HUGE mistakes not to make when dining out in London
If it’s your first time visiting London, there are lots of rules and cultural differences you need to know when eating out in London, or when having a drink at the pub or a bar, and even when doing afternoon tea or Sunday Roast. So in this video I tell you about the mistakes and how to avoid them so you can avoid any embarrassing situations or cultural faux pas.
HUGE thanks to ✨ WalksDevour ✨ for making this video possible, we couldn’t do it without their support. WalksDevour are THE tour company I always recommend for high-quality, small group walking and food tours in London, Paris and other cities around Europe. Have a look at what they offer in London and beyond, including one of my favourites I talk about in the video, their historic pubs food tour: https://www.walksdevour.com/london/tours/historic-pubs-food-tour/?tap_a=29774-b9abbb&tap_s=3785930-6e9cba&tm_mistakes-eating-yt=spon-desclink
Skip to a chapter:
00:27 – Mistakes you’ll make in London restaurants
3:30 – Mistakes not to make in London pubs
10:03 – Mistakes not to make at afternoon tea
13:30 – Mistakes you’ll make doing Sunday Roast
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24 Comments
We were in London just last month, and being the ignorant, unsophisticated oaf that I am, experienced all the things you mentioned for restaurants and pubs. Now, I did know about self ordering in the pubs, so when I did that, the experience was smooth and easy. When we were in the dining area or in a restaurant, we experienced nothing but angst and confusion. But, now I know better, so our experience should improve next time. And, even though we have been home for only several weeks, my better 95% is already on my case to plan our next trip. I must say I prefer to eat in the pub area rather than the dining room, as the vibe is, for me, much more enhanced. Sitting in the George in Southwark, or the Prospect of Whitby in Wapping, among the rowdy hordes is to me, much more enjoyable than the rather staid, prosaic, atmosphere of the dining rooms. This next time we are definitely doing a pub Sunday Roast; when we had it before, it was at Hawksmoor Borough Market and left us a little underwhelmed. We will probably do it at the Prospect of Whitby. I love your videos, and always learn something useful that we can use on our trips. Cheers!
Love the advice you give to non Londoners who are coming to this fantastic city for the first time! Have a wonderful Happy Sunday Love and London. ❤
So helpful! You know what I think would be a cute/fun video idea…an updated “dating in London” video. I’m so curious 😂 Everytime I visit I always feel like it’s easier to meet people but maybe it’s just the novelty of being foreign 😂 in Cali the dating pool is so tough so I’m so curious what it’s like in London! Like where do yall go, where are the best places to meet people, all that!
Will be visiting London for first time in 20 years. Am so looking forward to seeing my old town after so many years. Coming in September for 6 week visit to the UK
Excellent video.
Happy Sunday! Enjoying the Channel! We have the World Cup going on! Over here in the USA. July 4th next 🎉Jess. One day need to Travel to London.
We are coming to London next week and your series has been amazing! Thank you for your dedication to making visitors to London trips amazing!
Hey Jess, Australia pretty much mirrors the UK with pub and restaurant meal experiences.
One big difference is we don't usually refer these days to a 'Sunday' Roast, although it is a family tradition.
Many pubs often have a 'roast of the day' on the menu 7 days a week. Aren't we lucky!
Was in London , Liverpool , Chester, and Dublin , and Belfast . The food and beer was not that good. Breakfast at all the Hilton’s we stay at was also not that good, good service . The best meal we had was a Ti restaurant and Chester. Food for thought ……. Had a great time and will go back soon. Love UK❤
Hello Jess, my reliable London expert and fellow vegetarian !! And you explain things oh so well !!! What happened no outtakes this time lol… I did learn from you about the utensils and to place them on the plate not on the side on a napkin, like I sometimes do in American restaurants. And lol I did learn the hard way to ask for the bill and I certainly have that down now.. With all of my trips to London and having a Sunday Roast on my listing, I have still not had that experience. So in 2027 I will make a strong effort to make it happen !! Now I am a rare breed. All my trips I do not go to Pubs, drink coffee or tea, alcohol, but I love London so much and yes I can thoroughly enjoy being there without those things. See you on your next one -Never miss them !!
Superb tips! Stay cool in the summer heat, Jessica.
it wasn't that long ago that most British pubs had 2 separate bars, a public bar and a saloon/lounge bar, these have all but disappeared as far as I know, either opened up in to one larger bar or maybe a dining area.
There's no tradition of families going to the pub to eat, children weren't allowed in pubs until fairly recently and again full meals/sunday roasts are a very modern addition, pubs just didn't have catering facilities… all of these recent changes are to help pubs survive as more and more people simply drink at home now.
Beauty ❤❤
Asking for the bill is normal not only in the UK but in most European countries. There are two main reasons for that 1. A meal with friends isn’t just about the food, it’s about social conviviality, which does not end when the dessert is finished and customers expect that to be respected. 2. American restaurants are geared to maximise table turnover which maximises revenue and American diners seem to accept that but, while European restaurateurs might like that idea, they also know that many customers won’t come back to a restaurant that seems to want them to pay up as soon as possible and to hustle them out to make way for the next diners – so a restaurant’s expectation is that they will get at most two “sittings” in one evening – in fact in many restaurants in France they won’t even expect to get that. Yes, that is one of the reasons why dining out can be more expensive – but back to reason 1, “dining out” is a social occasion worth paying for, not just a means of eating.
Wow that's new you gotta put your fork and knife on the empty plate to let the server know your done eating at least now I know when I come there next year
For vegan/vegetarian afternoon tea I can't recommend Rubens at the Palace more, it was super good and we loved it.
The buying the staff a drink thing (usually worded as "and one for yourself?") is usually done at smaller pubs in the smaller towns and villages and usually by the regulars rather than tourists, though I haven't seen it done for ages. The the barman will tell you what he would like and charge you accordingly. It's usually somethinng like a half pint of beer rather than a glass of Champagne.
If you want a roast on other days of the week, look for a Toby Carvery. It's usually cheaper Monday to Friday and you get a choice of three meats (you can even have a bit of all three) plus a Yorkshire and unlimited potatoes and veg. It's served from lunchtime to closing time at night as well.
Plz don’t use ai ❤
knife and fork
I had the best time at some of the best restaurants in London for about 6 – 9 months I got free food at everywhere i ate. The server would come up and say something like they were not happy with the service provided to me tonight so they would then knock the mela off the bill. Same thing happened to me in a few other places that year. One place was so sad they could not seat me before their opening, they gave me vouchers for 2 free meals and 3 free drinks. That was they year it was cheaper for me to go to London and eat, than it was for me to buy my food at Tesco's. I didn't pay for fuel then either. I was so sad when i had to break the streak of free food. Sadly I had to break it for something i had booked. Maybe next year it will happen again. I wonder if I should share that secret of how to go to expensive restaurants and end up being told that the bill had been taken care of.
You don't have to eat Afternoon Tea in the correct order, but if you don't, you'll miss out on the authentic experience.
I’ve done the rare teas in my opinion they they’re overated , – stick to the proper Brits normal – Darjeeling style or alternatively the basic Yorkshire tea- if you want a real Sunday roast or fish and chips – then don’t bother with London ( some great meals to be had absolutely but ) the price is approximately 4 x more – get a train to a costal town = Whitby a few short hours from London and twice as good for less than half the price – village pubs have the best roasts in my humble opinion.
Thank you for another helpful video! I am excited to return to London in 2 weeks to celebrate 65th birthday! I am eating at the fabled French House and tea at the Ritz and knowing how to act in different countries with different rules of etiquette is always very helpful! 🙂