Hey Limey (or Guinness or anyone really) [London; non-bb]

[Bench]

I got a buddy heading to London for work next week. He's staying in the Canary Wharf area. Any suggestions for good stuff for him to do? Any favorite restaurants (especially Indian food) that you recommend in general?

[Guinness]

Canary Wharf's a pretty nice area, IIRC.  Kind of businessy, but there are some restaurants along the Thames that look nice.  Indian restaurants are EVERYWHERE in London, but as I don't like Indian food I couldn't recommend anything.  I know a great Italian restaurant near Victoria station if that would help.

He'll have good transport links into London via the Tube, so he wouldn't need to stay at Canary Wharf.  If he's going to be here for longer than say a week, or plans to take the Tube a lot, tell him to buy an Oyster card (https://sales.oystercard.com/oyster/lul/entry.do), which will save him a ton of money on the Tube.

Most museums are free.  I'd recommend the Imperial War Museum (http://www.iwm.org.uk/) if one's interested in that sort of thing.  Lots of art museums.  Seeing a West End show is a must too, it's a great evening out.  The last show we saw was the Queen musical, We Will Rock You.  Great show.

He should spend a good amount of time in pubs too, although anyone who's a friend of someone on this board doesn't need to be told that 

Peronally, I absolutely love London--there's tons to do, it's steeped in history (steeped I says)...it's like it's a museum in itself.

"Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford."
Samuel Johnson

Glad to offer more details if you want more specifics.

[ValpoCory]

Who's Limey?

[Limey]

I got a buddy heading to London for work next week. He's staying in the Canary Wharf area. Any suggestions for good stuff for him to do? Any favorite restaurants (especially Indian food) that you recommend in general?

Ditto everything that Guinness said. especially the Oyster card.  Transport pricing has just been restructured to completely fuck tourists, and when it's $2 to the pound, it gets ugly very quickly.

Canary Wharf is a little off to the east, but the Docklands Light Railway and Jubilee tube (IIRC) will run you quickly into the city proper.

A good way to get a quick overview of London is to take a riverboat tour up the Thames from Greenwich (not far from Canary Wharf, on the other side of the river) to Westminster.  You'll go right by the Tower of London, under Tower and London bridges (amongst many, many others), past the Mayflower and loads of stuff I can't remember.  Get a boat with a guide (some don't have 'em).  You'll alight right by the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben ("Hey kids...Big Ben...Parliament...") as well as Westminster Abbey.  A short stroll across Westminster bridge gets you to the London Eye, which is the 450' high bicycle wheel over the river.

Curry is everywhere, but the heart of CurryLand has to be Little Bangladesh just north of the City of London.  Get thyself to Brick Lane for a world of spicy treats.  My favourite was "Sheba", near the top end of the street because it was the last to fill up after the pubs closed (because it was near the top end of the street).

Good pubs on the river near Canary Wharf are "The Captain Kidd" and "The Prospect of Whitby".  Both are historic pubs with a solid selection of beer and good pub grub.  Both have patios over the river for those nice days to sit outside, but these fill up quickly.

Other than that, get a guide book, and oyster card and a tube map, and have at it.  Old buildings wherever you look (except in Canary Wharf) and a pub on every corner...at least.  All "foreign" food is good, but you'll be very disappointed if you go to any "American style" or Tex-Mex places.

[Limey]

Who's Limey?

Suck it, Trabek.

[Guinness]

All "foreign" food is good, but you'll be very disappointed if you go to any "American style" or Tex-Mex places.

Seconded.  There is NO Mexican food here, avoid anything that claims to be.  There is a bar/restaurant off Trafalgar Square called the Texas Embassy (http://www.texasembassy.com/texasmain.htm), but I've never been there.  A Mexican/Cuban cantina just opened up in Victoria, but I'd avoid that too (I work near Victoria station, so I'm most familiar with that area).
I've not been at all disappointed with Italian food here.  Chinese is good too, and usually very cheap.

[Limey]

Avoid German food too.  Not just in London, neither.

[Bench]

Fantastic. Thanks folks.

[Limey]

There is a bar/restaurant off Trafalgar Square called the Texas Embassy (http://www.texasembassy.com/texasmain.htm), but I've never been there.

I understand that it's in the building that used to house the actual Texas Embassy.

[Guinness]

Cool, I didn't know that.  I've been wondering if you pull out a Texas driving license you get a free beer...?  Of course, if you do, they probably give you Lone Star.  There's a pub called the Mash Tun that advertises having international beers, different ones monthly, and their American beer last month was Lone Star... bet they didn't sell many...

