Eat and Drink
Westminster and the West End
Westminster Abbey and Around
Buckingham Palace and Around
National Gallery and Around
Covent Garden and Around
Bloomsbury and Regent’s Park
British Museum and Around
ZSL London Zoo and Around
The City and the East End
Tower of London and Around
St Paul’s Cathedral and Around
Museum of London and Around
Southwark and the South Bank
Shakespeare’s Globe and Around
HMS Belfast and Around
London Eye and Around
Kensington, Chelsea & Battersea
Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park and Around
Science Museum and Around
Battersea Park and Around
Beyond the City Centre
Greenwich and Around
V&A Museum of Childhood and Around
Kenwood House and Around
Horniman Museum and Around
Kew Gardens and Around
Day Trips
Hampton Court Palace
Windsor Castle
Westminster Abbey
Eat and Drink
Picnic: under £20; Snacks: £20–40; Real meal: £40–60; Family treat: £60 or more (based on a family of four)
Picnic
Le Pain du Jour (10 Strutton Ground, SW1P 2HP; 020 7222 3722; 7:30am–4pm Mon–Fri) is the pick of a parade of sandwich places along Strutton Ground, near St James’s Park tube. Eat by the lake in St James’s Park.
Snacks
Wesley’s Café (Central Hall Westminster, Storey’s Gate, SW1H 9NH; 020 7222 8010; 8am–4pm Mon–Fri, 9am–4pm Sat & Sun) is located downstairs at the Methodist Central Hall and serves hot and cold meals, as well as paninis, salads and sandwiches. It also offers a wide range of cakes, scones and biscuits in the afternoon.
Enjoying lunch at Wesley’s Café, Methodist Central Hall
Real meal
There are limited options near Parliament Square so try The Clarence (53 Whitehall, SW1A 2HP; 020 7930 4808; noon–11pm Mon–Sat, noon–10:30pm Sun), a scrubbed-up gastropub with half-price children’s dishes (£5), including beef stew and gammon and eggs.
Family treat
The Rex Whistler Restaurant at Tate Britain (020 7887 8825; 11:30am–5pm daily) is a posh pillared dining room with food to match. One child under 13 can lunch for free with an adult eating a main and a dessert à la carte (£20–25). The murals, painted by Whistler in 1927, when he was still a student, make a jolly talking point.
Houses of Parliament
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Jubilee Café, off Westminster Hall (10am–5:30pm Mon–Fri, till 6pm Sat), is lovely, but open only to tour and debate goers.
Real Meal
Wagamama, (76–98 Victoria Street, SW1E 5JD; 020 7828 0561) in Cardinal Place shopping centre, has a kids’ menu and outdoor seating.
Tate Britain
Eat and Drink
Snacks
The Café has a kids’ menu.
Family treat
The Rex Whistler Restaurant offers a free meal for one child under 13 when an adult orders two courses à la carte.
Churchill War Rooms
Eat and Drink
Snacks
The Switch Room Café, halfway through the tour, sells main dishes and snacks.
Banqueting House
Eat and Drink
Picnic
Pret A Manger (1 Whitehall, SW1A 2DD; 020 7932 5216) offers eat in or out sandwiches and salads.
Buckingham Palace
Eat and Drink
Picnic: under £20; Snacks: £20–40; Real meal: £40–60; Family treat: £60 or more (based on a family of four)
Picnic
Inn the Park (St James’s Park; 020 7451 9999; www.innthepark.com; 8am–11am, noon–4:30pm, 6–11pm daily) is a lakeside eatery in the park, with wide windows and an eco-friendly turf roof. The children’s menu is pricey but there are tasty “grab and go” sandwiches and luscious cakes that are perfect for eating on the surrounding lawns.
Snacks
The Parlour Restaurant at Fortnum & Mason (181 Piccadilly, W1A 1ER; 0845 300 1707; www.fortnumandmason.com; 10am–7:30pm Mon–Sat, noon–5:30pm Sun) does superb ice-cream sundaes and hot chocolate, and has a handy toasted sandwich menu for under-8s.
Real meal
The Café at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (020 7930 8619; noon–11pm Wed, noon–1am Thu–Sat, noon–9pm Sun), on The Mall, is a cool alternative to the chain restaurants on nearby Haymarket. No children’s menu, but smaller portions of pasta and burgers on request. High chairs and baby-changing facilities, too.
Family treat
Benihana (37 Sackville Street, W1S 3DQ; 020 7494 2525; www.benihana.co.uk; noon–3pm daily, 5:30–10:30pm Mon–Sat; 5–10pm Sun) is cooking as theatre: the Japanese dishes sizzle up spectacularly on a teppan hot-plate at your table.
The Royal Mews
Eat and Drink
Picnic
Crumpets (82 Buckingham Gate, SW1E 6PD) offers good sandwiches, toasted sandwiches… and, of course, crumpets.
Snacks
Le Signore (4 Palace Street, SW1E 5HY) is a reliable Italian café.
Guards Museum
Eat and Drink
Picnic
A kiosk by St James’s Park lake (Palace end) sells snacks and ices.
Snacks
Caffé Grana (St James’s Park tube station) sells snacks and hot food.
Royal Institution
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Laduree (71 Burlington Arcade, W1J 0QX; www.laduree.fr/) was established in Paris in 1862 and is a temple to French macaroons.
Family treat
Ri Bar + Kitchen at the museum has good-value set lunches. There is a less formal cafe too.
National Gallery
Eat and Drink
Picnic: under £20; Snacks: £20–40; Real meal: £40–60; Family treat: £60 or more (based on a family of four)
Picnic
Buy supplies from the Tesco Metro supermarket behind St Martin’s Lane (22–25 Bedford Street, WC2E 9EQ; 0845 677 9173; 8am–midnight Mon–Fri, 7:30am–11pm Sat, noon–6pm Sun) and walk down to Victoria Embankment Gardens for a picnic.
Snacks
The Café in the Crypt (Trafalgar Square, WC2N 4JJ; 020 7766 1158; www.smitf.org; 8am–8pm Mon–Tues; 8am–10.30pm Wed (jazz night ticket holders only after 7:30pm); 8am–9pm Thu–Sat; 11am–6pm Sun) serves super-fresh canteen-style dishes in the crypt of St Martin-in-the-Fields church.
Real meal
Ed’s Easy Diner (London Trocadero, 19 Rupert Street, W1D 7PA; 020 7287 1951; www.edseasydiner.com; daily noon till late) is a temple to 1950s Americana, with hotdogs, shakes and retro jukeboxes at every table.
Family treat
Portrait Restaurant (National Portrait Gallery; 020 7312 2490; www.npg.org.uk; 10am–5pm daily; 5:30–8:30pm Thu–Sat) offers half-size portions of its dishes for kids, with fantastic views of Admiral Nelson in Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, and the London Eye. Book well in advance for Saturday night dining.
Trafalgar Square
Eat and Drink
Snacks
The Café on the Square (10am–6pm daily), under the central staircase, is a good lunch option.
Real meal
Leon (73–6 Strand), part of a chain of burgeoning “healthy fast food” restaurants, is in striking range.
National Portrait Gallery
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Portrait Café (Floor -2) offers light snacks and meals.
