
An American’s Guide to Eating in London
- Ali Dobbs
- Jun 23
- 9 min read
Sometimes when you’re traveling as an American, you can certainly feel a little bit like a fish out of water, especially when it comes to the culture surrounding food. We’re so used to a very specific way in which we choose our restaurants and consume our foods that it can take some getting used to when we go anywhere else. Even when visiting somewhere like London, that doesn’t seem like it would be so different from New York, it can be a little jarring to adjust. One of my favorite things to do while traveling is eat, so after a few trips to the UK I feel pretty comfortable sharing some tips to make it the most enjoyable experience possible.
Pubs

We ate at a pub for at least one meal per day during our trip, and I’m not exaggerating in the slightest. Here are a few things I learned about pubs in London:
One of a Kind? Mostly all of the pubs you’ll encounter are actually owned and operated by a select few larger food groups. Basically, larger corporate food groups take over what were likely once independently owned and operated pubs: Wetherspoon’s, Nicholson’s, Greene King, McMullen’s, and Fuller’s were the main ones we saw on our adventures. Pubs under the same ownership umbrella tend to have the same or very similar menus, which is great for picky eaters (Brian), but not as fun for foodies wanting to explore (me). Overall, it’s nice to know that you have consistency over a wide range of different places, but I much prefer the gamble of an actual hole-in-the-wall pub.
Food isn’t served past certain times in most pubs. It makes sense that after dinner hours are done, pubs would want to send food service staff home and allow their establishments to focus solely on the drinking crowd, but this was tricky for us to plan around because we typically like to eat later. Maybe that’s just the New Yorker in us, but we found we would go to sit down at a pub at 7pm and they would say they weren’t serving food anymore, so we would have to quickly find somewhere that was open to go eat dinner. Some pubs served food a little later (until 8pm), but this is good to keep in mind when planning your day.
If you want traditional Sunday Roast, go early. In the UK, Sunday Roast is a traditional meal served and eaten on – you guessed it – Sundays. Many pubs and local restaurants have their own versions of a Sunday roast on their menus, which is great for you to be able to try one while you’re in town! The bad news is that they’re very popular, and we tried multiple pubs for dinner that night and they were pretty much all sold out of Sunday roast. I would recommend trying to get it for lunch or brunch to make sure it doesn’t sell out!
Pub Recommendations:
The White Lion: right in Covent Garden, perfect for outdoor day drinking on a nice weekend (Nicholson’s)
The Nag’s Head: also right in Covent Garden, across the street from the White Lion (McMullens)
The Black Dog: Swifties will know…this one is not really close to anything and is way out in Vauxhall, but it’s independently owned and we loved our visit! Iconic and delicious and we had perfect patio weather. I recommend making a reservation for the weekend if you can!
The Greene Man: right outside the south end of Regent’s Park, we actually stopped in here a few times and enjoyed our food and drinks each time (The Greene King)
The Argyll Arms: in Soho/the West End, down a side street that has fun outdoor seating and lots of other restaurants. This was super central to where we were walking around the most (Nicholson’s)
The Anchor: on the south bank of the Thames, close to Borough Market, Shakespeare’s Globe, and more. A scene from the original Mission Impossible was filmed here! (The Greene King)
The Churchill Arms: this pub is usually plastered all over Pinterest and Instagram because the outside is usually decked out in seasonal decor – around Christmas the facade is literally covered in dozens of Christmas trees. I’ve gotten drinks here on previous trips, but we didn’t eat here on this trip because they had a Thai-inspired menu and that’s not really the vibe we wanted for dinner. It’s a great place to visit though! (Fuller’s)
The Bear and Staff: this became our favorite of the franchise pubs and we came back a few times. Located right outside Leicester Square in the heart of Soho, we passed this area a ton and luckily this location served food until 8pm! (Nicholson’s)
Old Thameside Inn: a very large indoor space and some seating outside right along the Thames, which is perfect for a nice warm summer day (Nicholson’s)
There are also a number of cool historic pubs along Fleet Street (yes, that Fleet Street) that date back hundreds of years. On trips past I made a little pub crawl out of them but this time we just stopped into one of the oldest, Ye Olde Chesire Cheese. It was built, burnt down, and rebuilt all before the US even became a country, and it’s so cool to head down to the dark cellar and grab a pint. I love learning the history of these spots and they’re really cool to check out!
The Old Bell Tavern
Ye Olde Chesire Cheese
Ye Olde Cock Tavern
The Old Bank of England
Ye Olde Mitre
Fish and Chips

The quintessential “British food” according to most Americans, some variation of deep-fried fish with a side of french fries can be found in most establishments in London, including the aforementioned pubs. However, from doing a lot of my own research to find the BEST fish and chips, I discovered that it’s not actually recommended to get them from a pub. Instead, it’s best to find a shop dedicated to fish and chips, which are also pretty plentiful in the busy areas of London.

