Here are the very best things to eat in London in a week

Planning what to eat in London in a week? Here’s a day by day itinerary built from restaurants, hotels and cafes I’ve loved on the blog. It has London markets, skyline moments, noodles, pasta, roasts, and a frankly silly number of desserts.

Use this list of what to eat in London as your edible roadmap to unlock the best that the city has to offer. Each day balances a ‘wow’ meal with easy bites nearby, while also leaving room for you discover your own happy accidents.

What to eat in London in a week at a glance

• TĪNG, The Shard for lamb with sweetbreads and skyline views
• Chinatown for hand-pulled noodles, roast duck, bubble tea
• Sticks’n’Sushi for sushi platters and ebi bites
• Afternoon tea at Ritz or Claridge’s or Shangri-La
• Fabrique for Swedish cardamom buns
• Lina Stores King’s Cross for truffle tagliolini, lamb ragu pappardelle and the best grilled prawns in London
• Laduree for pistachio and salted caramel macarons
• Fallow, St James’s for corn ribs
• Portrait Restaurant at the National Portrait Gallery for whole artichoke, London views, and fabulous paintings
• Kaia at The Ned for bottomless sushi brunch.
• Pick & Cheese for conveyor-belt cheese flight
• Hefaure for fluffy Japanese souffle pancakes.
• Shack-Fuyu for kinako matcha French toast.
• Brick Lane for hot salt beef beigels with mustard and gherkin.
• Japanese cheesecake – soft, jiggly goodbye (see guide).

Day 1. Start on a high with some epic London food and views

Dinner: TĪNG at Shangri-La, The Shard
Arrive in London and start your culinary journey at the top. Head to TĪNG at Shangri-La, The Shard to take in some spectacular views. When you’re done, order the lamb with sweetbreads, turnip and horseradish puree, and baby turnips.

Read more – Affordable restaurants in London with a view

Day 2.Chinatown grazing and an easy dinner

Lunch: Chinatown crawl
Head to London’s Chinatown and choose your own eating adventure from the many restaurants and stalls. You could watch hand-pulled noodles being slapped and stretched, then order a bowl.

Read more – The Best Food in Chinatown London According to TikTok

Or, if the mood takes you, order roast duck over rice and finish with something sweet like a bubble waffle. If you’re flagging, grab a Hong Kong milk tea and keep going.

Dinner: Sticks’n’Sushi
Come evening, head to Sticks’n’Sushi for delicious sushi, sashimi and grilled skewers.

Read more – our review of Sticks’n’Sushi

Start with Ebi Bites (the crispy prawn ones you can’t stop eating), add Beef Tataki, and then pick a little row of yakitori sticks. The tsukune chicken meatballs and miso black cod are particularly good here.

Day 3. Afternoon tea, then something sweet and Scandinavian

Afternoon tea: choose your mood
Take your pick from London’s best afternoon teas. In the mood for tradition and pomp? Try The Ritz or Claridge’s.

Or would you prefer something more modern? In that case, the afternoon tea at the Corinthia is for you. Wherever you go, ask for window table.

Read more – Best afternoon tea in London (quick picks and booking tips)

Evening snack: Swedish cinnamon buns
You probably won’t need a full dinner after tea, so swing by Fabrique, a Swedish bakery, for a still-warm kanelbulle.

Read more – Where to eat the best Swedish buns in London

The swirl of cinnamon and cardamom wrapped around these Swedish buns is to die for.

Day 4. King’s Cross carbs (come hungry), plus patisserie and macarons

Lunch: Lina Stores King’s Cross
Head to Lina Stores in Kins Cross for their delicious Italian menu. You could stick to the a la carte, or try the Festa da Lina set menu. Open with juicy tuna crudo and rosemary focaccia.

Then pace yourself through the massive pasta course, featuring pappardelle with lamb sausage ragu, golden 30-egg-yolk tagliolini with black truffle and Parmigiano, and Jerusalem artichoke and ricotta ravioli with pine nuts and lemon. Yum! Best of all though are the gamberi grigliati (grilled prawns with datterini tomatoes). They’re delicate and incredibly sweet, in the best way.

