There are many hotel, restaurant and pub guides to assist visitors and residents in books and on the internet.
So, fancy a knees up or a shindig or a singalong (“Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner…”)?
Staying and eating. Eating and drinking or troughing and quaffing.
Transport links, covered coaching inns, and the growth and then demise of Railway Hotels; now taken over by airport hotels.
There are also Youth hostels.
Youth hostels.
London was famous for its smokey pubs, warm beer and poor food. But things are changing – the numbers of pubs, including inns, taverns, hostelries, public houses and boozers have declined significantly, however the shear variety of refreshment other than “beer” in pubs can be impressively mind-boggling and gastro pub food can be excellent and good value. There are pubs from all eras. Even Sir Christopher Wren designed pubs for workmen engaged on St Paul’s and new churches after the Great Fire of London in 1666. Numbers of pubs grow in the 19th century with more pubs named after horses than royalty or other themes. Now many are shops, homes, restaurants or demolished and redeveloped.
There are choices of bars, pubs, wine bars, sports bars – some with food others with entertainment, plus hotel bars and cocktail lounges.
Old pubs to Visit
Many old historic pubs are still available including say:
- Ye Old Mitre in Ely Place, EC1N 6SJ;
- Red Lion in Crown Passage, SW1;
- Prospect of Whitby – oldest riverside pub, E1W 3SH;
- with the Mayflower pub on the opposite south bank;
- Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, 17th century, Fleet Street, EC4 2BU;
- Nell Gwynne in Bull Inn Court, Strand;
- Staple Inn and Cittie of York both in Holborn;
- Princes Louise on High Holborn – “the most beautiful pub in Britain” – possibly;
- Magpie and Stump, 1500’s, EC4M 7EP;
- The Spaniards on Hampstead Heath,NW3 7JJ – as visited by Charles Dickens;
- Waxy O’Connors, an Irish themed pub, W1D 6DD;
etc.. And then there is the CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) Guide to London’s Best Beer Pubs and Bars .
Eating Out
Cuisines and catering in London have changed significantly in the last fifty years. The variety of eating establishments is incredibly diverse as are the costs. Nowadays it is easy to find cuisine based on the Americas, British, Chinese, French, Gastropub, Indian, International, Italian, Jamaican, Japanese, Portuguese, Mediterranean, South East Asia, Vegetarian and many more. There is China Town in south Soho on and around Gerrard Street.
British or London establishments include such as Rules Restaurant; together with jellied eels, pie and mash and full English breakfast.