In 2018, I found exactly one of those spots, and have now visited in 2019 and 2024, and it was probably my favorite meal during both trips. Golden Union is a pretty small storefront right in the heart of Soho, where you can get a variety of fried fish served up with some golden-brown chips. You can order at the counter for takeout, or wait for a table to sit and get service. Each time I’ve been, there’s been little to no wait for a table and the service was very quick. A great option for a delicious quick bite that feels super authentic. Can’t recommend this spot enough! (Brian and I went twice during the week we were visiting!)
Chinatown

If you’re a big fan of dim sum or Chinese food in general, you absolutely have to take a stroll through Chinatown. There are dozens and dozens of restaurants, takeout counters, and dessert shops, all serving deliciously authentic food. London’s Chinatown is probably one of the best I’ve seen, and I’ve been to quite a few throughout different cities in the US. One thing about me is that I absolutely love dumplings (especially soup dumplings), so of course I had to plan a little stop at some point.

As I said earlier, a lot of pubs stop serving food at a certain time, and being New Yorkers, we’re pretty used to eating late. Another great thing about Chinatown is that many of the places are open late and serving food until at least 10pm. So when we found ourselves out and about and wanting a snack at that hour, we decided to check it out. Brian is not usually one for Chinese cuisine, but he said he would try some if I was getting some, and so we ducked into the first place we found. It was easy and relatively cheap to order a few orders of dumplings to go, and we didn’t wait for more than 15 minutes for our order. Of course you can always opt to sit down for table service (I’ve also done that in London Chinatown and highly recommend it!), but due to the late hour and our desire for more of a quick snack than a full meal, we took our order to go and ate on a bench in Leicester Square. It was one of our favorite moments from the trip (and not just because Brian now likes dumplings which means dim sum is back on the table for takeout options at home!).
Street Food

Like any major city, there is an abundance of street food options everywhere you go. Whether you explore the food stalls at Borough Market, grab a quick bite in Camden Market, or stop for some snacks at a riverside popup on the Thames, you can never go wrong with being spontaneous and trying new things. It’s hard to give exact recommendations for something like this since there are just so many options, but I can say that while exploring anywhere, it’s always fun to explore the food scene in such a casual way. I did love the chocolate strawberries at Borough Market, but I also saw stalls offering the same thing in other areas of London and I’m not sure they would have tasted any different! It’s fine to go with the flow and eat for convenience or curiosity – or both!

We did a lot of strolling through the major parks of London (Regent’s Park, Hyde Park), and mid afternoon is what I like to call “Sweet Treat O’ Clock”, meaning Brian has to buy me a sweet treat to boost my morale (and quell my hangriness) if he wants to keep me from going back to the Airbnb and taking a nap. Luckily, there are so many little cafes and snack stands throughout these major parks that this was always easy enough to find. And let me just say that a stroll in the park is made way better by a cone of ice cream.
Cafes for the Aesthetic

For all of you that are like me and love a cafe with some cute aesthetics for the perfect instagram pic, I’ve got you covered. I visited most of these places during my winter time trips, so I can’t say for certain that they still get decked out for other seasons, but it’s a pretty safe bet.
EL&N: With multiple locations across the many neighborhoods of London, this cafe might be convenient to you wherever you may be in the city. They’re all adorably decorated with pinks and have some delicious pastries and other light food options!
Fait Maison: Back in 2019, I stopped in here for a quick bit of tea and pastries and absolutely loved the decor. Again, there are quite a few locations throughout London and all seem to be beautifully decorated.
Ralph’s Coffee: I’ve only ever been to the location on the Upper East Side in New York City, but I’ve seen countless influencers posting from the location on Bond Street, right across from the iconic Cartier storefront. The coffee is good, although overpriced, but I do love the simple and elegant vibes that Ralph Lauren brings.
Peggy Porschen: This is a bakery that has risen to fame largely thanks to its pink facade and knack for curating the most instagrammable exterior. I’ve also never visited this one, but if you go at “off” times, you can try to get a picture without too much fuss!
There are also numerous places to choose from if you want to experience an “official” high tea. One of the most famous (and therefore, most expensive) is at Harrod’s, but there are many others that are reasonably priced and still fabulous! I have never done an official high tea myself as I’m kind of picky when it comes to the food offerings, but I’ve heard so many great things from people who have chosen to do one!
Indian Cuisine

Another cuisine that is very popular in London is Indian. Chicken Tikka Masala is super popular, so much so that it’s even been said that it is the national dish of the UK! We love seeing cultures sharing food and recipes and it only makes these big cities even better! Brick Lane is said to be the best street to scout out an Indian meal, as this is an area where the curry houses are pretty densely packed. On past trips, a shop called Aladin Brick Lane was recommended to me, and it definitely did not disappoint. If you’re looking for a recommendation, I’d say try that one, but there are so many that you really can’t go wrong! Dishoom is also notably listed on many rec lists, and they have multiple locations that are definitely worth trying!
All this being said, there are literally way too many food options in London to list them all in one place, but this is a good jumping-off point for any Americans heading across the pond. Please don’t let this be a rigid set of rules and instead let this inspire you to try whatever your taste buds desire. A fancy sit-down dinner was not our style for this casual and adventurous trip, but if that’s your thing definitely look up some more romantic or upscale options! Maybe even find a Michelin star or two 🙂
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