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10 child-friendly restaurants in London’s West End

OpenTable November 28, 2019 Leave a Comment

Looking for somewhere to dine out with your little ones? We’ve rounded up some of the best child-friendly restaurants in London’s West End, perfect for foodies of all ages.

Maxwell’s
American food is always a winner when it comes to satisfying the taste buds of your kids, so why not head to Maxwell’s and enjoy scrumptious burgers and fries? Kids can dine for £7.95, including an indulgent dessert, while stressed-out mums and dads enjoy a well-deserved cocktail. Just make sure to take your kids on a long walk around Covent Garden Piazza afterwards so they can get rid of that sugar high!

Inamo
If sitting still for an hour or two simply is not an option, look no further than Inamo. The pan-Asian restaurants are equipped with an interactive table ordering system which means your menu is projected onto your table surface by space-age pods. Your children can help you choose a virtual tablecloth, play a game of Battleships together, or watch the chefs in action on chef-cam. They’ll be glued to the table while you enjoy dishes like black pepper beef and chilli tofu.

Ichibuns
This ‘Japanese super diner’ in the heart of Chinatown is a whole lotta fun. Kids will love the quirky interiors, from the manga comics on the walls to the Japanese masks on the ceiling. Embrace the Tokyo vibes with dishes like chicken karaage, prawn gyoza, and udon noodles in a slurpable soy-dashi broth. There’s a kid-friendly meal deal, too – a mini cheeseburger with fries, a mochi ball, and a drink for £7.50.

Tredwells
If your children are into delicious food as much as you are, then head to Covent Garden and treat the entire family to a meal at Marcus Wareing’s modern British restaurant, Tredwells. With specially crafted ‘Junior’ and ‘Culinary Kids’ menus available all year round, it’s guaranteed to impress. Your little foodies will love the salted caramel soft serve and mint and apple fizz mocktails.

Benihana
If you have little adventurers by your side, why not take them to a Japanese teppanyaki restaurant where dishes are cooked on a hot plate right in front of you? The special ninja kids’ menu features dishes like teriyaki chicken and juicy tiger prawns, served with rice, veggies, soup, and cucumber rolls.

Heddon Street Kitchen
If you’re up for treating the entire family, we recommend booking a table at Gordon Ramsay’s Heddon Street Kitchen just off Regent Street. Adults will be treated to high-class cooking and little ones eat free from Tilly’s Treats menu. They’re even invited to build their own dessert from the restaurant’s ice cream bar. A culinary jackpot for the entire family!

Fortnum & Mason The Parlour
Fortnum & Mason is a top spot for traditional British afternoon tea, but any little ice-cream lovers in your family will wax lyrical about their sundaes, too. In fact, their ice-cream offerings have made quite a name for themselves. Try their Knickerbocker Glory, piled high with fruit, raspberry coulis, whipped cream, and Italian meringue.

Shake Shack
We have to hand it to them – Americans know how to make some of the best burgers, fries and milkshakes. Cult restaurant Shake Shack has made its way across the pond to bring gourmet fast food to London. Your little ones will be well catered for with their classic Shack burger, crinkle fries, and thick and creamy milkshakes. You can even bring your dog, as Shake Shack offers delicious treats for four-legged family members, too.

Bubba Gump Shrimp Company
Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. is a tribute to the film Forrest Gump and the menu is full of comfort food classics from the American South. For just £6.95, kids can tuck into popcorn shrimp, mac ‘n’ cheese, and fish and chips, followed by a build-your-own sundae. It’s the ideal place to refuel after a day of sightseeing around Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus.

Rossopomodoro
We’ve always known that our European neighbours were great at treating kids the right way and Rossopomodoro is no exception. This Italian restaurant group, which has several branches across the city, treats its little visitors like kings and queens. Expect Italian soul food – from pasta dishes to authentic Neapolitan pizza – and lots of love for your family on top.

For more family-friendly dining inspiration, browse our list of child-friendly restaurants in London or check out these restaurants where kids eat free.

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Tried and tested: 10 of London’s oldest restaurants

OpenTable November 25, 2019 Leave a Comment

Several of London’s restaurants have been around for a hundred years. Sometimes, even, two hundred or more. But being of a certain vintage has only got them so far – these ten, in one way or another, still hold up well or go far beyond modern standards.

Quality Chop House
QCH recently celebrated its 150th birthday. The church-like pews and chequered floor tiles of this butcher-restaurant are evidence of its age, but that’s about it – the impeccable sourcing, the famous confit potatoes, and the New World wines are more forward-thinking than they are traditional.