Real meal
Portrait Restaurant (Floor 3) is a great option for à la carte with a view.
Benjamin Franklin House
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Patisserie Pompidou (35 Villiers St, WC2N 6ND; 020 7839 6010), sells salads and sandwiches.
Real meal
Lupita (13 Villiers St, WC2N 6ND; 020 7930 5355) dishes up Mexican fare in kid-friendly tasting portions.
Leicester Square
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Häagen-Dazs Café (14 Leicester Square WC2H 7NG; 020 7287 9577) has sumptuous ice cream.
Real meal
Little Lamb (72 Shaftesbury Ave, W1D 6NA) offers the chance to cook your own meal – dip titbits into communal hot and spicy broth (messy fun, best for older kids).
Piccadilly Circus
Eat and Drink
Picnic
Millies (Trocadero Centre, W1D 7DH) sells freshly baked cookies and ice cream.
Real meal
The Rainforest Café (20 Shaftesbury Ave, W1D 7EU) is an extraordinary themed restaurant, set in an animatronic jungle with monsoon soundtrack. Queues at weekends.
Hamleys
Eat and Drink
Picnic
Fairgrounds Café (74 Broadwick Street) has cakes and pastries.
Snacks
Regal Tea Café (top floor) invites kids to design their own dishes.
Covent Garden
Eat and Drink
Picnic: under £20; Snacks: £20–40; Real meal: £40–60; Family treat: £60 or more (based on a family of four)
Picnic
Kastner & Ovens (52 Floral St, WC2E 9DA; 8am–5pm weekdays) does fabulous quiches, pies, salads and mouth-watering cakes to take away. Pick up some treats for a picnic on the jaunty benches in Neal’s Yard.
Snacks
Who does Covent Garden’s best cupcakes? The classic choice is Ella’s Bakehouse (20a The Piazza, WC2E 8RB; 10am–7pm Mon–Sat; 10am–6pm Sun), a dapper 1950s-style place. There are plenty of other options nearby to satiate a sweet tooth. There’s only one way to find out which one is best…
Real meal
Masala Zone (48 Floral St, WC2E 9DA; 020 7379 0101; noon–11pm Mon–Sat, 12:30–10:30pm Sun) is a great option for Indian fare. The restaurant is super-friendly, its ceiling all a-dangle with Rajasthani puppets, and serves an authentic thali platter for kids.
Family treat
Wahaca (66 Chandos Place, WC2N 4HG; 020 7240 1883; noon–11pm Mon–Sat, noon–10:30pm Sun) offers a zingy take on Mexican cuisine, serving up authentic street food. There are child-size portions, high chairs and baby-changing facilities.
St Paul’s Church
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Paul (29 Bedford Street, WC2E 9ED) offers sumptuous pastries and cakes.
Real meal
Gourmet Burger Kitchen (13–14 Maiden Lane, WC2E 7NE) has fine tasty burgers.
Royal Opera House
Eat and Drink
Snacks
The rooftop terrace at the Amphitheatre Bar serves light lunches 10am–3pm.
Real meal
Zizzi (20 Bow St, WC2E 7AW) serves up scrumptious pizzas.
Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Eat and Drink
Picnic
Hope and Greenwood (1 Russell St, WC2B 5JD) sells old-fashioned sweets.
Real meal
Boswell’s (8 Russell St, WC2B 5HZ) offers sandwiches, salads, pastries and more.
London Transport Museum
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Upper Deck café-bar in lobby serves quick bites.
Family treat
Rules (35 Maiden Lane, WC2E 7LB; 020 7836 5314) serves classic British dishes.
Somerset House
Eat and Drink
Snacks
The Café at the Courtauld is cosy, with a patio garden, funky teapots and yummy cakes.
Real meal
Tom’s Kitchen, in the Embankment wing, serves brasserie food in a refectory-style area, run by Michelin-starred chef Tom Aikens.
Sir John Soane’s Museum
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Paul (296–298 High Holborn, WC1V 7JH) offers filled baguettes and patisserie.
Real meal
Strada (6 Great Queen Street, WC2B 5DH) does pizzas and classic Italian food.
Hunterian Museum
Eat and Drink
Picnic
Caffè Nero (77d Kingsway, WC2B 6ST) serves sandwiches and snacks.
Snacks
Fleet River Bakery (71 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, WC2A 3JF) does sandwiches, salads and soup.
St Clement Danes
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Caffè Nero (181 Strand, WC2R 1EA), serves sandwiches and snacks.
Real meal
The Courtauld Gallery Cafè (150 Somerset House, WC2R 0NR; daily 10am-5:40pm) is cooler, with quirky crockery and big cakes.
British Museum
Eat and Drink
Picnic: under £20; Snacks: £20–40; Real meal: £40–60; Family treat: £60 or more (based on a family of four)
Picnic
Little Waitrose (227-233 Tottenham Court Road W1T 7QF; 0800 184 884) is a smaller version of the British supermarket chain, selling everything you need for a family picnic. Eat your picnic in the garden in nearby Bloomsbury Square.
Snacks
My Old Dutch (131 High Holborn, WC1V 6PS; 020 7242 5200; www.myolddutch.com) lets kids build their own crêpes – anyone for a pineapple and red chilli pancake? It also does good smoothies and shakes.
Real meal
Meals (196 Tottenham Court Road, W1T 7LQ; 020 7636 1666; www.heals.co.uk), on the first floor of Heals, has child-friendly fare.
Taking a break in the comfortable surroundings of Meals at Heals
Family treat
Hakkasan (8 Hanway Place, W1T 1HD; 020 7927 7000; www.hakkasan.com) is at the forefront of contemporary Chinese cuisine and has a Michelin star. The “small eat” dishes are ideal for kids.
Pollock’s Toy Museum
Eat and Drink
Picnic
Planet Organic (22 Torrington Place, WC1E 7HJ) is a healthy grocery-cum-café – picnic on Bedford Square.
Snacks
Patisserie Valerie (24 Torrington Place, WC1E 7HJ) sells less virtuous, delicious cakes.
Wellcome Collection
Eat and Drink
Snacks
The Museum café offers light lunches, muffins and pies.
British Library
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Peyton & Byrne Café (open daily), upper ground floor, has quality snacks and free Wi-Fi.
Real meal
The first-floor restaurant (9:30am–5pm Mon–Fri; 9:30am–4pm Sat) offers stir-fries and salads.
Foundling Museum
Eat and Drink
Snacks
The Foundling Museum Café does light lunches and cream teas and has a children’s menu.
Real meal
Giraffe (19–21 Brunswick Centre, WC1N 1AF; 020 7812 133) serves burgers, sausages and pizzas and has a kids’ menu.
Charles Dickens Museum
Eat and Drink
Picnic
Buy sandwiches at the small onsite café. Eat in the courtyard garden.
Snacks
Kipferl (www.kipferl.co.uk), at Coram’s Fields playground, is a kiosk café with an Austrian flavour.
London Canal Museum
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Simmons (32 Caledonian Road, N1 9DT) is a tiny, trendy teahouse. Drop in for a pot of tea and a cupcake in the afternoon, or a fruit beer in the evening.
Real meal
Oz Café (53 Caledonian Road, N1 9BU) is a cheery lunchtime diner serving pasta and paninis.
