A brief post about a recent weekend we spent in London. Sadly there aren’t many pictures, as I didn’t really think about it (romantic weekend plus three theatre trips and some sightseeing to fit in!). However, I thought it might be useful to list where we ate.
The Real Greek
We popped to the Covent Garden restaurant, and enjoyed the £8.50 lunch menu. There are lots of options that are gluten free, and they have the allergens information available on their website and in the restaurant. They have actually changed this since we visited, as when I was researching places to eat, it said online that everything marked gluten free was suitable for coeliacs, but it no longer says this.
As with anywhere that is not 100% gluten free, the usual precautions apply about asking questions to make sure you’re happy with how they prepare their food, and that they have a separate fryer.
We had a lovely lunch, and it set us up perfectly for our 1st theatre trip of a packed weekend!
Dishoom
Always recommended on the various GF blogs and Facebook groups, we booked into the Covent Garden restaurant in between The Cursed Child Parts 1 and 2 (fabulous play, can highly recommend!). They have a ‘gluten-allergy’ menu, as well as a menu for those with a dairy intolerance.
We were asked about any allergies or dietary requirements, and as they’re not a 100% gluten-free kitchen, were given the standard warning about not being able to guarantee no cross contamination. People shouldn’t be alarmed by this, it is a warning that every eatery will give if they have gluten-containing menu items. Asking the right questions will determine whether you are happy to eat there or not.
Our food was delicious, and arrived very promptly. I can see why Dishoom is highly regarded for gluten-free eating.
Honest Burger
Another venue that always pops up on groups, Honest Burger is fantastic for dealing with gluten-free eating. The majority of menu items are GF, they have GF buns for the burgers, and even a GF lager (which is also vegan, and very nice!). Allergen information is very clear, both online and in the restaurant.
If you eat here, you MUST try the onion rings. They’re the biggest ones I’ve ever seen, and so good!
Another top tip, if you have a Blue Light card, then it gives you 20% off at Honest Burger. Every little helps and all that!
Niche
The place we were most excited to eat. A restaurant that is 100% gluten free is like the holy grail for anyone that is coeliac or gluten intolerant. Sadly, we were not blown away by the meal – the yorkshire pudding that came with the beef was probably the worst looking yorkshire either of us had ever seen. It was as flat as a pancake, and according to my husband had the texture of one as well. Not good enough given the cost of the meal (2 main course, 2 puddings and 2 cokes came to over £70).
I had the Glamorgan potato cake, which was really tasty, but a very small amount of food on the plate. My husband had the tiramisu for dessert, which he said was lovely. I had the salted caramel pudding, which didn’t taste quite how I expected it to.
Service and staff were both great, we were just a little bit disappointed overall with our food. Perhaps it was a bad day, as I’ve seen rave reviews from people, but our experience has put us off from going again.
Grom
What’s not to like about a completely gluten free gelato store? Just off Piccadilly Circus, Grom is takeaway only (although they took pity on us and let us eat our cones inside, as it was throwing it down with rain!).
A variety of flavours including some dairy free as well. They also sell cookies, chocolates and various spreads in the store, also gluten free.
The gelato is incredible, so it’s well worth a detour to try some, even if the weather is trying to tell you you shouldn’t be eating ice-cream!
Prezzo
We only visited here as I’d bought a super cheap deal on buyagift for a three course meal for both of us with wine. It was fairly close to the theatre we were visiting, so fitted in with our plans.
Prezzo can do most of their pizzas and pastas GF, and are accredited by Coeliac UK. Their allergen information is available both online and in the restaurant, and there is a decent choice for people who have other other dietary requirements in conjunction with being gluten free.
The food was nice, but service was extremely slow. Not sure why, as we got there at 3.15pm and it was very quiet, but we were racing out the door at 5pm in order to get to the theatre in time!
Where we Stayed
There are hotels for every budget in London, and some will be great with gluten free, others not so good. If wanting a b&b rate, I always contact potential places to stay to confirm they can provide a gluten-free breakfast. In this case, we stayed at Thistle Holborn, who confirmed that they could cater for GF.
The breakfast was set up as a buffet. We told the host that we were both coeliac, and she brought us the allergen folder, and went through everything we could have. They had gluten-free bread packaged separately in 2 slice packages, and the chef was happy to toast this separately for us in the kitchen. He also cooked us fresh breakfasts in order to avoid any cross contamination from the buffet (the hash browns and sausages were not gluten free). Any reputable place won’t mind doing this.
The hotel was in a great location, only a few minutes walk down into Covent Garden and where the theatres we were visiting were located. There was a Sainsbury’s Local a couple of minutes away, a bus stop outside the door, and Holborn tube station was nearby.