Afternoon treat: Laduree, Covent Garden
One of the best things to eat in London is anything from the Laduree dessert menu. Or, pick macarons from their delectable macaron bar.

Read more – The Most Scrumptious French Macarons in London

We like pistachio and salted caramel the best.

Day 5. Modern eats for lunch, art galleries at dinner

Lunch: Fallow, St James’s
Head to Fallow for big flavour cooking with a playful streak. Order the smoked cod’s head with sriracha butter (trust me on this), the corn ribs if they’re on, and the aged beef tartare with crisp potatoes.

Dinner: Portrait Restaurant at the National Portrait Gallery
Glide up to the top floor of the National Portrait Gallery and request a window table. Here, you’ll enjoy more sweeping views of the city along with some of the best food to eat in London.

Read more – lunch with a view at the National Portrait Gallery

Start with the whole globe artichoke, followed with grilled steak with layered potato cake. And when you’re done eating, you can spend the rest of the day checking out the art.

Day 6. Brunch, cheese on a conveyor belt, and two excellent desserts

Brunch: Kaia at The Ned
The bottomless sushi brunch is one of the best things to eat in London, full of the freshest nigiri, maki, and hot plates.

Snack: Pick & Cheese (Seven Dials Market)
Yes, it’s now time for cheese on a conveyor belt and yes, it’s as fun as it sounds. Grab a couple of stools, and pick plates filled with different cheeses as they swirl past.

Dessert 1: Hefaure Japanese pancakes
Pop into Hefaure for fluffy Japanese souffle pancakes topped with cream or fruit. They jiggle, they wobble, they make everyone smile.

Read more – The Fluffiest Japanese Pancakes in London – Hefaure vs Fuwa Fuwa

Dessert 2: Shack-Fuyu matcha French toast

Or, head to Shack-Fuyu in nearby Soho to try their fabulous Kinako French Toast, with soft-serve matcha ice cream. Hubba hubba.

Read more about the Matcha French toast at Shack-Fuyu

Day 7. Food Market, cult sandwich, and a cloud-soft finale

Morning graze: Borough Market
Head to the best food market in London to try some of the best things to eat in the city. Hit Kappacasein for the molten grilled-cheese toastie, shuck a couple of oysters, and grab a Bread Ahead doughnut to go.

Read more about what to eat in Borough Market

Lunch: Brick Lane salt-beef beigel
Head to Brick Lane and join the queue at Beigel Bake for one of best things to eat in London. The hot salt beef beigels with mustard and gherkin are meaty, chewy and satisfying.

Final dessert: Japanese cheesecake
End with a cloud – otherwise known as a jiggly Japanese cheesecake.

Read more: Where To Eat Jiggly Japanese Cheesecake In London

FAQs on what to eat in London in a week

Do I need to book restaurants in London?
Book the big hitters (afternoon tea, skyline dinners like TING, weekend brunch, Portrait). For markets, Chinatown and Seven Dials, walk-ins are fine if you go early or off peak.

What time do Londoners eat dinner?
Most sit down from around 6:30pm. If you want emptier rooms and better light, go early, and night owls can often snag late tables after 9pm.

Is tap water safe to drink?
Yes. Ask for tap water and it’ll arrive, no fuss and no charge.

How expensive is eating out?
Markets/Chinatown can be £15 to £25 per person. Hotel teas and view restaurants are higher. Menus change often, so check current pricing before you book.

Do I need to tip?
Many places add a discretionary 12.5% service charge to the bill, so no need to tip further.

Where should I stay for food?
Anywhere with fast Tube links. Soho/Covent Garden for central grazing or London Bridge for Borough Market and the Shard.

I’m vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free. Will I be okay?
Yes. Most modern spots and hotel teas have dedicated menus if you flag it when booking. Chinatown and markets offer plenty of meat free options too.

Can I eat late after a show?
In theatreland, many kitchens take last orders around 10pm. Look for late-serving spots in Soho/Chinatown, or plan an earlier dinner before the show and dessert after.

Hope you’ve enjoyed reading my recommendations for what to eat in London in a week. Let me know if you ended up going to any of them and what you thought.