London offers a very wide variety of food spots. There is something for everyone, so it depends on what you are looking for. Below are some food spots that are my favourites and I think are a must for every visitor!
P.S. writing this post made me hungry. Do not read with an empty stomach!
1. Bao Borough
This little cafeteria-like looking place may surprise you. Hidden away next to Borough market, this place offers Bao buns with a twist.
They are delicious, and come with many different fillings. For example, the chicken nugget bao and the curry cheese bao.
But the most fun part is that it is not just Baos they offer. The 40 day aged beef with rice and an egg in the middle is a must try.
Tip: when going here try to be aware of the price. My friend and I didn’t look at a price and ended up paying £60 each. But definitely worth it!
Location: 13 Stoney St, London SE1 9AD
Price range: ££
To try: Classic bao, chicken nugget bao, cold smokes aubergine PANKO Bao, 40 Day Aged beef, Taipei Butter Rice
Website: https://baolondon.com/restaurant/bao-borough/
2. La Mia Mamma
This Sicilian restaurant is by far my favourite Italian restaurant in London. It opened recently on King’s Road and has always been full since.
It feels very authentic, with waiters who are dressed in traditional italian dress. It really feels like you are a guest in someone’s home in Italy, which is reinforced by the authentic and fresh taste of the pasta.
Location: 257 King’s Rd, Chelsea, London SW3 5EL
Price range: ££
To try: Bigoli cacio e pepe, Paccheri alla Genovese, Tartare di salmone con avocado, stracciatella e mandorle.
Website: https://www.lamiamamma.co.uk/
3. Meat mission
Meat Mission is a place which is difficult not to love and not to crave all. The. Time.
The burgers are great, with their special ‘dead hippie’ sauce. But the monkey fingers are to die for. In case you are unaware, these are chicken strips covered in a vinegary, slightly spicy and delicious sauce. Trust me that when you try these once, you will keep going back to Meat Mission just to have the monkey fingers again. It is love at first bite.
Location: 5 Hoxton Market, Hackney, London N1 6HG
Price range: £
To try: Cheeseburger, Dead Hippie, Monkey Fingers
Website: https://meatliquor.com/restaurant/meatmission/
4. Cinquecento
This Neapolitan pizza restaurant opened recently. It is located just off King’s road, but offers some spectacular pizzas which I have never personally had anywhere else in London.
Tired of Margherita? The thing I love the most about this restaurant is the choice. You could come here every day and try a different pizza, you could be coming here for a while!
My favourite is Romagnola, which comes with burrata, mortadella and a pesto base. If you love these two things then this pizza will be your heaven.
Otherwise, they also offer other very good pizzas for all tastes. For example, the Tartufata has mushroom and truffle oil and does not mean that you overdose on cheese.
Location: 1 Cale St, Chelsea, London SW3 3QT
Price range: ££
To try: Romagnola, Tartufata, Bufala
Website: https://www.cinquecentopizzeria.com/
5. Din tai Fung
This list wouldn’t exist without Din tai Fung. This restaurant is a world-renowned Taiwanese restaurant. It is a chain all around the world and offers the most amazing xiao long baos. It is very difficult to get in without a queue but it is worth it every single time.
The restaurant itself looks like a huge cafeteria. As you walk in, you can see all the chefs hand wrapping the dumplings individually and makes the whole experience a lot more authentic.
Other than the dumplings, some other mouth watering food items that I would recommend getting here is the Dan Dan noodles with the peanut sauce and the pork or chicken steamed buns.
For dessert, the Red bean Xiao Long Baos with chocolate lava are a MUST. When you see the warm chocolate spilling out of a dumpling, you will know exactly what I am talking about.
In this restaurant, you are guaranteed to walk away with a full belly and a very happy face.
Location: 5 Henrietta St, Covent Garden, London WC2E 8PT
Price range: ££
To try: Pork Xiao Long Bao, Chicken Steamed buns, Dan Dan peanut Noodles
Website: https://www.dintaifung-uk.com/
6. Florentine
Florentine is one of those places which not many people know about, but I have had some of the best food experiences here. Normally this is a nice brunch cafe, tucked away on a side street near Westminster Bridge Road. They serve some great eggs benedict and very fresh orange juice.
Otherwise, they have some very cool things such as the 5kg TRUFFLE burger for £55.
As intimidating as it sounds, it’s very fun to try it with friends. When they bring a humongous burger for you to eat, all you are going to be doing for the rest of the week is bragging about how you ate a 5kg burger.
Not only is it big, but it is also very delicious. Just look at the cheese coming out!!!
Speaking of big foods, another massive thing that Florentine offers is an ostrich egg. This is not just an ordinary egg, because it is unusually big, and can feed up to 5 people.
The egg is served with an English breakfast fry up and some rosemary break, which you can dip into the yolk and enjoy the unusual taste of the ostric egg!
Location: 6 Hercules Rd, Bishop’s, London SE1 7DU
Price range: ££
To try: The 2.2 kg burger, Ostrich Egg, Eggs benedict
Website: http://florentinerestaurant.co.uk/