[Uncle Charlie]

Mela is my favorite Indian restaurant in London, near Leicester Square / West End:  http://www.melarestaurant.co.uk/

Absolutely fantastic.

[Texifornia]

There's a dive pub on the south side of Tower Bridge named The Copper. At least it used to be a dive when I dropped so many pounds there. The south side of the Thames has been dolled up a bit but hopefully the Copper hasn't.

The Tower tour is worth it...

[lc_db]

I understand that it's in the building that used to house the actual Texas Embassy.

A dodgy tour guide fallacy. 

The original Embassy for the Republic of Texas is the building at 3 St. James St.  There’s a plaque on the wall leading into Pickering Place.

The Texas Embassy Cantina is located in the building that was formerly owned by The White Star shipping line (who owned the Titanic).  As far as the food there??  Not bad, but not great.  Decent for American expat comfort food.

[lc_db]

A Mexican/Cuban cantina just opened up in Victoria, but I'd avoid that too (I work near Victoria station, so I'm most familiar with that area).
I've not been at all disappointed with Italian food here.  Chinese is good too, and usually very cheap.

If you are talking about that Loco Mexicano place... again... it's not bad.  Not enough to keep me from craving true Tex-Mex, but it's within walking distance of my flat.

I'm also wondering if you are "talking" about Gran Paradiso.

Not real familiar with Canary Wharf at all, but if he wanders into the City of London by all means check out Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese on Fleet St.  A real Dickens era pub.  One of my favs to take visitors to.

[Taras Bulba]

A dodgy tour guide fallacy. 

The original Embassy for the Republic of Texas is the building at 3 St. James St.  There’s a plaque on the wall leading into Pickering Place.

The Texas Embassy Cantina is located in the building that was formerly owned by The White Star shipping line (who owned the Titanic).  As far as the food there??  Not bad, but not great.  Decent for American expat comfort food.

You are correct, sir.  A cabbie who found out that I was a Texan took me there and i've got a picture of the plaque.

[Limey]

A dodgy tour guide fallacy. 

The original Embassy for the Republic of Texas is the building at 3 St. James St.  There’s a plaque on the wall leading into Pickering Place.

The Texas Embassy Cantina is located in the building that was formerly owned by The White Star shipping line (who owned the Titanic).  As far as the food there??  Not bad, but not great.  Decent for American expat comfort food.

Thanks for the correction.

[Guinness]

If you are talking about that Loco Mexicano place... again... it's not bad.  Not enough to keep me from craving true Tex-Mex, but it's within walking distance of my flat.

I'm also wondering if you are "talking" about Gran Paradiso.

Yep, Gran Paradiso.  The food's pretty good there, I think, although it's gotten bad reviews for service.  I've only ever been there for lunch, so maybe they're in a better mood earlier in the day.  The place that Loco Mexicano replaced wasn't bad either.  Another decent one is along Buck House road, near the Thistle Victoria (yes, I like my Italian food...)

SW1 isn't a bad address for a flat...what pubs do you like?  Usually my workmates and I go to the Cardinal behind the Cathedral;  it's a nice place, but too hard to give directions to if you're not actually in the area.  Cheapest beer in the area we've found so far.  Buy two pints and you get change from a fiver...nice...

[lc_db]

Yep, Gran Paradiso.  The food's pretty good there, I think, although it's gotten bad reviews for service.  I've only ever been there for lunch, so maybe they're in a better mood earlier in the day.  The place that Loco Mexicano replaced wasn't bad either.  Another decent one is along Buck House road, near the Thistle Victoria (yes, I like my Italian food...)

SW1 isn't a bad address for a flat...what pubs do you like?  Usually my workmates and I go to the Cardinal behind the Cathedral;  it's a nice place, but too hard to give directions to if you're not actually in the area.  Cheapest beer in the area we've found so far.  Buy two pints and you get change from a fiver...nice...

I like The Cardinal... a lot.  I really like The Albert for a steak pie (but it does get crowded because of its location), but since Fuller's ESB is my drink of choice, we'll pop over to The Jugged Hare on Vauxhaul Bridge.  Not a traditional, but a refurbished bank building.  Before the no smoking law, it was nice because of the high ceiling.

[Astroholic]

I like The Cardinal... a lot.  I really like The Albert for a steak pie (but it does get crowded because of its location), but since Fuller's ESB is my drink of choice, we'll pop over to The Jugged Hare on Vauxhaul Bridge.  Not a traditional, but a refurbished bank building.  Before the no smoking law, it was nice because of the high ceiling.

Better take a boat, looks like LimeyLand is under water.  Front page of NYTimes has a pretty good picture.

[Guinness]

Better take a boat, looks like LimeyLand is under water.  Front page of NYTimes has a pretty good picture.

