LDNGuide

Where To Eat Along The Pride Parade

From click-and-collect bao in Soho to London’s best gelato, here’s where to line your stomach as you celebrate.
Rémy Martin

photo credit: Giulia Verdinelli

Ah, Pride month. It’s that time of year when we reflect on Stonewall, celebrate more than 50 years since the first UK Pride parade, and inevitably end up at Heaven trying to work out if that equally inebriated person is winking at you or just has glitter in their eyes. You’re going to dance, you’re going to sing Padam Padam, but inevitably, you’re also going to need to eat. From sweet treat specials that’ll cool you down to the best grab-and-go stomach-liners along the parade route, here’s all the food intel you need to have the best Pride possible. 


The Best Options Along (And Around) The Pride Parade Route

photo credit: Giulia Verdinelli

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Brenda Howard—a.k.a. The Mother of Pride—probably didn’t envision you kicking off your Pride route with a hefty lobster roll. Would she approve? We hope so. Hideaway is a particularly boujie cafe and much like its glorious fine dining big sister, Hide, this place can be pricey. But if you’re looking for a celebratory takeaway to start your day in style, hit it up for the lobster roll and one of the specialist iced coffees. FYI it’s a 10-minute stroll from the parade starting point at Hyde Park Corner.


Buttmitzvah party on Broadwick Street? It’d be rude not to. Get involved in all the chair-lifting, stuffed pita action over at Miznon. The Israeli restaurant has teamed up with Buttmitzvah for Pride to raise funds for trans awareness charity Not A Phase. Expect a party of epic proportions with drag performances, DJ sets, and klezmer music from 12pm-4pm. Plus, pitas stuffed with things like caramelised cauliflower and laden with tahini and pickles.


Right, so you’ve merrily followed the parade along Piccadilly towards Green Park but you also appear to have misplaced three friends and your sunglasses. It’s time to go rogue and refuel. The best gelato in London is conveniently located opposite Archer Street’s pre-Pride brunch party. Grab a blood orange scoop from Gelupo, then get involved in the bottomless pizza and prosecco. There’ll also be performances from drag queens.


photo credit: Giulia Verdinelli

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Ice cream is a good start, but you probably need to continue topping up your sugar levels before unleashing your best self on Trafalgar Square. Bake has matcha soft serve and a wide range of pastries. Can you see where we’re going with this? The sheer quantity of sweet treats behind the till might be a little overwhelming, but know that you’re primarily here for the taiyaki—a fish-shaped Japanese cone—that comes packed with anything from custard to that creamy soft serve.


Along the Trafalgar Square leg of the route, before you hit the Charing Cross home straight, things can get a little congested. If you need to duck out for a breather, head for Bao on Lexington Street—a 10-minute stroll away. You can place your confit pork bao and Taiwanese fried chicken order ahead of time and collect. And if the weather’s nice, grab one of their signature Horlicks ice cream bao too. It’s also a great shout if you’ve got tickets for the grandstand later in the day and want to take some stellar snacks along.


Another Soho click-and-collect option, only this time you can give yourself the most profound acid reflux of your life by taking a pizza for a celebratory walk to Trafalgar Square. Dean Street is the original location of this Neapolitan pizza mini-chain and it’s still a go-to for chewy, thick-crusted pizzas with a thin and saucy centre. The margherita is under a tenner and it’s an absolute no-brainer if it’s 1pm, your whole group forgot to eat breakfast, and are no longer sure if G&T tinnies count as lunch.


Pride-goers are directed to exit the parade via Whitehall Place, so you can either loop back to the main celebrations at Trafalgar Square, or continue along Embankment to Toklas Bakery before heading home from Temple station. This Aldwych bakery has a display of sweet and savoury pastries—pistachio cream laminated brioche, ham and cheese pain suisse, and your classic pain au chocolat. But one of our favourite things to get from this inviting spot is the strecci. A Roman-style pizza slice topped with excellent combinations like leek and crème fraîche, or potato and olive tapenade.


Where To Eat After The Parade (If That’s Your Thing)

The likelihood of you actually going for dinner after the parade is quite minimal. We know that. You know that. The bouncer at Heaven knows that. But if you’re taking a more chill approach to the parade this year, rounding off the day with silk handkerchief fun is a great idea. Trust us, it’s as seductive as it sounds. Bancone’s signature silk handkerchief dish is basically deconstructed lasagne sheets, complete with walnut butter and confit egg yolk. All of the pasta here will hit the mark though. If the Covent Garden location is fully booked, try to get a table at the other location in Soho.


photo credit: Lucy Richards

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Club Mexicana

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Do you need a little rest? If the answer is no, move along. Run wild into the night, we salute you. But if you’re scrolling this guide while performing the classic monologue “my back hurts” then Club Mexicana is a great place to sit, refuel, and eat vegan tacos. A Mexican restaurant in Kingly Court, the pleasantly buzzing atmosphere is still lively enough that you won’t feel like your day is coming to an abrupt end. And it’ll also offer you the opportunity to drink enough frozen margaritas to make you feel like you could meet up with your mates on Dean Street after all.


Oh look, it’s 2am and that loaf of Soreen you bought from the Tesco on Waterloo Place has seemingly not done the trick. Hungry post-parade reveller, meet Old Town 97. Old Town 97, meet hungry post-parade reveller. We have a feeling you’re going to get along. The classic Chinatown establishment has a 3:30am closing time, so you can rock up here and eat stir-fried duck in black bean sauce or the wonton noodles prior to facing the journey home. Plus, there are plenty of big group tables so go ahead and declare this your roasted meats afterparty.

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