THE BEST LONDON (FOOD) HOTSPOTS

In London for the weekend? I will show you my favorite food hotspots you must visit. Or don’t. But if you have a sweet tooth like me – trust me – you wanna go to these places:

LOVELY LONDON

London is by far one of my most favorite cities to go to around Christmas. The streets are filled with people, Christmas lights and such good vibes.

When I was in London I definitely tried to go to some places I’ve never been before. London is a city I go often, so exploring new hotspots is something I really like to do.

Are you ready for some sweet, tasty British hotspots? Let’s go then:

FOR THE SWEET

Yes, you all know me by now. I do really have a big sweet tooth. So before I stepped into the plane I searched for some delicious sweet places I needed to go to. And of course Instagram showed me some really nice places. Here are a few of my favorites:

CROSSTOWN DOUGHNUTS

This was my number #1 for sure. Crosstown Doughnuts is a place you need to go to if you love doughnuts. It’s a franchise you’ll find different locations around the city. So much yay for that. When you step into the store you’re eyes immediately go to the ‘beautiful’ doughnuts. That’s simply what they are: friggin’ beautiful.

They are not super expensive, also not super cheap. I ate two doughnuts – yes, this was my breakfast – and they were delicious. The dough was not heavy at all and so fresh. A must visit guys.

The doughnuts I had? A peanut butter jelly filled one and a apricot almond doughnut. The best combinations for starting the day.

DOUGHNUT TIME

If you’re looking for some over the top doughnuts this is your place to be. Seriously, those doughnuts are huge. And huge is an understatement. When you’re in front of the store you don’t believe what you see. They have a XXL doughnut for 7 pounds. Pretty expensive, but super delicious and fresh also. The dough was a bit thicker than Crosstown but that didn’t bother me at all. Both stores are so different and can’t compare them. You just need to visit both.

The way they present their doughnuts is hilarious. Each doughnut has a celebrity name, but the name of the celebrity has been transformed to some of the ingredients that are in the doughnut. For example: I had the Snicki Minaj. Oh yes, Nicki Minaj it is, but they added Snickers and loads of caramel. Winner.

MARKS & SPENCER

Last year my heart cried a little bit when Marks & Spencer closed in Amsterdam. Damn.. they have such delicious products. Until this day I’m still pretty upset it can’t shop at the food market at M&S. So it was my duty to go to the London store and spend a few hours in Marks & Spencer. Or at least I needed to check out all the products in the food market. I’m a sucker for supermarkets in other countries.

First I needed to buy a scone, clotted cream and raspberry jam to keep my London-food-tradition alive. Since I was 14 my mom, twin sister and I went to London around our birthday – it’s on Boxing Day – and ate scones at Marks & Spencer. I really love their scones.

After I ate the scone I also bought some products. I’m allergic to wheat so the ‘wheat free’ area is my best friend. In Amsterdam I need a section like that. Ever since Marks & Spencer made it’s entrance in The Netherlands I wanted to try the shortbread caramel cake, but suddenly M&S left Amsterdam and I couldn’t try it anymore. So here’s my revenge and yes it was AH-MAZING. 

SHAKE A SHACK

And don’t forget about the American fastfood chain: Shake A Shack. Damn. The funny thing is I didn’t try it in America yet, but when I was in Dubai I had the most delicious shake ever. Meet my peanut butter milkshake. Say what? Yes, a really tasty peanut butter milkshake.

The best about this milkshake? It’s the same as in Dubai. I love chains who have the same quality of food in different countries.

DARK SUGAR

My friend told me there was such a good chocolate store in Shoreditch. You don’t have to tell me that twice. Do I want to go there? Hell-freaking-yeah.

All the chocolate you found in the story was beautiful. Like I-want-to-eat-it-all-beautiful. Damn. It was expensive but if I had a treat day the day I went to this store I would have spend a lot of money. Too bad I only could look at all the deliciousness. But please, if you go to London soon and you’re in Shoreditch: swing by and try it. Let me know how it tasted.

KINGDOM OF SWEETS

If you do not call this ‘sweet’ heaven I don’t know what else is worth that name. Dang. Cherelle and I stepped into the store like: ‘Let’s take a look around’ – not knowing is what a hugeass store. All the candy, all the sweets you can think of; you name it, they have it.

My highlight of the store was without a doubt this wall filled with Reese’s. Reese’s is my favorite chocolate in the history of ever and seeing this wall I wanted to buy it all. There were a lot of Reese’s products I didn’t know about. For example: this one:

Did you ever try it before? Damn.. Reese’s is my (chocolate) heaven.

STARBUCKS & CO

What I love about Fall and Christmas? Yes, the special coffees at Starbucks. Shame on me. I’m the type of how-sweeter-the-better. I never ever tried a pumpkin spiced latte, so I really needed to try it. Did I like it? Guys, I loved it. Damn.. bummer I never tried it before But watch it: it’s a drink that’s high in calories. But so delicious tho.