ZSL London Zoo
Eat and Drink
Picnic: under £20; Snacks: £20–40; Real meal: £40–60; Family treat: £60 or more (based on a family of four)
Picnic
Whole Foods Market (49 Parkway, NW1 7PN; 020 7428 7575; www.wholefoodsmarket.com; 8am–9pm Mon–Sat, 9am–9pm Sun) is on the way from Camden Town Tube station to the zoo, with healthy, high-class picnic food. Throw a rug down in Regent’s Park to eat it.
Snacks
Gelato Mio (138 St John’s Wood High Street, NW8 7SE; 020 0011 3889; www.gelatomio.co.uk; 9am–10pm Mon–Fri, 10am–10pm Sat & Sun) serves possibly the tastiest authentic Italian ice creams and sorbets in London. Choose from a wide range of classic flavours.
Choosing between the many mouthwatering flavours of ice cream at Gelato Mio
Real meal
Part of a chain, the Italian restaurant Strada (40–42 Parkway, NW1 7AH; 020 7428 9653, www.strada.co.uk) is a welcoming spot for lunch, with a kids’ menu and activity pack.
Family treat
The Garden Café (Inner Circle, Regent’s Park, NW1 4NU; 020 7935 5729; summer: 10am–9pm; winter: 10am–4pm), is set in an idyllic location in Regent’s Park and specializes in seasonal English cooking – including a set two-course menu for children.
Regent’s Park
Eat and Drink
Picnic
The Cow and Coffee Bean (St Mary’s Gate, Chester Road; 0207 224 3872; 9am–8pm in summer, 10am–3pm in winter) serves a selection of sandwiches, alongside milkshakes, ice cream and delicious cakes.
Snacks
The Honest Sausage (The Broadwalk; 020 7224 3872; 8am–7pm in summer, 9am–4pm in winter) offers breakfast and light lunches, which can be enjoyed on its spacious terrace.
Camden Market
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Yumchaa (91–92 Camden Lock Place, NW1 8AF; www.yumchaa.com) offers a huge variety of teas and cakes.
Jewish Museum
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Banners’ (21 Park Road, N8 8TE; 020 8348 2930) serves breakfast apart from other meals. Children’s menu features unprocessed food.
Real meal
The museum’s Kosher Café (10am–4:30pm Sun–Thu; till 1:30pm Fri) has salt beef, bagels and a kids’ menu.
Madame Tussauds
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Caffè Nero (Marylebone Road, NW1 5LR; 8am–6:30pm Mon–Fri; 9am–7:30pm Sat–Sun) serves small eats.
Real meal
The Boathouse (Boating Lake, Hanover Gate, Regent’s Park, NW1 4NR; 0207 724 4069) sells pizzas, pastas and salads.
Sherlock Holmes Museum
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Caffè Saporito (14 Melcombe Street, NW1 6AH) sells lovely cupcakes.
Real meal
Nando’s (113 Baker Street, W1U 6RS) serves tasty Portuguese-style food.
The Wallace Collection
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Fratelli Deli Café (108 Wigmore Street, W1U 3RW; 020 7487 3100) sells solid Italian staples and tasty light bites.
Real meal
The French-style Wallace Restaurant offers great brasserie lunches, afternoon teas and dinner on Fri and Sat.
Tower of London
Eat and Drink
Picnic: under £20; Snacks: £20–40; Real meal: £40–60; Family treat: £60 or more (based on a family of four)
Picnic
Picnicking is encouraged at the Tower. Try the moat (during the summer months), the benches around the White Tower, or the riverside at Tower Wharf, where award-winning café Apostrophe (daily 8am–6pm) sells super sandwiches.
Snacks
Head for St Katharine’s Dock, and Ebb (Ivory House, E1W 1AT; 020 7702 9792), a cute coffee house by the water that sells good milkshakes and boasts comfortable seats and a vibrant atmosphere.
Real meal
Bodean’s (16 Byward Street, EC3R 5BA; 020 7488 3883; www.bodeansbbq.com; noon–11pm, till 10:30pm Sun) offers sizzling barbecue dishes, as well as delicious salads and vegetarian options. One child eats free with an adult between noon and 5pm daily.
Family treat
The Perkin Reveller (The Wharf, EC3N 4AB; 020 3166 6949; www.perkinreveller.co.uk; 9am–11pm daily, till 5pm Sun & Mon), a modern-day dining hall with views across the Thames, serves delicious meals using seasonal British ingredients.
The Monument
Eat and Drink
Picnic
Jonathan’s Sandwiches (17 Cullum St, EC3M 7JJ), sells excellent salt beef sandwiches.
Snacks
Pod (75 King William St, EC4N 7BE; 020 7283 7460) serves good salads, noodles and wraps.
Leadenhall Market
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Chop’d (1 Leadenhall Mkt, EC3V 1LR), serves hearty but healthy stews, broths and sandwiches.
Real meal
Ortega (26–27 Leadenhall Mkt, EC3R 5AS) gets busy at lunchtime but the tapas are good.
All Hallows by the Tower
Eat and Drink
Picnic
Pret A Manger (12 Byward Street, EC3R 5AS; 7am–6pm Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm Sat–Sun; www.pret.com) offers sandwiches and salads.
Real meal
Pizza Express (1 Byward Street, EC3R 7QN; 11:30am–11pm Mon–Sat, 11:30am–5pm Sun; 020 7626 5025; www.pizzaexpress.com) is a perennial favourite with families.
Tower Bridge
Eat and Drink
Picnic
Eat (2 Tower Hill Terrace, EC3N 4EE; 0871 971 4803) is a chain of sandwich bars selling freshly prepared wraps, salads, sandwiches and juices.
Real meal
Café Rouge (50 St Katharine’s Way, St Katharine’s Dock, E1W 1AA; 020 7702 0195; www.caferouge.co.uk) is a chain French bistro set in a pretty spot beside St Katharine’s Dock.
St Katharine’s Dock
Eat and Drink
Picnic
Kilikya’s (St Katharine’s Dock, E1W 12 AT) serves delicious pastries, mezes, smoothies and freshly squeezed juices.
Real meal
Ping Pong (Tower Bridge House, E1W 1BA) sells tasty, reliable Chinese food.
Whitechapel Gallery
Eat and Drink
Snacks
The gallery’s café-bar claims to make London’s best brownies.
Family treat
For something more upscale, try the Gallery Dining Room
St Paul’s Cathedral
Eat and Drink
Picnic: under £20; Snacks: £20–40; Real meal: £40–60; Family treat: £60 or more (based on a family of four)
Picnic
Tea (1 Paternoster Square, EC4M 7DX; 020 7248 6606) has designer decor and designer brews, along with organic savouries to take away – perhaps into neighbouring Paternoster Square, whose stone benches are broad enough for a full family picnic.
Snacks
Located in the crypt of the cathedral, The Café at St Paul’s (9am–5pm, Sun noon–4pm), is open to all and specializes in classic British food. Pick a ploughman’s lunch from the “Barrow in the Crypt”, with ingredients sourced from Borough Market (see Southwark Cathedral).
