LDNGuide
The Best Restaurants Near The British Museum
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Going to one of London’s museums 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. These are the best spots to hit after spending a few hours at the British Museum.
THE SPOTS
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Café Deco feels more like a gastronomically gifted friend’s house than anything fancy. The intimate restaurant on Store Street is sort of British and sort of European, and always relaxingly full of murmuring conversations and spoons getting stuck into chicken broth with dumplings, or apple fritters and ice cream. It’s one of the rare London restaurants where a doomsday timer to make way isn’t placed over your head as soon as you sit down. In fact, you’ll more than likely want to stay here forever.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Getting a plate of fragrant coconut rice and all the trimmings—ayam masak merah, say, and beef rendang—from Dapur is just the ticket for anyone who’s looking for a midweek pick-me-up. The daytime cafe has a selection of Malaysian curries to choose from, but the familiar (the rendang) and the fiery (chicken in a tomato chilli sauce) are go-tos. There are a handful of tables inside and plenty on the pavement outside. Days at the museum rarely get better than this.
photo credit: Giulia Verdinelli
There’s nothing like a day spent looking at stolen artefacts finished by enjoying something that’s legitimately British. The Fryer’s Delight isn’t just one of the best-known chippies in Bloomsbury, but one of the most celebrated in central London. Not only for its glowing red formica booths, its mountainous piles of hand-cut chips, and its paddle-sized pieces of fish—but because this place isn’t trying to be old-school. It just is.
photo credit: Giulia Verdinelli
You’ve just spent six hours—yes, six—at the British Museum with your uncle because it was either that or five and a half hours of silence after you’ve checked in on their latest Top Gear opinions. Head for the excitement of Abeno, an okonomiyaki spot with some great Japanese dishes they cook on the hot plate at your table. That’s right, a meal and a show. They serve everything from yaki gyoza, prawn soba, and kaki age tempura.
photo credit: Giulia Verdinelli
We love the British Museum. Mostly because it’s the perfect cover story for our addiction to Master Wei’s traditional cold liangpi noodles. At this point everyone close to us thinks that we’ve developed a manic passion for coins from the Roman empire but, instead, it’s bouncy hand-pulled noodles. The Xi’anese spot serves some of the best Chinese food in London and the best part is everything from those liangpi noodles to their beef biang biang noodles are completely affordable.
photo credit: Karolina Wiercigroch
If Noble Rot was an exhibition, it would be that one you leave with a gallant smile, life changed for the better, and a profound need to text your parents that you understand what they meant when you were 17. This wine bar and restaurant in Bloomsbury is our highest-rated spot for a reason, and whether you stop by for a glass of wine and some snacks or for a three-course meal, you’re guaranteed an excellent time. And more importantly, some excellent bread.
