Going to London’s museums and art galleries is one of the best ways to spend a day in this city. But it’s also a lot of effort. There’s all that standing, the countless thoughtful head tilts, and the anxiety of pretending you know the difference between cubism and expressionism. That’s why it’s important to go to the right restaurants that are not only nearby, but where you can sit down, relax, refuel, and Google whether that painting you saw was of a fruit basket or a parrot. These are the best spots to hit after spending a few hours at Tate Britain.
THE SPOTS
photo credit: Ben Venuti
Great sarnies and suntrap seating out front makes Ben Venuti the perfect spot for a gallery debrief between mouthfuls of pillowy focaccia. The Italian deli is retro—in a racing green storefront, Pimlico-type of way—and you can watch as slices of coppa and prosciutto are cut to order and fresh mozzarella is plucked out of its little water bath and torn open. Meals here should finish with perfectly bronzed cannoli shells piped with silky smooth pistachio cream, and a discussion about whether or not the pile of sawdust you stared at for 10 minutes was actually part of the exhibition.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
There’s being cultured, and then there’s visiting a gallery and a museum in one day. If you fall into the latter camp, and are probably Gillian Anderson-levels of sophisticated, you’ll love this peaceful canteen. The Garden Museum Cafe is a pared-back room where you can eat wild garlic fritti with tarragon mayonnaise while looking out over a leafy courtyard dating back to around 1062. The menu changes weekly but is always full of wonderful modern British things, like gutsy slices of homemade brawn or umami-rich venison mince and mash.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Yes, you saw some fabulous Barbara Hepworth sculptures, but this crispy chicken doused in a honey mustard sauce and topped with a small mountain of thinly sliced spring onion is worthy of being admired too. Daebak is one of those excellent little places where locals pop in for a takeaway spicy pork and egg bibimbap and groups order fried udon. But if you only have one dish at this Korean spot, get the fried chicken. It’s well worth the 15-minute walk from the Tate.
photo credit: Karolina Wiercigroch
A peak day spent beside the Thames and at Tate Britain, deserves to be followed by a peak British all-day breakfast at the Regency Cafe. This is London’s best-known old-school caff and it’s also just a 10-minute wander from the art gallery. The portions are generous and the shouts from the kitchen—“EXTRA BLACK PUDDING, HASH BROWNS, TWO EGGS”—regular.
photo credit: Karolina Wiercigroch
Galleries are largely peaceful places. London is largely not. So if you’re looking for a restaurant that will maintain your thoughtful and zen-like state, then you should head to Lorne for some mackerel tartare or stuffed courgette flowers. This restaurant between Pimlico and Victoria bills itself as 'modern British'. So expect artfully delicate (but flavour-filled) plates of meat and fish, in a light and plant-filled room that whispers: “exhale”.
