T’S TRAVEL GUIDE: London
9 Days in London: Top Eats That’ll Blow Your Mind
I’d been to London before but only for a weekend in my early 20s. I was visiting my bestie who was studying abroad in Torino, so we hopped over for the weekend. We were young, had no money, and did not have the time or opportunity to really see the city. So, I count this visit as my first time really seeing Lonon! I had the luxury of having an insider's guide from a friend of mine who travels there for work a ton. I knew with her recommendations not one experience would be a disappointment! Let’s break it down into a 9-day Itinerary so you can enjoy the same amount of incredible food (eating like a local), culture and sight-seeing that I did! But first...
WHERE I STAYED
We stayed in Marylebone in the cutest flat. Marylebone is such a beautiful, central neighborhood and was the ideal location for us. Where you stay can make a difference in your experience but if you do get a place outside of central London the tube is super easy and very convenient.
GETTING AROUND
Walk walk walk! Walking is always the best way to see a city and feels so good between those incredible meals and pub stops that will most likely fill your days!
The tube is also a great option, and we used it a lot. Insider tip: don’t use the kiosks for tickets at the tube station (it’s more expensive and a pain). Just make sure you have a contactless payment set up on your phone and all you need to do is tap for entry and tap again when you exit! It comes out to something like 2 pounds per ride! The buses are also great, and you just tap to pay when you get on those too! Ok now for the goods...
DAY 1
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Lunch: Trishna (reservation). Incredible Indian food just a 3-minute walk from our flat. Super cute cozy restaurant with an a la carte menu, a 3 course or 4 course tasting menu. We did the 3 courses each so we could try several things, and everything was divine.
Dinner: Seven Dials Market. In Covent Gardens, this super cute market has tons of stalls and lots of food options. We had freshly made cacio e pepe at Mezzo which was divine and steak bites and fries at Stakehaus. The steak was cooked perfectly to our liking, and the quality was amazing. Shopping and great restaurants!
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John Snow. This historic pub in Soho is named after the doctor who traced the cholera outbreak in London (fun fact lol). It has a duck-under between the ground floor bar and a spacious upstairs bar. It's also famously haunted! We had a few pints and thoroughly enjoyed this spot.
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The Wallace Collection. This historic London house museum was so gorgeous and filled with incredible paintings, sculptures, ceramics, furniture, arms and armor. Some of the daggers were so stunning! We had coffee in the courtyard and then perused the museum.
Explored and walked all over Covent Gardens, Carnaby Street and Soho.
The Royal Ballet and Opera. A stunning building buzzing with people eating, drinking and waiting to go in to see the show! We went upstairs and had a glass of champagne, enjoyed the views and decorations. Worth a visit!
DAY 2
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Lunch: Oma (reservation). A Greek fusion restaurant with some of the best food I have ever had in my life. This restaurant is a must. Still dreaming about the homemade breads (laffa & açma), hummus and the tuna ceviche. Located in the Borough Market, the location is great, and the market is so much fun and most likely already on your list!
Dinner: Speedboat Bar (reservation). An incredible, super casual and fun Thai restaurant in Chinatown. The crispy pork and braised duck noodles were divine, but everything is to die for!
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Waxy’s Little Sister. While we waited for our Speedboat reservation, we popped into this pub right on the corner of the entrance to Chinatown. We grabbed a pint and headed upstairs only to find they had a beer elevator! You don’t even need to go back downstairs to get your next pint!
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Exhale Pilates. I planned for this trip and booked a few Pilates classes at this awesome, traditional Pilates studio only 10 min walk from our flat in Marylebone. It helps my body post travel to prioritize therapeutic movement if I can! Especially post spinal surgery!
St Paul's Cathedral. We walked the grounds and admired the beautiful cathedral.
London Bridge. Crossed London Bridge to get to Borough Market and had great views of the Thames.
Borough Market. Perused the stalls, cafes and shops and then had our lunch at Oma.
Tate Modern. An awesome museum filled with incredible art. I even found a couple of Dalí's!
DAY 3
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Breakfast: La Fromagerie (walk-in only). Just below our flat this little cafe/grocery/cheese shop/meat market was a delight. We got our coffee here most mornings and enjoyed breakfast on a couple occasions. The crumpets are divine, and you must get them. The scrambled eggs were so good I still cannot stop thinking about them!
Linner: Mountain (reservation). This place is unreal, and you need to make sure you go, not negotiable! Delicious natural flavors, a menu meant for sharing, cooking over open flames and a wood fired oven—the food is exceptional. We had a 4 o'clock rezzie here after we saw Six!
