London is a bubbling hub of all things food and drink. While it feels like just yesterday that I wrote a blog on Food and Drink spots in London, unsurprisingly, the list has once again grown! If you’re looking for some new places to pop on your ‘where to eat and drink in London’ list, I’d suggest looking into some of the below suggestions in addition to the previous blogs!
Part 1, part 2 and part 3 can be found in their respective links if you need a reminder of where we’ve ventured to before!
Café’s
Nestled in the cosy courtyard of Neal’s Yard, right in the heart of Covent Garden, 26 Grains is the perfect spot for an early brunch on a weekend. The space is small and the menu is only a page long but it packs a punch, serving classics like porridge or pastries to more adventurous dishes like confit tomatoes with butter bean puree or asparagus and peas on toast. Each dish champions the fresh produce used and it’s clear that this café properly cares about the food it provides to customers. One word of warning, when I say the space is small, I mean it! They don’t take reservations and majority of the seating is outdoors so would suggest arriving early to beat the queue!
While Pophams have a few different locations, I would highly recommend the Islington branch if you can only visit one. A cult favourite in the area, Pophams bakery was born from the idea of providing a new spin on traditional baking techniques. The sweet and savoury pastries at the Islington branch are always delicious, with the team constantly in search of new flavour combinations. If you don’t trust my suggestion, trust the queue to get inside! The space combines outdoor and indoor seating, more so outdoor than indoor, with a minimalist design. The London Fields location also offers home-made pasta dishes if you’re feeling the need for something other than a delicious, flaky, breakfast pastry.
Secret Sandwich Shop – Notting Hill
While maybe not so secret anymore, Secret Sandwich Shop is well worth a visit if you’re visiting Notting Hill. Hidden behind the distinctively red walls of The Globe (no, not The Globe that immediately comes to mind), this simply decorated but very cool shop is the perfect place to visit if you’re craving a simple, yet flavourful, sandwich. Modelled on the Japanese Wanpaku Sandwich, which translates to cheeky or naughty, these sandwiches are packed with delicious ingredients housed in fluffy Japanese Shokupan bread. Think sky high sandwiches just asking for you to take a big bite! The shop provides both eat-in and takeaway options however the seating is limited so would imagine it gets very crowded very quickly when the lunch rush hits.
Restaurants
Brixton Village Market – Brixton
While more of an amalgamation of multiple restaurants rather than just one restaurant, Brixton Village Market is a melting pot of cuisines. From Jerk Chicken to Tacos to Japanese, this largely indoor market space is filled with restaurants selling all different types of food and will surely satisfy any cravings you have! The atmosphere is lively and it’s a clear favourite meeting spot for locals and Londoners alike. I ate at Fish, Wings and Tings for an extremely flavourful Caribbean meal but will happily return to try any of the other restaurants available.
A posh wine bar, Nineteen-Oh-Five fits in perfectly with the Fitzrovia neighbourhood in which it resides. Providing an array of Greek wine and food, the décor is simple and open, bathed in white and reminiscent of the Cretan holidays that inspired the restaurant. The food is flavourful (apart from one questionable salad) and the wine and cocktails are delicious making Nineteen-Oh-Five a great choice for an afternoon drink or a full dinner.
Koya Ko – Soho/ London/ Hackney
A cult favourite in London, Koya Ko specialises in handmade Udon Noodles and Dashi broths. With multiple different locations throughout London, Koya Ko is a delicious way to enjoy a quick and relatively cheap meal. If Udon isn’t your thing, they do offer other classic Japanese dishes, like donburi, so well worth a visit if you’re looking for something more casual. We ate the the Hackney venue and the line to get a table says everything you need to know about the quality of the dishes here!
Cheap and cheerful Mexican is how I would describe Taqueria. Was it the most mind-blowing Mexican food I’ve ever had in my life? No. Was the atmosphere fun and the food tasty? Yes! Born from a Mexican food stall on Portobello Road, Taqueria has turned itself into a great location for a fun dinner out. The Tacos are flavourful, they have a wide variety of dishes to choose from and the Margaritas are punchy. What more could you want from a Mexican meal? If you’re looking for somewhere that has a great atmosphere, lovely staff and yum food, Taqueria is a great place to consider.
Bars
Lost Property Office – Waterloo
Tucked away in the most unlikely place, this effortlessly cool, late night bar is the perfect antidote to the hectic atmosphere of the pub that sits just outside its doors. Lost Property is hidden within the Waterloo Brew Dog pub and is filled with theatre from the get go. The entrance is easily missed, with the old school phone on the side door the only way to gain entrance into the bar. Once inside, you’ll be greeted with a dimly lit, speakeasy vibe and a wide ranging cocktail menu to choose from. The cocktails were delicious and the bar itself had a great vibe so would highly recommend.
This neighbourhood bar is the perfect place to enjoy a lazy wine on a Sunday afternoon. Serving only natural wines, Newcomer provides an excellent choice of different wines to explore and enjoy. While there is seating inside, the main attraction is the outdoor courtyard at the back of the building, the perfect place for a cheeky wine or 5 on a sunny Summer afternoon.
While I know Eve Bar has already made an appearance on the blog once before, they recently launched with a new cocktail menu which deserves a mention. Hidden below Frog Restaurant in Covent Garden, Eve Bar maintains its cool and mysterious atmosphere but with a brand new cocktail menu to excite. The menu is categorised by method, i.e. distilled or clarified, and has some really funky and interesting concoctions to try. The menu is fresh and different, and it is well worth returning to this bar to experience one or two of their signature drinks.
Roaming with Red 
Leave a comment