Rules
Out of all London restaurants, Rules has been going the longest – since 1798, in fact. Often first on a tourist’s agenda as a result, this doesn’t seem to affect its place in the heart of London locals. Maybe that has something to do with the British favourites all in fine form – including shepherd’s pie, steak and kidney pudding, and steamed sponge with custard.

Quo Vadis
At Quo Vadis, more than 90 years old, much-adored chef Jeremy Lee is running an old business on young legs from breakfast through to dinner, with plenty of smoked eel sandwiches in between. If it’s comfort food you’re after, the pie of the day is sure to hit the spot.

Mon Plaisir
Name a critic who hasn’t said something good about Mon Plasir. Having been going since the 1940s, much of the interior hasn’t changed since. The menu meanwhile promises the best of France outside of it – beef tartare, moules mariniére, rabbit with mustard sauce, and coq au vin, among others.

L’Escargot
Mon Plasir has made a few headlines for being London’s oldest French restaurant, but L’Escargot may have something to say about that. The Soho institution, which has 15 or so years on Mon Plaisir, has been winning over the restaurant crowd with garlic parsley butter snails (once farmed in the cellar) since 1927.

Wiltons
Wiltons became a restaurant business in 1840. Evolving from a shellfish-mongers, the tradition still very much stands with oysters, molluscs, lobsters, and caviar taking up a large proportion of the menu.

Simpsons in the Strand
With 191 years of experience behind them, Simpsons specialises in classic British cooking and superb Sunday roast. It might not be cheap, but their dry aged Scottish beef – carved tableside on silver trollies – is worth every penny.

Veeraswamy
At 93 years young, Veeraswamy is London’s oldest Indian restaurant. It still out-does many of its juniors, not with an Anglo-Indian approach (perhaps unsurprisingly) but with influences from the streets of Punjab, Kashmir, and Goa.

The Savoy Grill
If it’s star-spotting or a taste of history you’re after, The Savoy Grill will undoubtedly deliver. At this nothing short of iconic restaurant, Gordon Ramsay has been careful not to tinker too much with the old classics – expect British dishes with a bit of French thrown in. For special occasions, the beef Wellington (for two to share) is a real showstopper.

Sweetings
Many things change in 130 years, but Sweetings isn’t one of them. A City institution that serves fish pie, sticky toffee pudding, and is open at lunch only – that’s the way things have always been, and always will be.

This is a guest post from freelance food journalist Hugh Thomas. He’s contributed to Foodism, Time Out, Great British Chefs, and is part of British Street Food’s small team of vigilant writers. Find him on twitter @hughwrites.

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10 of the best London restaurants for Christmas parties

OpenTable November 8, 2019

Traditional or left field, private or inclusive, cost-effective or on the company account – as long as food and drink’s involved, a Christmas party in London can be anything you like.

Swan at Shakespeare’s Globe
Next door to the Globe Theatre, the Swan is in a prime location with views over the river towards St Paul’s. The modern British menu offers something for every occasion, from breakfasts and roasts to afternoon tea inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The restaurant’s five private rooms range from the intimate (14 covers) to the more inclusive (350).

Big Easy Canary Wharf
Probably your best bet if looking for a budget-friendly crowd-pleaser, Big Easy’s enormous all-American menu is made for feeding large groups. The Captain’s Table, a striking event space designed to look a ship’s wood panelled dining room, is one of London’s best kept secrets.

The Pig and Butcher
For the authentic Christmas experience, no one does it quite so well as Islington gastropub The Pig and Butcher. The farmhouse kitchen-inspired private dining room, complete with an Aga and wood-burning stove, is like a trip to the country without leaving the city. The menu makes the experience, though: palate-tuners like cheese straws and pork crackling with apple sauce set the stage for braised beef with bone marrow and smoked bacon; whole suckling pig; or free-range turkey.

Launceston Place
Launceston Place proudly has one of the UK’s most promising chefs in Ben Murphy, previously of The Woodford. Groups can be accommodated in the elegant interconnecting dining rooms or at the Chef’s Table where up to 12 guests can enjoy a bespoke menu created by Murphy.

The Lighterman
Situated on Granary Square, The Lighterman can accommodate all sorts of parties, from festive team lunches to drinks and canapé receptions. Here you’ll find some of the best views over Regent’s Canal, and excellent British-inspired food to boot. The three-course Christmas menu (£50pp) is reassuringly reflective of the winter season, with dishes like venison loin, Jerusalem artichoke and wild mushroom tart, and clementine chocolate brownie on offer.

