Moving from NYC to London

[jerkfaceirl]

Hi Guys,

I'm an Irish guy who's been living in NYC for the last few years, my girlfriend and I are into diverse food and as you can imagine NYC has been an absolute blast and we've sampled from some of the best places from Michelin stars to halal carts... We're now moving to London and I'm excited to try everything the city has to offer.

I've become somewhat of a Latin food fiend after discovering amazing authentic mexican tacos (lengua, sangrita, chorizo, mmmm), piri piri chicken from peru, cuban fare, chimichurri steaks from Argentina and everything in between.

Can you guys give me a few recommendations for Latin style food in London, not Cal-Mex or Tex-Mex but the real deal like you get here in the US.

I'm also really going to miss the New York City high end steak houses here, so some recommendations on that would be great too.

I look forward to your replies and look forward to becoming a Londoner innit. If you guys know any good blogs for following the London food scene please pass them on too. seriouseats and midtownlunch were two favourites in NYC.

Best,
JERKFACE

[Haverfoodie]

At the Popes Road end of Brixton Market, there's a Colombian butchers called Las Americas that sells Colombian snacks (fresh arepas, papas rellenas etc) and cuts of meat. It's food. Just up the road in Brixton Village Market (the covered market), there are a couple of Colombian cafes - Restaurante Santa Fereño is one and I don't remember the name of the other. Stockwell also has a lot of Latin American and Iberian cafes and food.

[Theresa]

The problem with your request is that you are looking for two things that are very commonly found in the States but not in the UK. It would be better if you sought out food which London is good at, rather than food which you have enjoyed elsewhere.

You will find some - but not many - recommendations for steak houses in London if you search this board. As for authentic Mexican food, again, you will find one or two recommendations here, but Mexicans have not settled in the UK as they have in the States, so you will not find anywhere near the same quantity and quality of places.

What London does well (and probably/arguably better than New York and Ireland) is modern British and European food, Indian and Pakistani and Middle Eastern. There maybe other cuisines too, but I think searching on here for what London does well will help you find out what is worth eating here rather than trying to replicate what you have eaten in New York.

[ManInTransit]

You can't really go wrong with Hawksmoor for steak. Nowhere else really compares. Goodman is excellent but is basically just men in suits. Go to Hawksmoor, it's awesome and they use exclusively Yorkshire beef not USDA so you'll be able to compare.

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Hawksmoor
157 Commercial Street, London E1 6BJ, GB

[spli]

I'd second Hawksmoor, but I'd also recommend Buen Ayre an Argentinian steak house on Broadway Market. It's in East London and could be a bit of a pain to get to depending on where you live and work. But I'd also agree with Theresa above; Latin American isn't something that London does that well.

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Hawksmoor
157 Commercial St, Poplar, Greater London E1 6, GB

Hawksmoor
157 Commercial Street, London E1 6BJ, GB

Buen Ayre
50 Broadway Market, Hackney, England E8 4, GB

[pj26]

I'd second Santa Maria Buen Ayre on Broadway Market, it's excellent.

But as Theresa says, if you want to experience excellent food, London has much to offer so try the various ethnic restaurants as well as some pubs which are serving excellent food (Harwood Arms, Bull and Last to name a couple) and brilliant British restaurants. Don't try to seek out what you can get in New York, you will only be disappointed, and really, why should you?!

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Buen Ayre
50 Broadway Market, Hackney, England E8 4, GB

[zuriga1]

As someone who lived near NYC most of her life but now has spent 7 years near London, I can tell you that what the others say about Latin style food is very true. I keep urging a Mexican friend of mine who works in a Brooklyn restaurant to move here and make a fortune, but so far he isn't listening. :-)

You'll find that the modern British food and the sub-continent offerings in London will soon make you forget what you're missing from NY. I never enjoyed 'Indian' food till I moved here. Don't expect British steaks to taste like the American ones... nor hamburgers. The meat is different, but it's possible to find U.S. steaks at different high-quality butchers if you need a fix (and I occasionally do). Good luck with the move!

[jerkfaceirl]

Thanks all for the advice, I'm not really trying to replicate NYC in London, I'm certainly looking forward to the move and being able to get decent fish and chips, pies, indian etc. That stuff here sucks. I'll just have to make the mexican food myself :)