Real meal
Lots of options in the One New Change centre, including Byron (17 Upper Cheapside Passage, EC2V 6AG; 020 7246 2580; www.byronhamburgers.com). Serving classy burgers (and knickerbocker glories!), Byron has a dedicated children’s menu that includes all the usual favourites.
Family treat
Barbecoa (20 New Change Passage, EC4M 9AG; 020 3005 8555; www.barbecoa.com; noon–11pm daily) is the hot ticket here, co-owned by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and majoring in chargrilled meats. There are seafood starters and fish of the day. There is no children’s menu but the chef will happily adapt dishes to suit children’s tastes.
Bank of England Museum
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Chop’d (1–3 Leadenhall Market, EC3V 1LR; 0207 626 3706; www.chopd.co.uk; 7am–3pm Mon–Fri) offers all-natural healthy food.
Real meal
Tortilla (28 Leadenhall Market, EC3V 1LR; 0207 929 7837; www.tortilla.co.uk; 11:45am–7pm Mon–Fri) does finger-licking Mexican fast food.
Dr Johnson’s House
Eat and Drink
Picnic
The Natural Kitchen (15–17 New Street Square, EC4A 3AP; 020 7353 5787; www.thenaturalkitchen.com; 7am–9pm Mon–Fri) has a fresh feel to its take-away food.
Real meal
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese (145 Fleet Street, EC4A 2BU; 020 7353 6170) is a 17th-century pub full of character.
Guildhall Art Gallery
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Hummus Bros (128 Cheapside, EC2V 6BT; 020 7726 8011; 11am–9pm Mon–Thu, 11am–4pm Fri) offers hummus and pitta breads with tasty toppings.
Real meal
The Café Below (Cheapside, EC2V 6AU; 020 7329 0789; 7:30am–3pm Mon–Fri) serves imaginative, rustic European dishes in the snug 1,000-year-old crypt of St Mary-le-Bow Church.
Museum of London
Eat and Drink
Picnic: under £20; Snacks: £20–40; Real meal: £40–60; Family treat: £60 or more (based on a family of four)
Picnic
Carluccio’s (12 West Smithfield, EC1A 9JR; 020 7329 5904; www.carluccios.com/caffes/smithfield), just up the road, beside the splendid Victorian halls of Smithfield meat market, offers a generous spread of deli-style delights. Opposite, the shady benches of West Smithfield Park make ideal picnic territory. Postman’s Park is also a good picnic spot.
Snacks
Head towards Smithfield Market, where Farm (91 Cowcross Street, EC1M 6BH; 0207 253 2142; www.farmcollective.com; weekdays only 7am–3:30pm) offers delicious, carefully sourced pies and fishcakes at reasonable prices, served by friendly and efficient staff.
Real meal
The Barbican Foodhall (Barbican Centre, Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS; www.barbican.org.uk/restaurants-bars; 9am–8pm, from 11am–8pm Sun) serves up a variety of no-nonsense main courses and salads in its buffet overlooking the arts centre’s courtyard. There are even a few board games available to keep the kids entertained.
Family treat
The plush burgundy-and-black Malmaison Brasserie (18–21 Charterhouse Square, EC1M 6AH; 020 7012 3700; www.malmaison.com; noon–2:30pm, 6pm–10:15pm) has a serious commitment to sourcing seasonal and local ingredients. It is also a very family-friendly place, offering smaller portions for children on request.
The Sackler Hall coffee shop in the Museum of London.
The Barbican
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Barbican Foodhall (see Real meal) offers deli fare, which can be eaten on its courtyard tables.
Family treat
The Barbican Lounge (Level 1) and Searcy’s (Level 2) are more formal.
Old Spitalfields Market
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Patisserie Valerie (37 Brushfield Street, E1 6AA) offers salads, wraps and gorgeous homemade Italian ice cream.
Real meal
The Luxe (109 Commercial Street, E1 6BG) serves brilliant brunches.
Museum of the Order of St John
Eat and Drink
Picnic
Benugo (116 St John Street, EC1V 4JS; 020 7253 3499; www.benugo.com) does made-to-order sandwiches and salads for eating in or out.
Snacks
Dose (70 Long Acre, EC1A 9EJ; 020 7600 0382; www.dose-espresso.com) serves up great salads, homemade bread and cakes.
Shakespeare’s Globe
Eat and Drink
Picnic: under £20; Snacks: £20–40; Real meal: £40–60; Family treat: £60 or more (based on a family of four)
Picnic
Borough Market (8 Southwark St, Borough, SE1 1TL; www.boroughmarket.org.uk; 11am–5pm Thu, noon–6pm Fri, 8am–5pm Sat) makes foraging for food a gastronomic, globetrotting adventure, though it’s not cheap: its classy picnic offerings include Spanish hams and cheeses at Brindisa (www.brindisa.com) and German bread from The Backhaus Bakery (www.backhaus.co.uk).
Fresh artisan bread sold at The Flour Station, Borough Market
Snacks
Café 2 (Tate Moden, Bankside, SE1 9TG; 0207 887 8888; www.tate.org.uk/modern; open daily) allows one child to eat for free at lunchtime when an adult chooses a main course. The café serves soup, many other savoury dishes, cakes and homemade smoothies.
Real meal
Swan at the Globe (21 New Globe Walk, SE1 9DT; 020 7928 9444; www.swanattheglobe.co.uk; open daily) is located right next to the theatre with a great view of the river Thames, and specializes in upmarket pub food, including a set menu for kids.
Family Treat
OXO Tower Brasserie (Bargehouse St, SE1 9PH; 020 7803 3888; www.harveynichols.com/oxo-tower-london; open daily), eight storeys above the river, feels like dining in the sky: European cooking for grown-ups, spaghetti bolognese or sausages for kids.
Tate Modern
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Café 2 (Level 2) has good-value lunch deals for under-12s, also sandwiches and pastries.
Real meal
Tate Modern Restaurant (Level 7) has river views and a more ambitious menu; also open for dinner Fri–Sat.
Clink Prison Museum
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Amano (Clink Street, SE1 9DG; 7am–11pm Mon–Fri, 9am–10pm Sat & Sun) serves flatbreads and wraps.
Real meal
Gourmet Burger Kitchen (Soho Wharf, Clink Street, SE1 9DG; www.gbk.co.uk; 11:30am–10pm daily) does mini versions of its burgers for kids.
The Golden Hinde
Eat and Drink
Picnic
Caffè Nero (3 Cathedral Street, SE1 9DE; 7am–9:30pm Mon–Fri, 8am–9:30pm Sat & Sun) overlooks the ship, or try the stalls at Borough Market.
Southwark Cathedral
Eat and Drink
Snacks
The Refectory café serves lunch and cakes.
Real meal
Fish! (Cathedral Street, SE1 9AL; 020 7407 3803; 11:30am–11pm Mon–Thu, noon–11pm Fri–Sun) offers seafood.
The Old Operating Theatre
Eat and Drink
Snacks
De Gustibus (4 Southwark Street, SE1 1TQ) is an artisan bakery on the edge of Borough Market.
Real meal
The George Inn (77 Borough High Street, SE1 1NH; 020 7407 2056; noon–9pm daily) serves traditional pub fare.
