London – The Famous Food & Drink

London’s Take-Away Fast Food

London is a fantastic city to visit for a holiday or business trip.  Not only are there plenty of things to see and do, but there are also plenty of great restaurants to keep your taste buds happy for the duration of your trip. London is home to a large number of immigrants and because of this, you will have a great variety of different restaurants with dishes from all over the world to enjoy. Indian and Pakistani restaurants, in particular, can be seen at almost every corner of the city. However, the famous English fish and chips are found only rarely in London city so a trip to a seaside town may be in order if you want to try the infamous British “chippy tea”.Fast food chains, such as McDonald’s and Burger King, can be found all over the place in London. However, you will find far more sandwich bars than burger restaurants.

Take-away restaurants often don’t offer the choice to eat-in. If you order at a take-away, you need to actually take away the food and find a nice place to eat. You can order all sorts of dishes at a take-away, not just pizza. And if you order your meal at the market, such as at Camden Market, you can watch the cooks preparing your dish right in front of you.

Restaurants

In London, you will find a great variety of international and local restaurants. When eating in a fancy restaurant, you should study the menu to find out whether you need to add an additional surcharge for the service. Sometimes the surcharge is already added to the price on the menu, but sometimes you need to add a 15% service charge to the price of the food. Additional costs may also be the tax and an additional cover charge.

Tea Time

You should attend a typical British Tea Time during your stay in London. To experience the British tradition, you can either go to a big shopping mall or attend a Tea Party in the Tearoom of a hotel. A traditional cream tea is served with a snack. Very typical are pickles and sandwiches with salmon or crackers, as well as scones with marmalade and clotted cream.

Pubs

Pubs are the place to be in the evening if you want to experience a British tradition. Most pubs offer warm meals, so you can dine there too. Many also look very traditional and provide a cosy atmosphere. You need to be at least 18 years old to go into a pub on your own. Otherwise, you need to be accompanied by a guardian. Drinks are ordered and paid for at the bar. With most drinks, you can order either a pint (0.48 litre) or a half-pint (0.25 litre). A very special pub is situated close to Covent Garden in the centre of London, and it’s known as the Porterhouse. There, you can get almost all national English beer brands and many international beer brands as well. Don’t hesitate to ask the bar men and women for help if you are having a hard time deciding as most will be happy to point you in the right direction.