A coffee a day keeps the smile on my face. Corny, but true. I’m a real caffeine lover. So every day I drink a coffee to stay awake, alive and kicking.

&CO

On the go I always buy something to drink. When walking in the city all day I get super thirsty. My favorite low calorie drink to drink? Yes, Coca Cola zero. And I prefer cherry and vanilla the most.

Are you the ‘normal’ Coca cola type? Or also the zero-type? I don’t think it tastes any different than the normal one, but hey: that’s my opinion. A lot of people tell me otherwise.

JACOB THE ANGEL

The best coffee I had in London? That must be from this place: Jacob & The Angel. It’s in the area Neal’s Yard and it has the best almond cappuccinos. My friend and I were already out and about for a couple of hours so we needed a caffeine boost. Finding a good coffee place – and no: not Starbucks or Costa – was a bit harder than we thought it would be.

But in the end we’ve found this delicious coffee place. The coffee was not cheap; also not expensive. A bit like the Amsterdam coffee prizes. So ‘doable’.

BREAD AHEAD

When you’re looking for a cute bakery to go to.. Go to Bread Ahead. It’s a super cute place with loads of healthy – and not so healthy – options. When we walked in we were surprised by all the food choices.

Look at this ‘bread’ walhalla. I’m allergic to wheat so I can’t eat it unless it’s gluten free (or wheat free), but if I could I would definitely tried the brownie in the middle. It has my name written all over it.

Oh and when you’re seeing a Bread Ahead in London: the coffee is very nice. I choose the almond cappuccino again and yes, it was delicious.

FOR THE SAVOURY

I couldn’t eat sweets all day so I also needed to find some places where I could eat savoury food. I’m a big rice lover so if it’s up to me I choose to eat Thai food, Mexican food or just loads of eggs and salmon. Want to know where I ate my savoury (soul) food? Check it out:

WAHACA

Welcome to the Mexican-food-heaven. Yes, the salad bowl I ate was out of this world. So fresh, so tasty.. and all low in calories. The place is hidden in a nice area in Spitalsfield. From the outside it looks like a small place, but when you’re in you notice right away it has plenty of spots to sit. The funny thing about this restaurant? You can pay the bill online. How cool is that.

I also choose the Mexican salad bowl for dinner. I craved something high in nutrients. Like veggies and stuff like that. When you’re abroad it’s always harder to find places where you can have veggies and fruit, but this bowl made it for it all. Damn, so tasty.. so real. This dish was one to remember.

COPPA CLUB

Looking for a breakfast with a view? Go to the Coppa Club. When you walk outside and see the place you totally get why I’m telling you this.

Look at this. How cool is having breakfast or lunch in a bubble like that? So that’s really something you should try when you’re in the neighborhood. It’s near the Tower Bridge. I must admit: the coffee was horrible. I think I never tasted such a nasty coffee in my life. When we told the waiter he took the coffee of the bill which was very gentle.

The food was flawless. It was super delicious and not expensive at all. I had gluten free bread with salmon and scrambled eggs for 4 pounds. Damn, I want to eat a breakfast like that every day for that amount of money. So don’t go there for coffee, but go there for food than you will be fine. Oh and of course for the view.

PRET A MANGER

One of my all time favorite places to go for a snack? That’s Pret A Manger. A famous London chain where you can have the best snacks. And to say the least: it’s healthy and cheap. So every time I was hungry I walked into a Pret A Manger and had a delicious snack.

What I had during the days I stayed there?

An awesome peanut butter bowl, an bircher bowl (the best there is in my opinion), an apple, a chicken soup and a delicious salad. And all for a good price. I think we need a Pret A Manger in Amsterdam also. It’s the best for healthy – high in protein- snacks. So please, come to The Netherlands.

It was such a lovely weekend with my longtime friend Cherelle. She and I can go on trips without getting annoyed by each other. For example: I love to go to the gym. So Cherelle let me go to the gym for an hour and she will think of something else she can do – working or stuff like that. And that’s so precious in a friendship. Knowing each other, giving each other some space and also creating beautiful memories together.

 Thanks for being you, amazing woman.

Enjoy your time in the English capital guys. I always love going back to London. Its a city that’s close to home, but far enough to have the feeling I’m on a holiday. So if you go.. make a print screen and go to all these delicious places above mentioned. Have fun!

Loads of love,
Indi(GO)

Ps, Here’s a non-related food tip; when you’re in London make sure you check out Junkyard Golfclub. You can play glow in the dark in the coolest neighborhood: Shoreditch. My friend and I had the best time that evening. So please enjoy it too.

Oh and also when you’re in London you cannot leave without seeing a musical at West End. Cherelle and I booked a spontaneous visit to Matilda the musical.

We were both so surprised by the talent of the children that play in the musical. Wow, super impressive. It was a good choice to go to a less populair musical than what we normally would have chosen. So go to Matilda if there are some tickets left for the shows.