HMS Belfast
Eat and Drink
Picnic: under £20; Snacks: £20–40; Real meal: £40–60; Family treat: £60 or more (based on a family of four)
Picnic
Le Pont de la Tour (36d Shad Thames, SE1 2YE; 020 7403 8403; www.lepontdelatour.co.uk; 7:30am–8pm weekdays, 9am–6pm weekends) has a great deli with good bread, an impressive cheese counter and gourmet goodies galore. Grab a picnic and head to nearby Potters Fields Park where there is plentiful rug-spreading space.
Snacks
The designer Docklands haunt of Shad Thames has an array of good eateries, including Caffè Paradiso (45 Shad Thames, SE1 2NJ; 020 7378 6606; www.pizzaparadiso.co.uk; 7am–7pm Mon–Fri, 8am–7pm Sat & Sun), a Sicilian-style hangout offering piled-high patisserie and proper ice cream.
Real meal
Dim T (2 More London Place, SE1 2DP; 020 7403 7000; dimt.co.uk; noon–11pm daily), just ashore from HMS Belfast, creates a wide range of Asian-fusion dishes, including Thai curries and crispy duck, while children can choose between a bento box or dim-sum selection basket.
Family treat
There are posher places along Butler’s Wharf, but Browns Bar & Brasserie (Shad Thames, SE1 2YG; 020 7378 1700; www.browns-restaurants.co.uk; 10am–11pm Mon–Sat, till 10:30pm Sun) does dependable British classics, such as shoulder of lamb or calves’ liver and bacon. It also makes kids welcome with its two-course children’s menu.
The View from The Shard
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Absolutely Starving (51 Tooley St, SE1 2QN; 020 7407 7417; 7am–9pm Mon–Fri, 9am–8pm Sat & Sun) has a hot buffet.
Real meal
Café Rouge (Hay’s Galleria, Tooley St, SE1 2HD; 020 7378 0097; 8:30am–11pm daily) has a kids’ menu.
Winston Churchill’s Britain at War Experience
Eat and Drink
Picnic
Borough Market for delicious takeaway food.
Snacks
Pod (7 More London Place, SE1 2RT; 020 3174 0374; www.podfood.com; 7:30am–5pm Mon–Fri) offers healthy food such as superfood salads.
Design Museum
Eat and Drink
Snacks
The Blueprint Café in the museum serves gourmet pies and pastries.
Real meal
Ask (34 Shad Thames, SE1 2YG; 020 7403 4545; www.askrestaurants.com; noon–11pm Mon–Thu, noon–11:30pm Sat, noon–10:30pm Sun) serves pasta and pizza and has a kids’ menu.
London Eye
Eat and Drink
Picnic: under £20; Snacks: £20–40; Real meal: £40–60; Family treat: £60 or more (based on a family of four)
Picnic
For provisions, check out the weekend Real Food Market held behind Royal Festival Hall. The hall’s Riverside Terrace Café (Royal Festival Hall, SE1 8XX; 020 7921 0758; www.southbankcentre.co.uk; 10am–10:30pm) becomes an outdoor eating space in summer.
Snacks
Le Pain Quotidien (Festival Terrace, Belvedere Rd, SE1 8XX; www.lepainquotidien.com; 7:30am–11pm Mon–Fri, 8am–11pm Sat, 9am–10pm Sun) offers superior tartines, salads and snacks.
Real meal
Canteen (Royal Festival Hall, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX; 0845 686 1122; www.canteen.co.uk; 8am–11pm Mon–Fri, 9am–11pm Sat, 9am–10pm Sun) serves up a stylish take on English classics (roasts, steak and chips), and its kid’s menu offers half portions of most dishes. The restaurant also gives out activity books and there are badges to collect.
The stylish Canteen restaurant behind the Royal Festival Hall, South Bank
Family treat
Mezzanine (National Theatre, South Bank, SE1 9PX; 020 7452 3600; www.nationaltheatre.org.uk; 5:15pm–11pm Mon–Sat, plus weekend lunchtimes) is a grown-up Modern European restaurant with a seasonal menu, but it also does half portions for kids and themed food to link with family shows. Green eggs and ham, anyone?
National Theatre
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Lyttelton Café (Ground floor) and Olivier Café (Levels 2–3) serve hot and cold dishes pre-theatre.
Real meal
Terrace Bar & Food (Level 2) offers meze-style bites, with a focus on fresh seasonal ingredients.
BFI Southbank
Eat and Drink
Family treat
Benugo Bar & Kitchen (020 7401 9000; www.benugobarandkitchen.com) is more formal, but offers children’s dishes on Film Fundays.
Gabriel’s Wharf
Eat and Drink
Snacks
House of Crepes (56 Upper Ground, SE1 9PP; 020 7401 9816; 8am–4pm) is one of several options at Gabriel’s Wharf.
Real meal
Gourmet Pizza Company (59–65 Upper Ground, SE1 9PP; 020 7928 3188; 11:30am–11pm daily) serves traditional Italian dishes and tasty pizzas with inventive toppings.
Southbank Centre
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Concrete at the Hayward (Hayward Gallery; 020 7921 0758; 10am–11pm Tue–Thu, 10am–10pm Fri & Sat, 10am–6pm Sun & Mon) serves toasties.
Family treat
Skylon Restaurant (Royal Festival Hall; 020 7654 7800; noon–2:30pm, 5:30pm–10:30pm Mon–Sat, noon–4pm Sun) offers upmarket food.
Sea Life London Aquarium
Eat and Drink
Picnic
Ned’s Noodle Bar (3E Belvedere Road, SE1 7GQ; 020 7593 0077; noon–11:15pm Mon–Sat, till 10:15pm Sun) does kids’ noodle boxes.
Snacks
Aji Zen Canteen (County Hall; 020 7620 6117; noon–10:30pm Mon–Sat, till 10pm Sun) is another tasty option.
London Dungeon
Eat and Drink
Snacks
EAT. (Unit 4, Royal Festival Hall) for sandwiches and pastries.
Real Meal
Giraffe (Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX; 020 7928 2004) for unusual salads and views over Thames.
London Film Museum
Eat and Drink
Coffee lounge with vending machine; County Hall and the Southbank Centre have several dining options
Imperial War Museum (IWM)
Eat and Drink
Picnic
Café Roma (Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park, SE11) offers ices, shakes and good-value kids’ lunch bags.
Snacks
The Garden Café (Lambeth Palace Rd, SE1 7LB; 020 7401 8865; www.gardenmuseum.org.uk; 10:30am–5pm daily) is part of the Garden Museum, set in the former St Mary-at-Lambeth church. The museum has garden history displays and an art cart for children, and the menu at the homely vegetarian café changes daily according to what’s in season. The Kitchen Front Café (10am–5pm daily), inside the museum, serves a selection of home-made British dishes, including stews, pies, salads and sandwiches. The café also has a variety of dishes for children.
Florence Nightingale Museum
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Yo! Sushi (County Hall, Belvedere Rd; 020 7928 8871; noon–11pm Mon–Sat, till 7pm Sun).
Real meal
Troia (3F Belvedere Road, SE1 7GQ; 020 7633 9309; noon–midnight daily) is a Turkish diner.
Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park
Eat and Drink
Picnic: under £20; Snacks: £20–40; Real meal: £40–60; Family treat: £60 or more (based on a family of four)
Picnic
Delicatessens are more decadent than usual around here. Try Mayfair’s Mount Street Deli (100 Mount Street, W1K 2TG; 020 7499 6843, www.themountstreetdeli.co.uk; 8am–6pm Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm Sat).
Snacks
Broadwalk Café (020 7034 0722; www.companyofcooks.com; 9am–dusk daily), by the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Playground, has a “playcafé” menu for kids.
Real meal
Serpentine Bar & Kitchen (020 7706 8114; www.serpentinebarandkitchen.com; 8am–sunset daily) overlooks the lake and has a pre-teen menu with fishfingers and toasted sandwiches for under £5.
Family treat
The Cookbook Café (1 Hamilton Place, Park Lane, W1J 3QY; 020 7318 8563, www.cookbookcafe.co.uk; 6:30am–10:30am; noon–3:30pm; 6:30am–10:30pm daily; weekend brunch 12.30pm–3:30pm) is cool, casual and costly, with hefty Market Table lunches plus a monthly kid’s cookery class.
The Lido Café Bar, on the banks of the Serpentine
Kensington Palace
Eat and Drink
Real meal
The palace’s 300-year-old Orangery is an elegant place for breakfast, a light lunch or afternoon tea (winter: noon–5pm; summer till 6pm). The restaurant has a super kids’ menu, and even does a special children’s version of afternoon tea.
Serpentine Galleries
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Hyde Park Tennis Centre Café (020 7262 3474) offers simple snack fare.
Apsley House
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Serpentine Bar & Kitchen (see Real meal) is great for lunches.
Real meal
Hard Rock Café (150 Old Park Lane, W1K 1QR; 020 7514 1700; www.hardrock.com) is a themed burger joint with an under-11s’ menu.
Science Museum
Eat and Drink
Picnic: under £20; Snacks: £20–40; Real meal: £40–60; Family treat: £60 or more (based on a family of four)
Picnic
Partridges (21 Gloucester Rd, SW7 4PL; 020 7581 0535; www.partridges.co.uk; 8am–11pm daily) offers superior cold cuts and nibbles.
Snacks
Morelli’s Gelato (87–135 Brompton Road, SW1X 7XL; 020 7893 8959; www.harrods.com; 9am–9pm Mon–Sat, 11:30am–6pm Sun), in Harrods’ ground-floor food hall, is a theatrical ice-cream parlour.
Real meal
The Treehouse (87–135 Brompton Road, SW1X 7XL; 020 7730 1234; www.harrods.com; 11am–7pm Mon–Sat, 11:30am–6pm Sun), on the fourth floor of Harrods, next to the toy department, is the store’s family diner, with burgers and milkshakes to eat and giant jigsaws to play with.
Family treat
The Royal Albert Hall’s Café Consort (0845 401 5045; www.royalalberthall.com; 8:30am–10pm daily) is a sleek and grown-up place to dine before (or during) a show. It has free jazz or world music most Friday lunchtimes (12 noon to 1:30pm) and over Sunday brunch, and an enticing menu for under-12s.
Victoria & Albert Museum
Eat and Drink
Snacks
L’Opera (241 Brompton Rd, SW3 2EP; 020 7052 9000; www.lopera.co.uk; 8:30am–11pm), across the road from the museum, is an opulent patisserie-deli.
Real meal
The V&A’s Café (10am–5:15pm, Fri till 9:30pm), the world’s oldest museum restaurant, offers half-price main courses for under-10s.
Royal Albert Hall
Eat and Drink
Real meal
The Elgar Room is an informal restaurant.
Family treat
Coda offers more formal modern British cooking and a cocktail bar. (both on Level 3, and open two hours before shows).
Battersea Park
Eat and Drink
Picnic: under £20; Snacks: £20–40; Real meal: £40–60; Family treat: £60 or more (based on a family of four)
Picnic
Le Pain Quotidien (201 King’s Road, SW3 5ED; 020 7486 6154, www.lepainquotidien.co.uk; 7am–10pm Mon–Fri, 8am–10pm Sat, 8am–7pm Sun) serves a wide selection of breads, cakes, pastries and tarts. The light lunches offered include delicious salads and soups.
Snacks
The endless menu at The Stockpot (273 King’s Road, SW3 5EN; 020 7823 3175; 8am–11:30pm Mon–Sat, 11:30am–11pm Sun) should please even the fussiest young palate – there are traditional English dishes as well as a huge range of continental favourites. Takeaways are also available – and it’s very cheap for Chelsea.
Real meal
South of the park, San Gennaro (22 Battersea Park Road, SW11 4HY, 020 7622 0475, www.sangennaro.co.uk; 5pm–10:30pm daily) is a super-authentic, super-friendly pizzeria – evenings only, but half-price before 6:30pm.
Family treat
The Gallery Mess (Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Road, SW3 4RY; 020 7730 8135, www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk; 10am–11:30pm Mon–Sat, till 7pm Sun) does deceptively sophisticated comfort food and a £10 two-course menu for under-12s. Daily specials using fresh seasonal ingredients and a constantly changing menu means there is something for everyone. Champion of Damien Hirst and Tracy Emin, the Saatchi is a bastion for provocative new art: while the kids are eating, sneak around the gallery to check if the current show is too shocking for them.
Enjoying lunch at the Lemon Tree Café in the Battersea Park Children’s Zoo
Battersea Park Children’s Zoo
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Lemon Tree Café in the zoo serves sandwiches, soup and cakes.
National Army Museum
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Base Café, in the museum, offers a short menu of hot dishes and snacks.
Real meal
Made in Italy (249 King’s Road, SW3 5EL; 020 7352 1880; www.madeinitalygroup.co.uk; noon–11:30pm Mon–Sat, noon–10:30pm Sun) serves pizza by the metre.
Chelsea Physic Garden
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Tangerine Dream Café (open from 12:30pm), in the garden, serves homemade hot lunches and afternoon teas.
Real meal
My Old Dutch (221 King’s Road, SW3 5EJ; 020 7376 5650; www.myolddutch.com; 10am–10:45pm Mon–Sat, 10am–10pm Sun) is a cosy creperie.
Greenwich
Eat and Drink
Picnic: under £20; Snacks: £20–40; Real meal: £40–60; Family treat: £60 or more (based on a family of four)
Picnic
Royal Teas (76 Royal Hill, Greenwich, SE10 8RT; 020 8691 7240; www.royalteascafe.co.uk) is a vegetarian café and coffee shop that offers baguettes and delicious cakes and scones.
Snacks
Bakery Rhodes (37 King William Walk, SE10 9HU; 020 8858 8995; www.rhodesbakery.co.uk), the artisan baker, does unbeatable sandwiches, pastries and cupcakes.
Real meal
Trafalgar Tavern (Park Row, SE10 9NW; 020 8858 2909; www.trafalgartavern.co.uk; food served noon–10pm Mon–Sat, till 4pm Sun) has been serving whitebait platters since the 1830s. They’re still on the menu, alongside many other fresh fish dishes, but no longer caught in the Thames.
