Nyc Hound first time in Europe- Please Help!! Got J. Sheekey..what else??

[roze]

My SO and I of 10 years are going on our first solo vacation to London, Brussels and Munich. We live in Manhattan and love city life and I have been scouring the boards to find good stuff.

We fly in saturday morning April 18th at 8:00 am. Any ideas for breakfast would be great. We are staying in Trafalgar Square and would love someplace nearby if possible...any suggestions as what to do before we check in would be great maybe the Wolsely?

Some places I'm sure of- Gordon's wine bar looks neat and ti's nearby so maybe some wine Saturday night. Sunday night we have reservations at J. sheekey's..would love bar recs nearby for before and after,

Besides that we would love suggestions. We plan to do a bunch of pb walking an maybe do th hop on/hop off bus just to see the sites. We would love a good fish and chips or shepards pie.

Thinkig of tryng out St. John's new wine bar for some small bites and drinks??

Btw in Nyc we love Gramercy tavern, spotted Pig, Yasuda and ippudo if that hekps anyone out,

Thank you so much in advance...we have neeed this vacatio for 10 years. Hounders I know you will help :)

[pj26]

Your suggestions so far are pretty good - definitely the Wolsely for breakfast - it's a walk from Trafalgar Square.
Gordon's wine bar is worth checking out and very convienient for your hotel. J Sheekeys is pretty close to the St Martins Lane Hotel so you could there for drinks before/after in the Light Bar.
If you love Spotted Pig etc, definitely check out St Johns Bread and Wine. Would also recommend heading for Moro, its in Exmouth Market so a £15 cab ride from the West End but is worth the trip - North African/Spanish influenced food and tapas and constantly voted London's best restaurant. There's some good pubs and bars worth checking out in the area as well.

[roze]

And so sorry for all of the spelling errors my keyboard is falling apart and making it very difficult to type.

[limster]

Quick question - do you want to try places that are similar to the places in NYC that you like, or are you looking for something different?

[pj26]

Some more thoughts...Hereford Road (Notting Hill) or Corrigans for very good British food. The Golden Hind in Marylebone for fish and chips - a good walk from Trafalgar Sq. Or walk across the river along the Southbank to Anchor and Hope on The Cut - amazing gastropub with fresh, seasonal produce - definitely worth a visit (possibly more so than St Johns Bread and Wine)

[frantos]

If you want a real British experience when it comes to Fish & Chips I would avoid some of the places that are catering to the tourist crowd, and try my favourite, Masters Super Fish on Waterloo Road. It's a taxi drivers favourite. I'd start off with a drink in the Kings Arms on Roupell Street which still feels very much a local pub, head for Masters for dinner, and then wander over to the SouthBank for a cocktail in Skylon - it's overpriced but the view is great!

You should also try an indian restaurant when you are in London. I've lived in New York before but could never get a curry as good as those at home. Avoid Brick Lane though!

[roze]

Thanks all!!!

Limster I am looking for new things but wante to give an idea of what we enjoy food/style wise. However I must try out at least one gastropub for food.

PJ26 great ideas! I was unable to score a breakfast reservation for the morning we get in but got one at Wosley's for Monday. Any other recs within walking distance of our hotel for that morning?

Also thanks for the Anchor and Hope rec! Do they tak reservations?

Frantos I love your ideas!! You sound a little like us! The Skylon looks lovely an I saw some images of Masters Fish and Kings arms look great. Are these ll within walking distance of each other? How long of a subway rie from Traflgar square?

Thanks everyone!!

[zuriga1]

I think the only time Anchor & Hope take reservations is for a Sunday. People suggest getting there early (about 6) to avoid long queues.

Don't be mislead by the London Tube map. Things are much closer than they appear, and it's very easy to walk around central London with ease. All the places near Waterloo Station (Skylon, Masters etc.) are close to each other as is the Anchor & Hope.

[pj26]

you could try the National Dining Rooms in the National Gallery on Trafalgar Sq for a late breakfast - I think they open at 10am but they also have a bakery.
Or you could wander up to Automat on Dover St (not too far from Trafalgar Sq) - they do a great breakfast

[frantos]

Also, Munich is brilliant. Save plenty of room for sausages and beer.

[juneavrile]

Depending on how energetic you feel on Saturday and how good the weather is, you might walk down from Trafalgar square along the strand to Villiers Street, turn right and walkd downhill where you'll find Gordons (on the left) for a sherry (Gordon's is great on saturday lunchtime when it isn't heaving). Carry on through embankment station, over the bridge to the southbank, turn left and wander all the way along to Borough Market. You'll see so much along the way; you'll walk past the Tate Modern, the Globe, a few pubs and restaurants. The market is quite different from the Union Square green market and will have lots of British and European produce to try /buy. The walk takes me 30 minutes at a pace, so might take a couple of hours to meander, but well worth it. It's easy to get a taxi, tube or even a boat (i think) back into town. Borough is only open on Friday and Saturday, so it might be your only opportunity depending on how long you're staying.

Don't forget to go to a pub - I've been going to the Coach and Horses in Greek st, Soho for 20 years and still love it. They sometimes have jazz or a pianist on Sunday evening. Chi-chi it ain't, but it has a jolly boozey atmosphere, if you like that sort of thing.

I think St John, Hereford Rd, Sheekey's are all great choices, but check out some of the recent threads re good ethnic food here, especially Indian. And maybe have a look at Nahm, a high-end Thai.

Finally re Brussels, have you got a copy of the Time Out guide? Worth seeking out (you'll find it here easily, approx £12, which is about $4 at the moment, right?) as they tend to give pretty accurate, interesting and up to date guides for restaurants and bars.

Have a great trip.

[roze]

Thank you to everyone who helped me out. I am slowly trying to post my reviews on my blog and you guys were all so helpful (especially Frantos!). We had such a lovely time and are leaving tomorrow for Munich. Hopefully it will go just as well. Cheers!!

http://nyctastes.blogspot.com/