Help me find some places to eat out at in London!

[Copperblack]

Hi, I’m bringing my 6 teens ( we are a somewhat overloaded foster family) to London for a short break ( Lockdown permitting) next week and I’m struggling to find places to eat. We really need places we can book, as with a large group and the Eat our scheme, walk ins could be difficult. My children are also difficult to feed- I have to cater to halal, vegetarian, gluten free and super fussy, so we normally go to Bella Italia, Wagamama and Wahaca type places but my online searching suggests a lot of them aren’t open yet, or have gone bust. Does anyone have suggestions for places that are definitely open? We are visiting the London Eye, Shard, Camden and are staying in Hampstead - nice breakfast places in NW3 would also be very welcome!

We were at Camden market a few weekends ago and a lot of the food stalls had reopened - that might work as you should be able to get something for everyone there. We had Kati rolls but there was burgers, veggie Indian food, Chinese food, Thai food etc etc

Franco Manca might be a good shout to they seem to do a gluten free pizza, and with the offer it’s really good value - we paid £12 for two pizzas.

Near to The Shard is Borough Market which would be great for a lunch - again lots of food options, a bit more expensive (sorry not sure on budget) but should be able to get a meal for under £10/head I think.

I don’t really know nw3 very well so hopefully someone else will come along with ideas :)

Are there places to sit in Camden and Borough Market? One of our children is a wheelchair user and can feel a bit isolated when we are walking so we like to sit down for meals so we can all chat properly - budget wise we usually spend around £10 pp on food but I guess we can up it because of the Eat out thing. Thankyou x

www.gov.uk/guidance/get-a-discount-with-the-eat-out-to-help-out-scheme

For a general look- use this. It’ll give restaurants that have signed up within a 5 mile radius. It automatically list them as closest to the postcode you need

Hi OP
Good news is that your requirements aren’t going to be too much of a problem at loads of places. In my team I have a veggie, celiac and two halal eaters and we’ve never had a problem popping to the pub for a meal! Does it need to be a gluten free kitchen too? It will become slightly more tricky if it does.
South bank has loads of chains and some are open (going to the Tate Sunday so will keep an eye out when cycling there). Walking to borough market is a 30min walk but is lovely! Are you doing the shard and London eye on the same day? There are loads of lovely restaurants as well as the market and one that fits the bill but the umbrella street (look for it I can’t remember the name and I don’t know if it’s open sorry)
Camden the market is great, but if you walk closer to Chalk Farm there are lots of chains
My brain isn’t totally in gear so I might pop back and give more specific recommendation.

Wagamama is listed under ‘chains that have signed up’ so I am pretty sure they are open. ‘Chains’ has its own section rather than being listed with the others on the Gvt list.

Ask Italian
Pizza Express
Slug and Lettuce

Thanks for the suggestions - do you know whether central London branches are open specifically as this is what I’ve been having trouble with-so many aren’t.

For lovely breakfast in Hampstead check out Oliver's in Belsize Park (you may need to book). Hand's down the friendliest and most welcoming staff and the food is great. They definitely do great options for vegans, gluten free and fussy. I am not sure they serve halal meat but a lot of veggie options. Definitely, definitely book.

Chamomile (England's Lane) is also good, but has changed hands with new staff just before lockdown and so we haven't got the "personal, friendly feel" yet. Sable D'or is also good and we've eaten at Gail's a few times too (no GF bread but they do do GF yoghurt and berries etc).

In Hampstead itself there are a few options - Ginger and White, and a new place we haven't tried (although I think that may be because there's no GF options there).

The O2 Centre in NW3 (Finchley Road) has a heap of eating out options and is wheelchair friendly too. There's Nandos, Sushi, Burger Join, Pizza, Italian, Griaffe and Wagamamas there.

@Copperblack Central London is a big place, where are you planning to be around?

There's a lot open in South Kensington - not sure how many are doing Eat Out to Help Out though.

We are visiting the London Eye, Shard

Apologies, I re-read for the third time and see you have said this.

Leon is open near London Bridge (the river bank one - there's benches you can sit on and they will cater for your dietary requirements).

Bill's (also the River one) is open for eat in too.

Google

Squaremeal

Loads of options

Thanks for some great suggestions. The problem with googling is when I get to specifics, the restaurants near where we are are often shut, and it’s very time consuming doing it this way, so places that people actually know are open for dine in are great!

@Copperblack I would definitely recommend spending some time around Soho and Chinatown now too - it’s such a fantastic atmosphere at the minute with all the outdoor seating and unlike I’ve ever seen it before even if it’s just to wander around. There are some cobbles in Soho I think (so I’m not sure about wheelchair access, sorry, but I’m sure you’ll know more than me whether that’s doable).

When you go to the London Eye, Wahaca is open on the Southbank :)

If you're in soho go to mildreds.
One of my favourite restaurants of all time. Its veggie, but the food is incredible.
If you want tapas polpo is awesome.
Also, if you want a very grand (but not super expensive) experience go to Zedals. Its under Piccadilly and its all Art Deco fabulousness.