If you’re an avid foodie visiting London for the first time, you may be wondering what kind of culinary experiences the city has to offer. While it’s true that the region’s signature dishes consist of well-known English recipes like fish and chips, Yorkshire pudding, shepherd’s pie, or the full English breakfast, there’s also a surprisingly extensive set of culturally diverse dining options to explore. With that said, here are seven must-see destinations to add to your itinerary the next time you visit the City of London:
Sandys Fish
Sandys Fish is known as one of the leading fishmongers in London, offering a delicious variety of seafood, poultry, meat, wine, and deli products. They’ve been providing locally sourced and sustainable foods in the suburban district of Twickenham since 1978. You can check out their catalogue of fine foods and even see some of the recipes that they prepare by visiting their website sandysfish.net.
Maltby Street Market
This street food mecca is actually just a densely packed assortment of restaurants and food stalls situated along an alleyway. However, there’s a lot of flavour to be found in this compact area and the relatively small space just makes it easier to jump from one venue to another. Just type “37 Maltby Street” into your GPS and you’ll be on your way to a flavourful day. Upon arrival, you’ll notice that the restaurants are situated on one side of the street while the street food vendors are located on the other.
Mercato Metropolitano
The Mercato Metropolitano is a fun-filled Italian food market located in the Elephant & Castle area. This collection of food stalls is positioned in a repurposed paper factory that appears to be a large warehouse. The venue is usually populated by a vibrant crowd of patrons that make visiting this market an often-memorable experience. While most of the stalls sell Italian food, there are also other ethnic options available, including Argentinian and Vietnamese.
Duke of York Square
The renowned shopping centre at Duke of York Square is home to more than a dozen dining locations including pubs, restaurants, delis, and cafes. This food mecca is located close to Sloane Square Underground in Chelsea and is widely known for being one of the best places to have lunch, brunch, or breakfast in London, with a savoury selection of well-presented artisan menu items that will have you wanting to post a few food pictures on social media.
Bread Ahead
Bread Ahead is one of the more unique entries on this list because it’s a bakery where you can make your own bread by hand. More specifically, this venue specialises in making some of the best sourdough bread you’ll ever have. If you want to see what quality English baking looks like up close, taking an afternoon to make bread at Bread Ahead would be a great start. This isn’t just a dining outlet – although you can eat the bread you make on-site – it’s actually an educational facility offering one-of-a-kind breadmaking classes that will have you making top-notch sourdough at home like the pros. Of course, if you’re not interested in learning how to make the bread yourself, you can just show up and buy a loaf from what many consider to be the best bread bakery in London.
Renegade Winery
Known for being London’s first urban winery, Renegade Winery is located on the city’s East Side about a block from the Bethnal Green Underground station. While the winery is located in England, it has made a reputation for providing all of the wine flavours of Europe, from Italian and Spanish rose wines to the locally sourced London-made Bordeaux Sauvignon Blanc. If you enjoy exquisite alcoholic beverages of all kinds, you’ll be pleased to learn that this winery is conveniently nestled next door to the Old Street Brewery. The in-house wine bar has become one of the hot spots to hang out in the area so it’s also a great place to meet new people or find a date for your next outing.
Enjoying the Restaurants and Street Food Vendors of London is a Must-Do for Every Foodie
Whether you’re a food tourist or just someone who insists on experiencing all of the culinary options a region has to offer during a random visit, be sure to check out some of the locations mentioned above the next time you take a trip to London. If you’re putting together a bucket list of places where you’ll be exploring restaurants, pubs, and shops, The Square Mile and Greater London area is a region that you absolutely must add to your list. Be sure to bring friends and/or family with you when you stop at some of the more prestigious destinations as you’ll undoubtedly want to share the fun with someone.
