I don’t know about you, but when I travel I love to find unique food. Food that is special to that place or region, and definitely something I haven’t experienced before. London was no exception. In fact, I’m sad that we didn’t get to experience more of London’s food culture. But as I said in my last article, we simply didn’t have enough time. I already have a list for when we go back!
The places that we did go to were wonderful and memorable, though, and I’d love to share them with you as inspiration when planning your trip to London.
3 Unique Dining Experiences in London
1. Milk Train
Milk Train is probably the most unique desert experience I have had so far in my life. Essentially, it is cotton candy (or candy floss), that envelopes a cone of delicious soft serve ice cream and toppings you might only dream to add. It’s so weird. And so amazing.
I don’t know about you, but I had never heard of this before, and when I saw it online I knew we had to check it out. The location is small but adorable (and crowded). They have the whole show on display, complete with the cotton candy being made right in the window (naturally). You can choose one of their specials or create your own. The toppings range from candy and cookies, to cereal and popcorn. You can order the ice cream cone without the cotton candy, but that is what I think makes the whole experience. Milk Train is a really neat place and I definitely recommend it.
2. The Mac Factory
We walked completely out of our way to get to this little whole in the wall. The Mac Factory is known for their unique take on macaroni and cheese. Growing up on Mac and Cheese, when I read about this place online, I didn’t care how, we were getting there.
You can check out their website for all of the different styles. They include a Mexican “Hey Mac-Arena,” complete with a couple chips that I was kicking myself for not getting. A Mediterranean, “La Med Babe,” with pesto, sun dried tomatoes and baby mozzarella. And a spicy chorizo and caramelized onion, “Posh Spice,” which is what Anthony got and it was amazing. I admit that I was a bit less adventurous that I thought I would be before we arrived. I got the classic “Nostalgic” because nothing beats a thick and creamy mac and cheese with a crunchy topping to me, and it didn’t disappoint. No matter what your flavor is, I don’t think you can go wrong.
3. The Blind Pig
The Blind Pig is a not so secret speakeasy above Atheron’s Social Eating House. Hidden under an “Optrician’s” sign, the bar’s door has a little metal blind pig on the front. I already loved this place.
A quick note on getting in:
If you make a reservation at the Social Eating House you can go into The Blind Pig beforehand and have a cocktail. You can also call and make a reservation for a bar table in The Blind Pig itself. But we didn’t know either of those at the time. We were considered walk ups, and since they were busy we had to wait until people left before we could go in. I say the part about the reservation because no onr else was there when we walked up. So we would have been the first ones to go in. However, a couple who had reservations came up and said they wanted to get a drink before they ate. Since they had the reservation, they were let in before us. We only waited about 10 minutes total, but on a busier night you might wait longer.
Once inside:
Inside the place is gorgeous, vintage, and intimate. There are tables and bar seats, as well as a few cozy booths, where we were lucky enough to sit. The drink list was my whole reason for wanting to come to here in the first place. All of the cocktails are themed after children’s stories, and have an illustrated page for each. There, of course, was a Harry Potter one, as well as Winnie The Pooh, Narnia, The BFG, and more! I felt like a big kid. It was for lack of a better word, magical. We both got a couple to try them out, and each one was unique and delicious.
We decided to take a look at their menu, which consisted of small plates. It all sounded wonderful, so instead of going somewhere for dinner, we tried a few things here. The atmosphere was great and our waiter was really nice, we figured what the hell. We got the hot dog, fried chicken sandwich and duck fat fries. Oh My! First of all, these were not “small” plates. They were large and all of it was so good. The duck fat fries were unbelievable. Seriously, if you want a one of a kind lounge experience complete with delicious food, go to The Blind Pig.
Final Thoughts…
Like I said, I know we missed a ton of awesome dining experiences that London has to offer. But these were a few of my absolute favorites.
So tell me, did you have any unique food adventures during your time in London? What all did I miss? Leave me a comment with your stories!
For another London dining experience, be sure to check out the post about our day at Buckingham Palace, including Afternoon Tea below.
And feel free to follow my adventures on instagram!
Prost,