London Hotels Insight provides up-to-date, independent advice for your perfect stay in London. We research guest feedback, meet management and identify hotels at the top of their game.
How to eat on the cheap at top London hotels.
Fancy a spot of Dinner by Heston on the cheap? We show you how below (assuming you manage to snag a table that is!)
It’s possible to drop several hundred quid having a decent meal in London these days. Yes, after decades cast into outer darkness, London has become the epicentre of the gastronomic world – but its new prominence has come at a price.
However, impecunious foodies need not fear. There are ways of getting a very reasonably priced meal in one of London’s best hotel restaurants – you just need to have a little flexibility.
For instance, while an evening meal at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal could add up to £107 each (that’s without wine or coffee!), the three-course set lunch is available for £28. Okay, so you only get two choices for each course (and no vegetarian option); plus, if you insist on having wine with your meal you can add nearly as much again to the cost – but £28 really isn’t bad for what you get. IF you can get a table that is…
At Viajante in the luxury Town Hall Hotel, Nuno Mendes has similar pricing (three courses for £28) – again a chance to taste the work of a renowned chef at a relatively accessible price.
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At Viajante in the Town Hall Hotel, the kitchen is inside the restaurant, the food is modern and experimental and there are no menus
Or you could head to Kensington where the Milestone Hotel‘s Cheneston’s restaurant has a table d’hote menu at £29.50 for three courses including coffee – currently featuring Bea’s delicious homemade American cheesecake with strawberry compote.
Excellent value and it’s available in the evenings until 7pm (good for pre-theatre dining since you can eat dinner from 5.30 onwards). If you want to do a fast but tasty lunch at the same restaurant, they offer an even better deal: £22.50 for a 2-course “business lunch” menu with coffee and your money back if they fail to serve it all within 1 hour! And they’re even throwing in a free glass of wine until 31st August. That’s what you call great service.
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Cheneston's at The Milestone offers a great value 5 star dining experience based on traditional favourites prepared using quality of ingredients
Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s has a five course lunch tasting menu for £40, or you can pay £55 and get three matching wines with it. The current menu shows white onion and wild garlic soup, asparagus, citrus-cured sea trout, braised shoulder of veal, and chocolate and pistachio fondant – I may have to stop blogging for a moment, as I’m feeling hungry…
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For anyone wishing to eat at Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's without paying full whack, the fixed price lunch menus offer reasonable value
Another reasonable deal is Hélène Darroze at the Connaught. £42 for three courses with two glasses of wine looks impressive value – and there are three choices for each course too (four for dessert).
There’s a slight variation at the St Pancras Renaissance, where Marcus Wareing’s Gilbert Scott restaurant offers a set early supper menu for £24 (three courses) from 5.30 to 6.30 in the evening. That would fit nicely after a day of working in the British Library, for instance…
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The Gilbert Scott Restaurant at the Renaissance St Pancras is built in stunning surroundings and its early reviews have been promising
Taking lunch doesn’t always work. The Berkeley is pretty dear even for the set lunch menu – at Marcus Wareing, £30 only gets you two courses, while you’ll pay £50 for three courses and two glasses of wine.
On the other hand not all foodie joints are set up so that you have to have a three-course dinner with wine and coffee and all the extras.
For instance, Bar Boulud at the Mandarin Oriental lets you choose from a menu that includes a ‘Frenchie burger’ at £12.50, while Bistrot Bruno Loubet has an all day bar menu with dishes from £6. In the restaurant, main courses start at £13.50, though you’d need to add £5 or so each for sides. Informal dining at London hotels has never been easier.
If you head south of the River, the value equation improves further. For example, London Hotels Insight was recently invited to a superb Portugese food tasting at the Pestana Chelsea which was blogged about brilliantly by Lady in London who attended the same event.
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The authentic tapas at Pestana Chelsea Bridge are perfect for relaxed dining
Our eye was caught by the fact that the Pestana, true to its southern European heritage, lays on a varied tapas table for guests every evening. This is again in keeping with the flexible, informal trend so if you fancy a light bite you simply raid the wonderful tapas selection which includes a mouthwatering range of Iberian meats and cheeses.
Also south of the river (and even further from the centre) is the Rafayel on the South Bank – famous as an innovative eco-luxury hotel. This is another hotel that “tries harder” in its food department – its Banyan on the Thames restaurant offers pan-Asian cuisine with refined service and a fantastic setting overlooking the river, at realistic prices.
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Banyan on the Thames at Rafayel Hotel offers great service and an extensive menu at sensible prices
Another good option is the homely bar at the Chesterfield Mayfair – one of the best London hotel bars and among the least pretentious. Try their excellent burgers or sandwiches and your wallet won’t be much lighter.
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The bar at the Chesterfield Mayfair has great-value food in a homely setting
Similarly, why not eat al fresco at the Montague on the Gardens while enjoying the best of the English summer (London weather permitting!)?
The hotel’s Terrace and Wood Deck are one of London’s best-kept secrets. And you can enjoy superb barbecued food there for unfancy prices…this is the same hotel after all that offers the best-value afternoon tea in London.
Do also check out the delectable burger menu at this boutique hotel near the British Museum which includes interesting options such as “Surf n Turf” and “Smokey Joe” alongside more conventional fare.
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The summer barbecues at the Montague on the Gardens are a real seasonal treat
So fear not, skint foodies – you might not be able to afford the Chef’s Table experience at Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley, but you can still get an awful lot of decent cuisine for a relatively normal price.
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Photo credits: Montague on the Gardens Hotel, Chesterfield Mayfair Hotel, Rafayel Hotel, Pestana Chelsea Bridge Hotel, Mandarin Oriental London, St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, Claridge’s Hotel, Milestone Hotel, Town Hall Hotel, Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
Note: all prices shown above were correct at the time of research but may have since changed.
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