Tried & tasted: East End food tour, London
For many of us, particularly at Travelzoo, eating is one of the main reasons we travel. While the idea of a food tour always sounded good, I hadn’t really tried one until recently, when I did Eating London's East End Food Tour.
We ambled through the East End, stopping at favourites like St John Bread & Wine, Poppies (pictured below) and Brick Lane, while our guide provided entertaining and interesting insights about the history of the area.
Without giving too much away, the bacon sarnie at St John Bread & Wine is actually the best I’ve ever had, and the pudding at The English Restaurant (pictured below) was mouth-watering. We also dipped into a variety of curries, salt beef beigels and a salted caramel tart.
A tip: bring along a shopping bag for the stop at Androuet, an English cheese shop all Londoners (or visitors to the capital) should get to know. The variety of cheeses is outmatched only by the amount of interesting tidbits the staff will share with you about each cheese.
The guides are also full of information, telling stories of waves of immigrants, from Huguenots to Jews to Bangladeshis, and how each one influenced the area and its food. After hearing about the history of The English Restaurant and neighbouring businesses, including a shop around the corner that retains its original storefront, we tucked into bread pudding (with some of the most amazing custard I have ever tasted). Then our guide told us about bread pudding’s humble beginnings as "dustman’s wedding cake". This one, particularly, has come a long way.
Tours last four hours and are along easy terrain, so most people should be able to join in. There are also several sit-down stops, including a pub, where you can take a load off. This is a super way to explore a new city and a great alternative to taking visiting family for your 100th ride on the London Eye.
You can also try out the Soho Tour, as well as tours in Italy, Amsterdam and Prague.