The light, airy and octagonal Pavilion Tea House, Greenwich Park
Family treat
Rivington Grill Greenwich (178 Greenwich High Road, SE10 8NN; 020 8293 9270; www.rivingtongreenwich.co.uk; 10am–11pm Tue–Sun) serves smart seafood and home-made British classics (shepherd’s pie, bangers and mash, fish fingers); from 11am–2pm on Sat, one child (aged 2–12) eats free with an adult – advance booking is essential.
Old Royal Naval College
Eat and Drink
Picnic
Enjoy a packed lunch or eat food from Greenwich Market (10am–5:30pm Wed–Sun) on the lawns of the college and appreciate the beautiful surroundings.
Real meal
The Old Brewery café-bar (020 3327 1280; www.oldbrewerygreenwich.com; café 10am–5pm; restaurant 6–11pm) has a riverside courtyard and children’s sandwiches.
National Maritime Museum
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Galley Café (Level G) and 16” West Brasserie serve soup and sandwiches; Paul (Level 2) has cakes and sandwiches.
Royal Observatory Greenwich
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Astronomy Café overlooking Greenwich Park.
Real meal
The Pavilion Tea House serves hot and cold meals.
Museum of London Docklands
Eat and Drink
Picnic
Museum café-bar (10am–5:30pm daily) serves sandwiches and kids’ lunch boxes.
Snacks
The museum’s Rum & Sugar restaurant serves heartier fare and often has special kids’ offers.
Mudchute Park and Farm
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Mudchute Kitchen, beside the farmyard, serves hot food and snacks. Or take a picnic.
British Music Experience
Eat and Drink
Real meal
Las Iguanas, also in the O2 (020 8312 8680; www.iguanas.co.uk; noon–11pm), serves child-size portions of its Latin American favourites.
Eltham Palace
Eat and Drink
Snacks
The palace tearoom (10am–4:30pm) serves light lunches and snacks.
Firepower Museum
Eat and Drink
Snacks
The Museum Café (020 8312 7138; 9:30am–5pm) has an appealing bistro vibe and a menu to match.
Thames Barrier
Eat and Drink
Cafés and picnicking at both sites
V&A Museum of Childhood
Eat and Drink
Picnic: under £20; Snacks: £20–40; Real meal: £40–60; Family treat: £60 or more (based on a family of four)
Picnic
Broadway Market (south of London Fields, E8 4QL; www.broadwaymarket.co.uk; 9am–5pm Sat), a 15-minute walk or a short bus ride north of the museum, is an excellent source of provisions, with over 80 stalls, a cosmopolitan restaurant scene and the French deli L’Eau à la Bouche (www.labouche.co.uk; open daily) selling delicious continental classics.
Shopping for sweet picnic treats at a stall in Borough Market.
Snacks
The Gallery Café (21 Old Ford Road, E2 9PL; 020 8980 2092; http://thegallerycafe.wordpress.com; open daily) is a buzzing, super-cheap veggie and vegan café with good chips and even better cakes.
Real meal
Grandest of all the East End “greasy spoon” cafes, E Pellicci (332 Bethnal Green Road, E2 0AG; 020 7739 4873; 6:15am–5pm Mon–Sat) has been run by the same Italian family for a century, and is still serving good-value English and Italian dishes. The breakfasts here are deservedly renowned.
Family treat
Frizzante (1a Goldsmiths Row, E2 8QA; 020 7739 2266; www.frizzanteltd.co.uk; 10am–4:30pm Tue–Sun plus occasional Thu evenings) is a fashionable diner at Hackney City Farm, with gorgeous rustic Italian cuisine and hip toddlers scurrying underfoot. Its Thursday dinners are extra special.
Enjoying the Italian dishes on offer at Frizzante, Hackney City Farm.
Geffrye Museum
Eat and Drink
Picnic
The Grocery (54 Kingsland Road, E2 8DP) offers upmarket picnic fare.
Snacks
The museum’s restaurant serves half-price, home-cooked children’s dishes.
Hackney City Farm
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Treacle (110-112 Columbia Rd, E2 7RG ; 020 7729 0538; www.treacleworld.com; noon–5pm Sat, 9am–4pm Sun), part of Columbia Road flower market, recreates bygone British baking.
Real meal
Frizzante cafe (see Family treat) serves tasty children’s dishes.
Hackney Museum
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Caffè Theatro (316 Mare Street, E8 1HY) has cool décor and great cakes.
Real meal
Tre Viet (251a Mare Street, E8 3NS; 020 8533 7390; www.treviet.co.uk; noon–11pm) is a good-value Vietnamese eatery.
Sutton House
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Tearoom serves hot snacks and cakes.
Real meal
Railroad (120–122 Morning Lane, E9 6LH; 020 8985 2858; www.railroadhackney.co.uk; 10am–5pm Sun–Tue, 10am–11pm Wed–Sat) is a café-bar nearby.
Discover
Eat and Drink
Snacks
The centre’s café has organic snacks and home-made cupcakes.
Real meal
Café Mondo (3 West Ham Lane, Stratford, E15 4PH; 020 8519 4013; http://cafemondo.co.uk; 8:30am–5pm Mon–Sat) offers fine focaccia toasties.
Ragged School Museum
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Museum café has decent snacks.
Real meal
The Palm Tree (Haverfield Road, Bow, E3 5BH; 0871 223 8000) is a good pub for a canal-side lunch.
Kenwood House
Eat and Drink
Picnic: under £20; Snacks: £20–40; Real meal: £40–60; Family treat: £60 or more (based on a family of four)
Picnic
The Hampstead Butcher (56 Rosslyn Hill, NW3 1ND; 020 7794 9210; www.hampsteadbutcher.com) does good cold cuts, cheeses and ready-to-eat picnic hampers.
Snacks
Golders Hill Park Refreshment House (020 8455 8010; open from 9am, closing time varies) has a terrace, good cakes and home-made ice cream. For a café on Hampstead Heath, try the one at Parliament Hill Fields (off Highgate Road; 020 7485 6606; 9am–dusk).
Sampling the wares at Parliament Hill Farmers’ Market
Real meal
The Spaniards Inn (Spaniards Road, NW3 7JJ; 020 8731 8406, www.thespaniardshampstead.co.uk; food daily from noon) has a large and splendid garden, a traditional British menu and barbecues and hog roasts sizzling away on summer weekends.
Hampstead’s 400-year-old, oak-panelled tavern, The Spaniards Inn
Family treat
Gaucho (64 Heath Street, NW3 1DN; 020 7431 8222; www.gauchorestaurants.co.uk; noon–11pm), between Hampstead Tube station and the Heath, has funky cowhide decor and specializes in Argentine steaks.
Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter
Eat and drink
Snacks
The on-site Studio Café (9:30am–closing time) serves soups, salads and sandwiches; there is a food court midway through the tour.
RAF Museum
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Wessex Café has helicopters and home-made snacks.
Real meal
Wings Restaurant serves a health-conscious kids’ menu.
Wembley Stadium
Eat and Drink
Snacks
A café at the entrance serves sandwiches and snacks.
Horniman Museum and Gardens
Eat and Drink
Picnic: under £20; Snacks: £20–40; Real meal: £40–60; Family treat: £60 or more (based on a family of four)
Picnic
The Teapot (56 London Road, SE23 3HF; 020 8699 2829) is a dapper little tearoom and deli, handily placed halfway between Forest Hill station and the museum.
