One of my favorite things about traveling is food. Ok, one of my favorite things about LIFE is food…. During our last trip to London we found a few resturants that we absolutely loved and I was excited as we started planning our anniversary trip to London and Scotland to find more places that we’d talk about for the next couple of years.
Historically the UK gets a bad rap for cuisine. Baked beans, mushrooms and meat, everything is brown and beige. While thats usually true of an English breakfast the rest of the day is a stark contrast from what we are accustomed to in the US.
Instead of aimlessly wandering with the hope of stumbling across good food we signed up for the East End Food Tour with Eating Europe. Lasting four hours the walking London Food tour starts at Spitalfields Market and covers a history of both the cuisine and the development of the area.
Historically the East End has been a hub for immigration, starting with the Huguenots fleeing France in 1685 to to the Jewish community from the 1880s and beyond. As a result the area is a melting pot of cultures, making the options for dining out endless. We visited this area on our last trip as part of a Jack the Ripper Tour (the East End also home to his hideous crimes), we didn’t get a chance to experience the rich culture that you see during the daytime.
A Walking London Food Tour
Our London Food tour group met up at the Huguenots Gate and started off the day with a Bacon sandwich from St. JOHN Bread and Wine. Know for their ‘nose to tail’ cooking style, we enjoyed a traditional Bacon Sandwich. Served up on thick fresh made bread with house ketchup the simplicity of the dish showcased the rich flavors of the bacon without overshadowing it through additional toppings.
After learning the history of the area and the market (Spitalfields coming from the word Hospital) we were off to around the corner for a morning ‘pudding’ at The English Restaurant. This was one of the few locations we sat inside to enjoy our dish and the interior is cozily decorated to feel like you were invited into a friends house for a bite. In England most desserts are considered puddings and served with extra custard this individual serving treat did not disappoint. Made using a thick bread and soaked heavily in a rich flavorful custard I could have eaten both mine and Drew’s dish if he had let me!
We continued our walk around the corner where we learned about council funded living before stopping for a bit of cheese and bread at Bedales. Thick crusty french bread was the perfect compliment to blue cheese and cheddar. Unique from the bright orange ‘American Cheddar’ we are used to in the states this cheddar cheese was more of a light yellow and didn’t have the sharp edge of flavor that you might find state side. Blue cheese is always my favorite so I had both my portion and those belonging to the other guests who don’t understand how mold can taste so good. The creamy texture and edge of flavor is everything I look for in a blue cheese.
A quick walk took us back through Spitalfields and over to Poppies Fish and Chips. Open since 1952 the interior of the restaurant evokes the feeling of a classic 50’s diner and each serving came wrapped in Poppies own food safe newsprint. While Fish & Chips were served in newsprint for decades food safety and the predominance of lead and other chemicals has changed the presentation of this iconic British dish. We enjoyed our portion with a serving of mushy peas, intended for dipping the chips in. Fried up with a fluffy yet not heavy batter the fish needed only a bit of vinegar to pull out the full flavor of the fish.
Our next destination took us through conserved block of 17th century architecture, including a quick whispered point toward the home now occupied by ‘High Sparrow’ of Game of Thrones fame. This area was once occupied by large families and considered low-income housing but today is home to multi-million dollar renovations and properties.
As the walk evolved the path changed from well manicured historic homes to a more modern art experience as we entered the block known as Brick Lane. Famous for being the home of the best Bangladeshi food in London, we enjoyed a wide array of street art as we made our way past countless resturants each calling themselves the purveyor of the best curry on the street.
Our journey stopped at Aladin Indian Restaurant where we journeyed inside for a serving of three incredibly flavorful dishes. Here we enjoyed the London made tikka masala alongside a spicy lamb and vegetarian veggie curry. The lamb option was my favorite and I could have happily swung back by here for an early dinner if I had any room left to eat after the end of the tour [I did not].
We continued down the block where the road transitioned to a more modern and hipster spin. Here we walked past several ‘Beigel’ shops until we made it to our intended destination ‘Beigel Bake’. For those wondering about the difference between Beigel and Bagel the item is the same, but the word itself has become Americanized. Baigel is derived from the Yiddish word Bajgiel.
These Baigel’s were similar to what you expect [round with a hole in the middle] but that was where the comparison stops. Freshly made each morning these were light and fluffy and not at all the carb-gut-busting heavy you expect in the United States. Our portion was served as a salt beef sandwich (corned beef) and the combination was amazing. This was Drew’s favorite stop on the tour and we did strongly consider coming back here more than once throughout our trip.
What floored me the most was the price point. A dozen bagels (no flavoring) came to just 3.60 sterling or roughly $4.25. A salt beef sandwich would have been 5.00 sterling / $6.00. Even with the extra cost of being in a big city this was a steal!
While we didn’t have any room left for more food there was one more stop on the tour. We took the scenic walk back around the Brick Lane area and landed at Pizza East for dessert. We each received a slice of salted caramel tart alongside a pot of english tea to help wash down the day’s delicacies. The last time we visited London I learned that salted caramel is the best thing ever created so I knew I was going to be a huge fan of this dessert.
Each slice was on the smaller side, making it perfect for enjoying after an already full day of eating but what I really loved about this stop was the tea. Tea is not something you have a hard time finding in London, but this tea was really really good. It could be that it had steeped a bit longer or it was the tea leaves themselves that made the tea the ideal rich compliment to the sweet creamy texture of the tart.
After five stops I couldn’t possibly havent eaten anything else so we called it a day and headed back through the Spitalfield’s Market to explore before heading back to our hotel in Westminster for the night.
This London Food tour was hosted by Eating Europe and we experienced the East End Tour. Eating Europe has two other London Food tours and offers similar experiences in Italy, Amsterdam and Prague. I loved getting to check out places I would have never found on my own and enjoying the day alongside other tourists provided the opportunity to make new travel friends at the same time.
If you are interested in booking a London Food tour (or any other city tour) with Eating Europe our amazing guide Josie provided her discount code to pass along for 10% off your booking! Use JOSIE at checkout and the discount will be applied automatically,
Disclaimer: I received a discounted experience to facilitate the writing of this review. All opinions and photography are my own.
Interested in other travel tips? Check out my posts on how to travel to London with just a backpack or vacationing in London as a couple.
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