I recently came back from a vacation in London and had some of the best food I’ve eaten in years! I know what some people are thinking, the English aren’t usually known for their food. Well, as much as I love a good fish and chips, it’s really the international food that caught my eye (or my stomach). London is a huge melting pot of different cultures so you can find virtually any type of ethnic food in the city. I had some of the best Indian, Middle Eastern and Vietnamese food I’ve ever eaten. But don’t worry, I also made sure to enjoy some English specialties: fish and chips, Sunday roast and high tea.

I’m creating this blog post to share some of the meals I ate during my travels and inspire others who may want to visit our neighbors across the pond one day. Cheers!

English Specialities

Fish and Chips is one of the most classic English dishes. Served at nearly every pub, it’s a simple meal made up of fried fish (usually cod or haddock), chips (fries) and sometimes mashed peas.

Sunday Roast is a weekly tradition in London (much like Sunday Dinner for some Italian families). The roast consists of a meat (in this case I had chicken and Andrew had beef), yorkshire pudding, vegetables and potatoes.

The English love their tea! Tea time usually occurs between 2 and 4pm and is accompanied by biscuits or cookies. High Tea is usually a fancier version of everyday tea, consisting of finger sandwiches, pastries, scones/biscuits with jelly and clotted cream and sometimes champagne.

Borough Market is a well known food market in Southwark, right by London Bridge. With dozens of food stalls to choose from, you’ll never run out of new things to try!

International Delights

On our first night, we stumbled upon The Little Viet Kitchen. We enjoyed Vietnamese style tapas; chicken satay, spring rolls, coconut rice and teriyaki salmon.

Camden Market is hands down my favorite market in London. There are endless vendors with food, art, clothing, jewelry and more! This chicken tikka burger was a take on chicken tikka masala, but in the form of a burger, it was incredible.

Cinnamon Bazaar is a Michelin Star Indian restaurant in Covent Garden. We happened to stumble upon this spot during a walk in the area and I am so glad we did! This ended up being my favorite meal of the entire trip. I had the chicken curry (bottom left) and Andrew had pork belly (middle dish). We were lucky enough to get a deal that included a starter, entree and drink for only 21 pounds!

Lunch at The Palomar: The Palomar is an Israeli restaurant in Covent Garden that serves tapas style dishes. We enjoyed baba ganoush, falafel, chicken, pork belly and fattoush salad. The fun part is you get to sit at the counter while the chefs prepare the food right in front of you (pictured right). They have two time slots for lunch (12pm and 1:30pm) so make a reservation in advance!

We found Paramount while walking in Paddington and it’s another great example of the fantastic Middle Eastern restaurants in London. Pictured here is the dip appetizer with pita, hummus, baba ganoush and a small salad.

Dinner at Dalloway Terrace: Dalloway terrace is located in Bloomsbury and serves a combination of Italian and American food. Pictured left to right, you’ll see burrata, mushroom risotto and salmon with green beans. The highlight of the meal was definitely the risotto. It was probably the best risotto I’ve ever had and I’ve been to Italy!

Thanks for taking the time to read about my culinary journey in London! Hope this provided some inspiration for your next trip 🙂