Snacks
The Pavilion Café in Dulwich Park (College Road, SE21 7BQ; 020 8299 1383; 8:30am–5:30pm; weekends from 9am) is a lovely spot for coffee and home-baked cakes, and their lunchtime specials have an Italian flavour.
Real meal
The Dartmouth Arms (7 Dartmouth Road, SE23 3HN; 020 8488 3117; www.thedartmoutharms.com; food served noon–3:30pm, 6:30pm–10pm Sun–Fri; noon–10pm Sat) is a friendly gastro-pub with several dishes available in smaller portions, ideal for kids. It is near Forest Hill station.
Family treat
The Herne (2 Forest Hill Road, SE22 0RR; 020 8299 9521; www.theherne.net; noon–2:30pm, 5:30–9:30pm) is more restaurant than pub, with a children’s menu of grilled chicken, linguine, sausages or scampi. Kids eat for free Monday to Friday when an adult main is purchased. It’s at East Dulwich: take the 363 bus from the Horniman.
Dulwich Picture Gallery
Eat and Drink
Real meal
The Café opens one hour earlier than the gallery and has £5 children’s menu and celebrated afternoon teas.
Snacks
The Pavilion Café in Dulwich Park (see Horniman Museum) is also a good bet.
Crystal Palace Park
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Park café (Thicket Road entrance; 020 8776 5422; 9am–5pm) offers fast food, snacks and drinks.
Kew Gardens
Eat and Drink
Picnic: under £20; Snacks: £20–40; Real meal: £40–60; Family treat: £60 or more (based on a family of four)
Picnic
The Original Maids of Honour (288 Kew Road, Kew, TW9 3DU; 020 8940 2752, www.theoriginalmaidsofhonour.co.uk; 9am–6pm) is a Kew institution, said to date back to Tudor times. It offers tearoom treats, smart lunches and pre-packed picnics of varying extravagance.
“Maids of Honour” pastries, which gave the popular Kew bakery its name
Snacks
The Kew Greenhouse Café (1 Station Parade, Richmond TW9 3PS; 020 8940 0183; 8am–dusk) is a traditional English café, between the Tube and Victoria Gate, serving pasta, quiches, eggs on toast and home-made cakes.
Real meal
Bell & Crown (11–13 Thames Road, W4 3PL; 020 8994 4164; www.fullers.co.uk; food: noon–3pm, 6:30–10pm, plus weekend afternoons) is one of a pleasant strip of popular riverside pubs just across Kew Bridge that boast good pub grub for families.
Family treat
Ma Cuisine (The Old Post Office, 9 Station Approach, TW9 3QB; 020 8332 1923, www.macuisinebistrot.co.uk; 10am–11.30pm) is a neat French bistro with a very relaxed and welcoming atmosphere, as well as a Michelin Bib Gourmand for its authentic French food; one child under 12 eats free from noon–6pm Mon–Sat and all day Sun.
WWT London Wetland Centre
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Water’s Edge Café sells cakes and hot lunches from 11am–3pm
Syon House
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Refectory Café sells a range of snacks and light lunches.
Osterley Park
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Stables Café (11am–5pm Wed–Sun; noon–4pm Nov) serves home-cooked lunches and teas
Richmond Park
Eat and Drink
Snacks
The park’s Roehampton Café (9am–5pm daily) sells snacks and ices. Plus kiosks at Broomfield Hill and Pen Ponds.
Real meal
Pembroke Lodge Café in the park (020 8940 8207; summer: 10am–5:30pm; winter till dusk) has a full restaurant menu, with children’s dishes, and outdoor seating.
Ham House
Eat and Drink
Snacks
The luscious Orangery Café does its own baking, and has a kids’ corner.
Hampton Court Palace
Eat and Drink
Picnic: under £20; Snacks: £20–40; Real meal: £40–60; Family treat: £60 or more (based on a family of four)
Picnic
There are picnic tables in the 20th-Century Garden, or else spread a rug in the Tiltyard or Wilderness gardens. The Pheasantry Cafe (Woodland Gardens in Bushy Park, TW11 OEQ; 020 8943 1347; from 9am) offers hearty breakfasts as well as cakes and pastries.
Snacks
In an area originally used for jousting by Henry VIII, Hampton Court’s Tiltyard Café has meal deals on its home-made children’s food and serves Tudor dishes on the first weekend of the month. There’s also a playroom for younger kids.
The Tiltyard Café sometimes serves Tudor dishes, and has a playroom
Real meal
Jamie’s Italian (19–23 High Street, Kingston, KT1 1LL; 020 3326 4300; www.jamieoliver.com/italian/kingston; noon–11pm, till 10:30pm Sun), stands out among the chain restaurants across the river in Kingston upon Thames, for atmosphere. Kids dine free from the children’s menu on weekdays.
Family treat
Cammasan (8 Charter Quay, Kingston, KT1 1HR; 020 8549 3510; noon–3pm, 6pm–11pm Mon–Fri; noon–11pm weekends) offers flavourful Asian food: the downstairs noodle bar is best for families.
Windsor Castle
Eat and Drink
Picnic: under £20; Snacks: £20–40; Real meal: £40–60; Family treat: £60 or more (based on a family of four)
Picnic
Cinnamon Cafe (The Old Booking Hall, Windsor Royal Station S24 1PJ; 01753 857879), handily located on the way from the train station to the castle, whips up delicious breakfasts and cakes.
Snacks
Extreme Motion and Windsor Skate Park Café (Alexandra Gardens, Alma Rd, Windsor, SL4 5HZ; 01753 830220) serves sandwiches and pizza. It also has rails and ramps for all ages, mini-golf, a bungee trampoline and bike hire – a good option if exploring Windsor Great Park.
Real meal
Gastro-pub the Riverhouse (10 Thames Side, Windsor, SL4 1QN; 01753 620010; www.windsorpubco.co.uk/riverhouse; food: noon–10pm) is a child-friendly option with a lovely Thames-side terrace and a special £7 menu for under-10s.
Family treat
Gilbey’s (82 High Street, Eton, Windsor SL4 6AF; 01753 854921; www.gilbeygroup.com; noon–10pm) serves smart modern-British fare with an emphasis on seasonal ingredients. It also has delicious afternoon teas in not-too-formal surroundings.
Windsor Great Park
Eat and Drink
Snacks
Refreshments at Windsor Great Park post office and (seasonal) kiosks at Obelisk Lawn, Blacknest Gate, Totem Pole and Virginia Water car park.
Real meal
Savill Garden Restaurant (01784 485 402; Mar–Oct: 10am–5:30pm; Nov–Feb till 4pm) has home-made kids’ meals and lunchboxes.
Eton college
Eat and Drink
Picnic
Tastes (92 High St, Eton, SL4 6AF; 01753 641 557; www.tastesdeli.co.uk; 10:30am–6pm Tue–Sat) is a super deli; eat your picnic in Windsor Park.
Snacks
Zero 3 (21 High St, Eton, SL4 6BL; 01753 864725) serves good-value food to eat in.
Legoland
Eat and Drink
More than a dozen outlets in park, such as Mexican Cantina and Pirate’s BBQ, many offering healthy meal deals for kids.
