywhere in London, but nothing beats hot chips, wrapped in paper, drenched in vinegar and salt.
Don’t miss a hearty pub roast on a Sunday – usually beef and Yorkshire puddings, lamb or chicken, and save room for a classic dessert; treacle tart or sticky toffee pudding. And of course, London invented the traditional afternoon tea, which must be experienced in one of London’s most elegant settings.
Street food is everywhere in London, but nothing beats hot chips, wrapped in paper, drenched in vinegar and salt.
Also see our round-up of traditional English foods you must try in England.
London’s culinary scene has undergone a massive reinvention over the last two decades, with Michelin stars peppering the capital, and a street-food revolution offering quick, cheap eats from every corner of the planet.
For upscale, old-school dining, Corbyn and King’s clutch of restaurants – The Wolseley, Zedel and the Delaunay, among others – are an expensive treat, while Rules – the oldest restaurant in London – has old-fashioned glamour in spades.
Gastropubs – classic pubs offering upscale dining – are a great place to try classic British dishes in an informal setting. Several streetfood markets dot the capital, from the South Bank, by the National Theatre, to Berwick Street in Soho and Boxpark in Shoreditch.
London, United Kingdom (UK)
Bucket List Experience
Experience
Introduced by the Duchess of Bedford in 1840 to stave off hunger until dinner, afternoon tea is one of England’s greatest traditions – and there is no better way to experience it than in one of London’s historic, grand dame hotels.
Adult price: 20
Good for age: 13+
Duration: 1-3 hours
London, United Kingdom (UK)
Experience
This 103-year-old, Richard Corrigan-led restaurant offers a shuckingly good selection of oysters and British seafood. At Champagne-fuelled morning sessions, long-serving staff give expert lessons in the art of oyster-opening.
Good for age: 18+
London, United Kingdom (UK)
Bucket List Experience
Experience
London’s premier gastro hub, with over 100 stalls in a historic covered market, offering everything from artisan breads and cheeses to street food, hand-made chocolates and vegan cakes.
Good for age: 13+
London, United Kingdom (UK)
Experience
A London lane once lined with 16th century brick kilns is now home to curry houses serving world-class Indian food, from tender Bengali lamb dishes to Balti, curry and beyond, plus some standout bars, clubs, bagel shops and smoked meat joints.
Good for age: 18+
Duration: Any
London, United Kingdom (UK)
Experience
Among the new wave of noodle bars, bubble tea outfits and Korean grills, some grand Cantonese restaurants remain, along with such stellar supermarkets as Loon Fung, a Gerrard Street stalwart since 1965.
Good for age: 18+
London, United Kingdom (UK)
Experience
The Soho bar largely responsible for making gin cool again is home to 100 varieties of new era ‘mother’s ruin’, including tasting flights all served in a fittingly Victorian setting.
Good for age: 18+
London, United Kingdom (UK)
Experience
Great little foodie market filled with upscale food stalls, squeezed into an alleyway alongside and under converted railway arches beneath Tower Bridge. Open all year round on weekends.
Good for age: 18+
London, United Kingdom (UK)
Experience
The best British burgers, pizzas, tacos and wine from vendors at this industrial-look, indoor-outdoor food market.
Good for age: 18+
London, United Kingdom (UK)
Experience
A Covent Garden cheese hub since the 1970s, and a Borough Market pioneer in the 1990s, Neal’s Yard continues to offer a stupendous choice of cheeses supporting specialist makers across the UK and Ireland.
Good for age: 18+
London, United Kingdom (UK)
Experience
Since 2012, Street Feast has transformed some of London’s derelict spaces into buzzing food markets with stands selling everything from high-concept gelato to tacos, Taiwanese buns and all manner of craft libations.
Good for age: 18+
London, United Kingdom (UK)
Experience
An annual four-day feast of all things foodie, held in East London’s Tobacco Dock, with hundreds of stalls, tastings, talks and demonstrations by some of the country’s best-known chefs.
Adult price: 17
Good for age: 18+
Duration: 4 days
When: 3rd week June
Freq: annually
London, United Kingdom (UK)
Experience
A hugely characterful cluster of subterranean bars and rooms, a pint at London’s oldest pub in the historic publishing hub of Fleet Street, takes you back to the 1660s.
Good for age: 18+
Although London has a reputation as an expensive city, it’s possible to eat well and affordably almost anywhere if you do your research. Soho’s small grid of streets if choc-full of every type of eaterie, from Thai to Turkish, while the quiet side streets around Covent Garden also have a good mix of affordable – and upscale – restaurants.
Chinatown is a great option for Asian food, while Brick Lane – in the East End of London – is the place for curries of all kinds. For quick and easy street food, the new chain of Market Halls brings together a handful of food stands in one place, along with a bar and seating.
Upscale areas like Knightsbridge, Kensington and Mayfair are home to a high proportion of Michelin-starred restaurants, many in five-star hotels.
Reservations are essential for most of London’s upscale restaurants – most operate two-hour time slots, if you want to relax and sit for longer, book for 8 or later.
A new breed of simpler restaurants – particularly in Soho and Borough Market – have a no-reservations policy, meaning queueing is part of the evening. Arrive early to just walk in (before six) or go for a late lunch.
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Destination guides including or relevant to this experience
Greater London, United Kingdom (UK)
Destination guide
World-class culture, fashion, music, food and history – and a mind-boggling array of bucket list experiences – packed into one extraordinary, incomparable destination.