Most Instagrammable And Prettiest Places To Eat In London
Arepa & Co.’s menu is packed with popular Venezuelan cuisines, but the true star is the gluten-free Venezuelan corn bread, arepa! This versatile bread is stuffed with anything you can think of. From shredded beef, cheese, and avocado to smoked salmon and plantains, whichever you choose you’ll be in heaven. Best part, the menu is almost completely gluten-free with the exception of one starter and the desserts. Arepa & Co. also has a wide variety of vegan and vegetarian options. There are also quite a large number of freelancers working there, so it’s easy to meet an international crowd of digital nomads and/or locals. Known for the cronut , acclaimed NYC bakery Dominique Ansel came to London’s Victoria with much fanfare. And it’s not just the food that’s Instagrammable – they serve up pastries and cakes in a beautiful courtyard with regularly changing floral displays (which also match the outside installations for #ootd snaps). It’s pretty pricey, but the cakes are tasty and they have a selection of savoury options too. There was a while when every Insta-girl worth their salt would be found at Notting Hill hotspot Farm Girl, snapping their outfit of the day with grammable rose lattes. Hawksmoor Guildhall’s full English breakfast is not the cheapest, but it’s definitely worth the expense, with this steakhouse delivering on both quality and quantity. Top off the experience with a buck’s fizz or bloody mary, and enjoy a breakfast extravaganza. The Barbary makes quite a first impression; it’s small, pulsing to electro-pop and almost certainly full of people. Think smoky baba ghanoush, octopus Mashawsha and cumin crusted lamb cutlets. Thirty years after it opened, there’s still nowhere else in London quite like the River Café, Ruth Roger’s iconic Thames-side restaurant. With such amazing ethos and passion for creating food, I would say this gem is seriously an amazing addition to the growing number of 100% gluten-free eateries around the world. In the heart of Soho is London’s first 100% gluten-free Italian restaurant, Leggero . This celiac’s heaven serves food that’s not only 100% safe, but it’s so good that you’ll end up triple checking it to make sure it’s truly gluten-free. With a menu that’s divided into small and large plates, you can get a taste of everything with a mixture of smaller plates or opt to stuff your face, like I did, with one of the larger plates. The coffeeshop operates out of a quaint Manor Park house, surrounded with a white picket fence and complete with a spacious yard and porch to lounge in with a chai latte or an herbal tea. The coffee shop also sells Colombian-style empanadas, burritos, quiche, and New York-style pizza. Since opening in 2017, this cafe from Veronica Cooper has provided its Northeast neighborhood with an open, collaborative space to sip freshly brewed coffee and browse products from local vendors. The small business is deeply invested in local arts, serving as a space for live music and pop-up markets. Not to far from the Portobello Market is the wonderfully raw and vegan restaurant that specializes in healthy refreshments as well as recreating delish raw versions of popular dishes. A few examples are a healthy twist on the full English Breakfast, the vegan nut cheeseboard, and the raw pad thai. There are no fake meats on the menu, only dishes that are fresh, nutrient-dense, wholesome, and healthy for the soul. Essence’s sister brand, Essence Express, offers a grab and go option. You can simply order online and pick up your meal at Essence Cuisine or Blok London for a quick and delicious lunch in the city. Tucked away in a basement in Soho is where healthy meets tasty. Choose from a selection of pour-overs or pick something up from the outdoor takeout window. While Compass Coffee has struggled during the pandemic, shuttering stores and laying off many of its workers in the process, it’s now in the process of revival. The local company, which opened its first shop in Shaw in 2014, recently reopened its downtown locations at McPherson Square and 18th Street NW. It still has locations in Shaw, Arlington, and Spring Valley. |