London has some of the best food in Europe. We know that might be a controversial opinion, but hear us out. It’s not about traditional British cuisine, it’s about variety. There is nowhere else in Europe where you can walk from a Venezuelan arepa place to a Japanese ramen bar to a Neapolitan pizza restaurant, all within a few streets of each other, and have every single one of them actually be good. The international food scene in London is genuinely on another level and it’s one of our favourite things about the city.
These are the places we actually ate at, in no particular order.
The Black Pig, Borough Market
If you visit only one food stall at Borough Market, make it this one. The Black Pig does this wonderful creation, a slow-roasted pork sandwich, and it does it better than anything we’ve had in London. Slow-roasted pork, apple, honey, truffle, and crackling on top. The crackling is so crunchy it practically shatters when you bite into it. The whole thing is rich and sweet and savoury all at once and we stood there eating it just looking at each other, like what is this! The only downside is that we got one, for sharing, rookie mistake. Next time we’re getting two and that’s all we’ll need.
There will be a queue. It’s worth it. Trust us.
Indian Lounge, King’s Cross
We always end up at an Indian restaurant at some point on every trip, because butter chicken is one of those things we can eat anywhere in the world and still want more of. Indian Lounge near King’s Cross is where we ended up this time, and it was so great. We went for the butter chicken and the mango chicken with garlic naan, and that mango chicken in particular was something else. Sweet, spiced, completely different from anything we expected. We had it before in other countries tires but it’s always chicken with mango lassi. This was so tasty! Everything was so tasty and the prices are really reasonable for London, which is not something you say very often.
Arepa & Co Venezuelan Restaurant, Bethnal Green
This one is a bit out of the city centre, and we only ended up here because we were staying nearby. Completely worth it. We had no idea Venezuelan food was this good. Cachapas, tapiocas, everything freshly made and full of flavour. Cachapas are thick sweet corn pancakes usually filled with cheese, and they are the kind of thing you eat and immediately think “why have I never had this before.” Arepa & Co is the kind of place you’d never find if you were just sticking to the tourist trail, and it’s all the better for it. And the cheese, sauces, aahh, makes me wanna go back there.
Drury, Covent Garden
Brunch in London hits differently, and Drury is the reason we think that. The avocado toast here is almost perverse, thick sourdough, an amount of avocado that would make most European cafes faint, and bacon and poached eggs. Everything is fresh, everything is done properly, and the French toast is genuinely to die for. But the amount of that avocado? And the taste.
Texas Joe’s Slow Smoked Meats, Borough Market area
Brisket, cornbread, mac and cheese. Is it exactly Texas-style? Not quite. Is it still really good? Yes. The brisket is properly smoked, the cornbread is soft and buttery, and the mac and cheese was really nice as well. Definitely a spot worth checking out.
Nando’s
Okay, we have to include this one. Nando’s is a chain, yes. It’s technically fast food, kind of. But there is something about that peri-peri chicken that is just different from every other fast food place we’ve been to. The chicken is actually good. Like, real food good. You choose your heat level, anywhere from plain all the way up to extra hot, and the sauces, especially the herby one and the spicy one, are genuinely addictive. Then there are the sides: mac and cheese, corn on the cob, spiced rice, chips.
We don’t fully understand why Nando’s hits the way it does, maybe because it’s real chicken? So here’s our honest recommendation: if you’re tired, if you can’t decide where to eat, if it’s late and your brain has stopped working and there’s a Nando’s nearby, just go. You won’t regret it. When in doubt, Nando’s.
If you’re planning your trip and want to know where these places fit into your days, check out our itinerary guides:
- First Time in London? Here’s What You Actually Need to Do
- 3 Days in London: The Perfect Itinerary for First-Timers
- 5 Days in London: The Ultimate Itinerary for First-Timers
- London Photography Guide
London could genuinely fill an entire blog series just about food, and honestly, maybe it will. This is just where we started. But there is just so much you can eat in one day.
Until next time, be mesmerized 🧡