Market Halls West End
London’s hottest food hall is set to open just off Oxford Street on November 15th. It will be the city’s biggest, set to feature 11 traders already lighting up London, including BaoziInn, Super Tacos (a Breddo’s offshoot), and plant-based maestros CookDaily. Christmas party bookings are available for up to 350 guests.

The Ivy Soho Brasserie
The Ivy’s most central branch, right in the middle of Soho, is perfect for parties and can accommodate up to 40 guests in The Blake Room. Given how much the brand respects the calendar, and famously have an eye for the aesthetic, you can be sure The Ivy will go all out for Christmas.

Caravan City
Another restaurant that will suit most tastes, Caravan’s culinary inspirations are global rather than specific. The mini-chain is also famous for its brunches, so if kicking off the festivities in the late morning is the order of day, then you’re in the right place. Their City branch, in the Bloomberg Arcade, has a semi-private mezzanine area that’s worth keeping in mind for parties and team lunches.

Tramshed
As the bill of fare demonstrates, there’s two things you should know about Tramshed: steak and chicken. Long banquet tables make this a prime spot for larger parties, while artwork by Damien Hirst provides talking points. The mezzanine area offers semi-private dining with a view, while the chef’s table in Mark’s Kitchen Library is ideal for smaller gatherings of up to 12 people.

Inamo Covent Garden
With interactive tabletops dishing up retro games and live chef cam feeds, ‘ordinary’ isn’t a word that enters Inamo’s vocabulary. If you don’t fancy turkey, their pan-Asian menu might hit the spot with dishes like miso salmon and sizzling black pepper beef. The Onyx Room at their Covent Garden restaurant is fitted out with huge screens and gaming consoles – ideal for after-dinner gaming or karaoke.

Find Christmas party venues in your area on OpenTable.

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Veg out: 6 top spots for vegan comfort food in London

OpenTable November 4, 2019

Can’t face another kale salad? Get your vegan comfort food fix at these London restaurants serving plant-based pies, burgers, and more.

Genesis
If you need to carb load before a night out in Shoreditch, this vegan diner is an excellent choice. The menu is 100% plant based and covers all the comfort food bases, from burgers and tacos to wings and nachos. Don’t miss the Mayan hot dog topped with guac, sour cream, tomatillo sauce, and pico de gallo. Messy to eat but totally worth it.

Young Vegans
Say goodbye to steak and kidney and hello to seitan at this vegan pie and mash bar in Camden Market. They’ve given the classic dish a modern makeover with fillings like chik’n parmigiana, katsu curry, and steak and ale (made with seitan marinated in a rich dark ale). On a cold day, the combination of flaky pastry and hot gravy is hard to beat.

Mooshies
Serving some of the best vegan burgers in town, this casual Brick Lane spot has been a hit with the locals since 2016. Expect graffiti-covered walls, homemade sauces, and hand-crafted burgers on vegan brioche buns. Choose from classics like the Fillet-Om-Phish, the Pulled Mooshie (slow-cooked BBQ jackfruit), or What’s Your Beef – a black bean-quinoa patty topped with caramelised onions, vegan cheese, salad, and their signature burger sauce.

Biff’s Jack Shack
Promising ‘the world’s filthiest, most indulgent vegan junk food’, Biff’s is famous for its crispy fried jackfruit burgers and wings. But the fun doesn’t stop there – think loaded fries, homemade ‘bacunnaise’, and London’s only vegan poutine. Find them at BrewDog Dalston and Eat 17 in Walthamstow.

Wild Food Café
Look beyond the salads and juices and you’ll find plenty of opportunities for indulgence at this raw-centric restaurant in Islington. Buffalo cauli wings, for example, or a creamy wild mushroom pizza from their wood-fired oven. Craving a burger? Try the Samurai – an olive, wild mushroom and pepper patty topped with aubergine, kimchi, wasabi aioli, and teriyaki sauce. Just be sure to save room for a slice of their Insta-famous rainbow cheesecake.

The Spread Eagle
With an all-vegan drinks list and Club Mexicana in the kitchen, The Spread Eagle ticks all the boxes for a good night out. After a couple of smoked pineapple Cosmopolitans, get stuck into beer-battered tofish tacos, fully loaded nachos, or a Club Mex cheeseburger with tempeh ‘bacon’.

Still hungry? Head to Temple of Seitan for some fried chick’n, grab a plant-based pizza at Purezza, or check out our list of vegan-friendly restaurants in London.

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