London • Greenwich • Windsor • Oxford • York • Bath • Llandudno, Wales • Bradford-on-Avon

Reviews of Restaurants in England and Wales

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England: Attractions London • Greenwich • Brighton • Stone Henge • Windsor • Warwick • York • Bath • Wales • Chester

England: Hotels London • York • Nottingham

= We Recommend

(prices listed are from summer, 2005)

Delis - There are many quick delis around town. All their prices were similar. There are ready made specialty sandwiches for handy picnicking in the parks.

Harrods' Cafeteria - A reasonable cafeteria-like restaurant exists in Harrods Department Store on one of the middle floors. Here one can also find a decent restroom.

Garfunkles' - Our first day in London, at the end of a tiring day, the kids were clamoring for KFC in Victoria Station. We opted for a sit-down meal at Garfunkles', but should have just 'ok'd' the KFC. Garfunkles' service was slow, two order mistakes were made, and we had our first (of 2) experiences with what are called 'nachos'. Yuk! They are always nacho flavored Doritos!

Nando's - This is a Portugese chicken place, with an upbeat, casual, colorful twist. At the counter, you choose the chicken flavor, then choose side dishes. You retrieve your place settings, then wait for the delivery of the food to the table. It was tasty, and we succeeded in selecting the chicken flavor the kids liked (unfamiliar lingo, lots of spice options), but the order system was confusing and it was expensive - the 5 of us shared two small chicken halves, no side dishes, and 3 sodas for £22. But still a healthier, yummy, quality escape from breaded, fried chicken!

Cafe Uno - This chain has a few around London, and they are very nice, casual, and pretty, with deep greens and dark wood. Our group had great big, quality salads, excellent pasta dishes, and the kids really loved their individual pizzas (not greasy!). Sit in comfortable booths or chairs, and enjoy the friendly wait staff.

Blue Jade - This Thai restaurant is nearby Victoria Station. It is a dainty place, with white cloths on tightly arranged tables. Though it didn't look kid-friendly, our kids were warmly welcomed and served excellent food at reasonable prices, though the portions are not large. Two adults and 3 kids ate dinner for £40. We ate here twice.

Pizza Express - Don't be fooled by the quick, fast-food-ish name of this restaurant. It is a chain, but the menu does NOT include kid items! The pizzas and pasta dishes and salads are all upscale-type. The menu didn't have a cheese pizza or plain pasta option. I, however, very much enjoyed my salad with olives and feta cheese. Quality food, but on the expensive side: 3 adults and 3 kids ate lunch for £48.60.

Zetland Arms Pub - This pub is cozy, with a tv in each area. The wood is dark, but the staff are friendly, and the big windows bring a light airiness. We ate great fish and chips, roast beef and sandwiches. People of all ages were here - pierced young adults, a late-middle aged couple, and us - a family of five. The kids loved it, too. Quality food, good price: 3 adults and 3 kids ate dinner, with beers for £40.58.

Chop Chop Noodle - We ate lunch here, and if you do, don't order one dish per person, unless you want lots of leftovers. Share your selections! The portions are huge, the menu is extensive, the place is crowded, and long tables crammed together are shared with other people. It's not the best Chinese food, but we liked it and it's good enough to fill your belly and keep the kids happy. Very inexpensive, we each ordered a dish, with beverages, for £26.70.

Spaghetti House - This restaurant is more expensive than it looks or tastes. It did have comfortable booths and tables, and good food, with plenty of choices for kids. But it's pasta, and even with a glass of wine, shouldn't cost £51.60 for our family of 5.

Greenwich

Cafe Sol - We were so excited to see a Mexican restaurant, and it appeared very popular. The decor was southwestern, and the spanish influence music was loud - we had to shout a bit to hear each other. Some patrons were eating hamburgers, but we chose build-your-own tacos for the kids, which they loved, and we liked our selection, too, however the 'tortilla chips' were, again, nacho-flavored Doritos! We ate a big lunch for £42.57.

Windsor

Waterman's Arms - Like in many pubs, you go to the bar to order your food. Good thing we had a pen and piece of paper or our designated 'orderer' (my hubby) would never remember 5 orders! This dark wood place has a cozy bar area, and a spacious dining room with a nautical theme and many wooden tables. We had fantastic beef pot pie, and the kids loved their breaded shrimp. Very good comfort food, friendly staff, the five of us ate a hearty dinner, with beer and soda for £32.60.

Oxford

McDonald's - We didn't intend to eat here, but it was convenient and was the only place with a parking lot for our rental car! We discovered the cleanest, newest, nicest restrooms that we saw in all of England! We ate lunch for £20.00.

York

Royal Oak - A host seats you and offers a menu, but go to the bar to order. It was uncrowded on a Sunday evening, and we were given a large wooden table in a room with blue bottles decorating the window sill. Waiting for our food, we played 3 games available in a basket on the floor. We had wonderful food, baked potato ('jacket potato') with beans and cheese, roast beef, roast pork, yorkshire pudding, breaded shrimp ('scampi'), soda and beer for dinner. A great value at £29.92.

Oscars - This place was big, with 2 big, open floors of tables, but crowded on a Monday. We didn't have to wait though, and were given menus and directions to the ordering station. We wrote out our selections and my hubby left the table to place our order. The menu had a wide variety of offerings: kid-pleasers, sandwiches, salads - and all were upscale, with a fresh, flavorful presentation. It was a great value, with lunch for the 5 of us for £28.85.

Bath

Sally Lunn's Buns - This house, built in 1482, is in central Bath. There has been a restaurant at this location since 1680. They have been serving a hearty bun and cream tea for hundreds of years. The friendly staff gets you in and out of this ancient space of low ceiling and warped floors. It is a bit touristy but fun for the kids. Reasonably priced.

Pizza Hut - Downtown, 1-3 Westgate Buildings intersecting with Monmouth Str. Okay, I know this isn't a cultural opportunity, but in every trip there always comes a time when a little familiarity is welcome. The pizza was a hit as you might expect with our three, and clearly popular with the local families as well.

Llandudno, Wales

Buttercups - Located at 155 Mostyn St. This is a sit down, family friendly restaurant. It has a mixture of English style food and Asian flavored food. My son had the tuna melt option five nights in a row. The prices are very reasonable and the lady proprietor very friendly.

Bradford-on-Avon

The Bridge Tea Room - Located near the old stone bridge. Our family was served our favorite tea time meal in this Victorian style restaurant. The staff members were friendly; the room was charming. The prices were reasonable.

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