Nah, that's not here in London, it's a bit further northwest.  Shame though, some bad flooding.

I've been to the Hare, it's not a bad place, although I'm not really a Fuller's fan (I like Spitfire best).  Haven't been to the Albert.  The Constitution is a nice one, and a bit further away in Belgravia there's the Duke of Wellington, which is a really nice, probably quintessential pub.  The Plumber's Arms, which is a few blocks from Victoria Station, usually has a nice selection of guest beers.

Anyway,  in sum, about pubs, it's best to go a few blocks away from the main tourist sites or train stations, because that's where you'll find the ones with more character, better beer, etc.  And pubs are usually good places to eat.  Avoid English restaurants (that is, non Italian, Spanish, etc)--English food is best when it's simple:  steak pies, bangers and mash, roasts, etc.  It's when they try to get fancy that their food goes horribly wrong..

Also, as a final note:  even the salt needs salt here...!

[Ty in Tampa]

Also, as a final note:  even the salt needs salt here...!

Mmmmm, salted salt.

[Bench]

Nah, that's not here in London, it's a bit further northwest.  Shame though, some bad flooding.

I've been to the Hare, it's not a bad place, although I'm not really a Fuller's fan (I like Spitfire best).  Haven't been to the Albert.  The Constitution is a nice one, and a bit further away in Belgravia there's the Duke of Wellington, which is a really nice, probably quintessential pub.  The Plumber's Arms, which is a few blocks from Victoria Station, usually has a nice selection of guest beers.

Anyway,  in sum, about pubs, it's best to go a few blocks away from the main tourist sites or train stations, because that's where you'll find the ones with more character, better beer, etc.  And pubs are usually good places to eat.  Avoid English restaurants (that is, non Italian, Spanish, etc)--English food is best when it's simple:  steak pies, bangers and mash, roasts, etc.  It's when they try to get fancy that their food goes horribly wrong..

Also, as a final note:  even the salt needs salt here...!

Man, after reading all these posts I am widely jealous of my friend. It's been ages since I've had a proper pint in a proper pub. Hell, there's barely even a normal bar in Beaumont, much less anything as comfortable as a pub. I'm looking forward to getting to New Zealand next month to experience some decent pub culture (I assume it exists there, too, but frankly I have no idea).

[Limey]

Man, after reading all these posts I am widely jealous of my friend. It's been ages since I've had a proper pint in a proper pub. Hell, there's barely even a normal bar in Beaumont, much less anything as comfortable as a pub. I'm looking forward to getting to New Zealand next month to experience some decent pub culture (I assume it exists there, too, but frankly I have no idea).

New Zealand:  Don't Expect Too Much, And You Won't Be Disappointed

[Bench]

New Zealand:  Don't Expect Too Much, And You Won't Be Disappointed

In pubs or in general? Everyone I know who's been there gushes about it (in general).

[Limey]

In pubs or in general? Everyone I know who's been there gushes about it (in general).

That was the slogan on one of the New Zealand tourism posters on the embassy walls in an episode of Flight of the Conchords.  I have a mate living over there, and he loves it.  Fucking long way away...from everything...though.

[Bench]

That was the slogan on one of the New Zealand tourism posters on the embassy walls in an episode of Flight of the Conchords.  I have a mate living over there, and he loves it.  Fucking long way away...from everything...though.

Ah. Everyone tells me Flight of the Conchords is hilarious, though no HBO for me for now.

I'm looking forward to being a fucking long way away from everything.

[Limey]

Ah. Everyone tells me Flight of the Conchords is hilarious, though no HBO for me for now.

I'm looking forward to being a fucking long way away from everything.

Some of the Conchords is hitting YouTube.  Mostly prior gigs rather than the show itself, but well worth checking out.  It's business time.

[chuck]

If he's in the Canary Wharf area have him take the DLR down to Greenwich and check out the observatory and park there. I'd never been until my last visit, and although I usually eschew places like that it was completely fascinating and worth the visit. Same goes for Westminster Abbey, in my opinion. The big ferris wheel and the changing of the guard and all that shit, who cares.

Brick Lane is definitely a place that anyone should visit, and you can get a decent meal there. I like the market just over from there (drawing a blank on the name...) Spitalfields! and the kook watching. The most interesting place for Indian food in my view is Tooting High. There are all sorts of non-tourist restaurants lining the road from IIRC Tooting Bec to Tooting Common, plus you get to hear Indians say the word Tooting.

[Col. Sphinx Drummond]

New Zealand:  Don't Expect Too Much, And You Won't Be Disappointed

New Zealand: It's Not Part Of Australia