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The Devonshire. Iconic pub in Soho and the place to be. It’ll be packed and cozy. Grab a bag of Taytos and a beer and settle in wherever you can find some breathing room. Apparently, they pour some of the best Guinness in the world but preferred the Madri lager (a Spanish beer) that you can find in most of the pubs!
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Six at Vaudeville Theatre. I had been hearing a lot of great things about Six and tickets to shows in London are surprisingly cheaper than expected. 40 pounds for a ticket, not bad! I felt it was a must to go to a show while there and it did not disappoint! The show was absolutely amazing. I am always so in awe of how incredible these performers are and with a full female cast (yes please) we were blown away. Vaudeville Theatre is super cute and cozy, so any seat is a good seat!
DAY 4
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This was Christmas day, so most things were closed (including the tube so be prepared). We planned ahead and grocery shopped at La Fromagerie. We cooked a gorgeous bone-in ribeye, roasted carrots and mashed potatoes! We started the day with champagne, cheese, and crackers!
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The Prince Regent. Shockingly, there were some pubs open on Christmas! We had just finished our walk through Regents Park and headed back into Marylebone when we saw this pub open so we stopped in for a pint. Obviously.
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Relaxed, sipped on champagne, spent the afternoon on a long walk through Regents Park, cooked dinner, and watched a movie.
DAY 5
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Lunch: Kiln (walk-in only). My favorite restaurant of the enire trip. We even went back because it was so incredible. Thai, but not how you’re thinking Thai. Small menu that changes regularly but the noodles in the clay pot are a staple and a must. Sit at the bar, the basement is a little lonely.
Dinner: Brat Climpson’s Arch (reservation). Sister restaurant of Mountain, Brat was exceptional. Fun warehouse vibes with a large, covered patio, a fantastic menu and divine flavors. This spot is in Hackney and it was the farthest we ventured on the tube for a meal. The neighborhood is up and coming, but we didn’t have time to explore as we just went for dinner at night.
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The Devonshire. Again yes, it was right near Kiln so... why not?
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Walked off our meals, explored, and had drinks.
DAY 6
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Coffee: WatchHouse. Popped into this super cute, mod coffee shop a couple times post Pilates class for a yummy capp or americano. I do always miss drip coffee when in Europe... food looked delicious here too but never tried it.
Lunch: Pahli Hill (reservation). I wanted some traditional, no frills Indian food and this place hit the spot. High quality, delicious food in a comfortable casual setting with a great view of the kitchen. We would definitely have gone back here if we had more time. The dosa was to die for and the curry so good! The crab with mangalore bun is a must.
Dinner: Nopi (reservation). One of Ottolenghi’s restaurants, this place was super tasty and really cute. The roasted cabbage was so good and the pork belly was decadent!
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Coach & Horses Mayfair. Took a leg off here with a couple pints and some chips (fries) while we waited for our late dinner reservation. This pub was cute and right in the middle of all the designer shops.
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Mercato Mayfair. Famously in Stanley Tucci’s searching for Italy London episode, this place does not disappoint. We had already eaten but wanted to explore it and grab some tiramisu at Tirmisin but it was closed. During the holidays a lot of spots were closed for a couple of weeks. The food stalls here looked incredible. Eat here for sure!
Hyde Park. Beautiful for strolling and relaxing. Don’t miss the Albert Memorial.
Natural History Museum. Crazy long line but moved quickly (get tickets in advance to skip the line, they’re free). Super cool and filled with lots of dinosaur bones. Unfortunately, we went during peak season, and the museum was so packed we did not last long.
Victoria & Albert Museum. We wanted to see the Marie Antoinette exhibit, but it had been sold out for months. Plan ahead and get tickets for museums and exhibits when you first start planning your trip. I wish we had done this! Most museums are free but exhibits may cost extra.
DAY 7
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Breakfast: Ottolenghi. We planned to spend the day in Hampstead because it was Sunday and the best spot for Sunday roast is The Holly Bush in Hampstead! So, we started the day with pastries and flat whites at Ottolenghi. Best flat white ever but the cakes were a little dry and dense. I would go for the salads and savory here instead.
Sunday Roast: The Holly Bush (reservation). The cutest pub in the cutest neighborhood serving up delicious Sunday roast. We had a 4:45 reservation and I was a little worried this was too late of a reservation because I had heard they could run out of some of the roasts. But by the time I had made the rez, that was the earliest available (book in advance)! I wanted the lamb, and our friend wanted the chicken, of course they were sold out of both, so I settled on the beef, Gabe the pork and Paul the turkey. All were excellent but definitely go earlier to get your preferred option! We also got incredible starters that were not needed because the roast comes with so much food, but I’m still happy we got them!
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The Spaniards Inn. Popped out the other side of the Heath and into this amazing, super cute pub for a pint.
The Duke of Hamilton. Post walk through the Heath while we waited for our roast rezzie we stopped into this pub/restaurant for a drink.
The Engineer. Walked here from Hampstead and stopped for a pint before calling it a night. It's in Primrose Hill, a must visit neighborhood!
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Hampstead Heath. The Heath is a massive, gorgeous park that I didn’t even know was so famous. It was so great to walk through and enjoy all th gorgeous trees, bridges and this estate that a lot of movies are filmed at. The swimming ponds at The Heath are super famous and there were actually people swimming in them in the windy cold 30-something degree weather. No, thank you!
Explored Hampstead. Definitely one of my favorite neighborhoods in London. It was so gorgeous with the most beautiful homes, great shopping, stunning parks, and fun cafes and pubs.
Sunday Roast. Definitely go to The Holly Bush for Sunday roast if you happen to be there on a Sunday! It is the thing to do on a Sunday in London. Eat, drink and spend time with loved ones.
Walked from Hampstead back to Marylebone. Such a great walk going through stunning neighborhoods. The best way to appreciate and see so much of the city and neighborhoods wouldn't have spent much time in otherwise. That also felt great post eating a giant meal.
DAY 8
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Claridges High Tea (reservation). WOW wow wow wow, this experience was so amazing, and I cannot recommend it enough. There are a lot of options for high tea in London (obviously lol), but this one came highly recommended and the Claridges is iconic in London like, is there even a question?! The champagne was delicious, the sandwiches were excellent, the tea so yummy and the biscuits and desserts were next level! You get an unlimited amount of everything (except the bubbles), and you can stay as long as you want. We got seconds of a couple of our favorite sandwiches but it was a lot of food, so we stopped there. We almost ran out of clotted cream for our biscuits because it was so good we both loaded it up! We stayed for 3 hours and relaxed, sipped tea and enjoyed the parlor.
Dumplings Legend (walk-in). Amazing chinese food. They’re known for their xiao long bao and we got two orders because they were so good! We also got some incredible beef noodles and decadent crispy pork. Service is intense, and they pressure you to order asap even though the menu is like a book. But who cares when the food is that good?!
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Waxy O’Connor’s. Obviously we had to go to the parent pub after visiting Waxy’s Little Sister! This pub is wild. It's massive with multiple levels and basements and top floors and bars on every level! A younger crowd but fun to experience!
The Cock & Lion. We passed this pub every night on our walk back to the flat so we had to go in! Had a little night cap in the upstairs lounge area.
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Buckingham Palace. We walked through Soho and Mayfair, through The Green Park and all the way to the palace. Of course we had to go by! Beautiful gates and a beautiful monument out front.
Claridges High Tea and back to Chinatown before more pubs... sensing a pattern?
DAY 9
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Kiln (walk-in). We had to go back on our last day because it was our fave! The menu had already changed so we got a whole fresh list of dishes! We got super adventurous and had ox tongue and chicken livers eeeee!
108 Brasserie (hotel bar). Located in The Marylebone Hotel just a couple minutes’ walk from our flat. Get the ribeye, it was delicious! Had some wine and some fries as well.
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The Crown. Right around the corner from Kiln and a good cozy spot for a glass of white or a pint.
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Notting Hill. Took the tube from Soho to Notting Hill to explore and pass through Portobello Road.
Maida Vale. Stopped for coffee and enjoyed walking through this pretty neighborhood.
Regents Park. Walked all the way from Notting Hill and through Regents Park back to Marylebone, and it was such a gorgeous walk. We passed the cricket stadium Lords, lots of gorgeous homes and cute shops and cafes.
Daunt Books. Located right in our neighborhood of Marylebone this book store is a beaut. With long oak galleries, soft skylights and an adorable second level, this spot was a dream to spend time in.
TIPS
Take the Heathrow Express into the city from the airport and purchase tickets in advance. It's also cheaper to buy a round trip instead of one way.
Use contactless payment on your phone for the tube and busses. Avoid using the kiosks.
Make reservations for dining, shows, and museums (even the free ones) in advance.
Try to be there on a Sunday to enjoy Sunday Roast at a pub.
If you go over the holiday like we did, know that most things are closed December 24th, 25th, and 26th. The tube is completely closed on the 25th. Plan ahead and have groceries or a hotel dinner within walking distance. All museums are also closed for those 3 days.
For the walk-in only restaurants like Kiln, plan to go around 12-12:30 when they open for little to no wait time. We waited 20 mins each time and arrived around 12:30.
A visa is required to enter the UK now so make sure to apply before you go! It takes only seconds to do online!
