Family friendly restaurant recommendations (London)

December 11, 2016 7:36 AM

My family including two under 7 year old kids will be in London just before Christmas. Any recommendations for reasonably priced, family friendly Chinese or Mexican restaurants? Thanks!
posted by chr to Food & Drink (7 answers total)

Wagamama is not Chinese per se, but it's a ramen and noodle place that I liked when I was in London. It's family friendly and I remember prices as being reasonable.
posted by cnc at 8:42 AM on December 11, 2016 [1 favorite]

Dumplings' Legend in Chinatown.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 8:51 AM on December 11, 2016 [2 favorites]

I never had decent Mexican food on all the years I was in England, including London. I'd stick to Chinese.
posted by fshgrl at 9:04 AM on December 11, 2016 [4 favorites]

I think Wahaca is pretty good Mexican -- but then again, I might never had had good Mexican.
posted by heavenknows at 12:41 PM on December 11, 2016 [1 favorite]

This native Angelena liked Wahaca. There's tons of good places in London's Chinatown, bounded by Rupert st, Leicester Square , Shaftesbury Ave and Charing Cross Rd.
posted by brujita at 2:16 PM on December 11, 2016 [1 favorite]

We moved from LA to London in 2002 and for the first decade we were here, it was impossible to get decent Mexican food. But over the past few years, a lot more options have sprung up. I have yet to find anything as great as the absolute best in LA but there's plenty of decent choices.

I agree with the consensus that Wahaca is the best option in terms of taste, but they recently had some health problems. Presumably they'll have fixed this by Christmastime, but you may choose not to risk it while traveling.

As a back up, Benito's Hat is not as tasty as Wahaca but they're a perfectly decent option. Also Giraffe is a "world restaurant" rather than a Mexican restaurant, but they have a number of Mexican items on their menu and they're very kid friendly.

Also Chipotle has a number of branches in London.

For more options, here's TimeOut London's list of the best burritos in London. (In fact as a general rule, it's worth downloading the TimeOut app for your smart phone and/or searching their reviews online-- you can look for specific cuisines in specific locations.)

In Chinatown, Jen Cafe is a pretty good no-frills dumpling restaurant. I don't think it's worth hunting it down from a distance but if you're in the area and your kids like Chinese dumplings, it's a good option. (Be warned that, as with many restaurants in Chinatown, they will probably expect you to eat and go, rather than linger.)
posted by yankeefog at 1:41 AM on December 12, 2016 [1 favorite]

Mexican friends (and some from just over the border) tell me that there's no such thing as good Mexican food in London. I thought Wahaca was decent, albeit not cheap.

For cheap and cheerful Chinese, I tend towards New World in London's Chinatown. Not top end by any means, but decent price, always get a table, decent service, family friendly.
posted by outlier at 4:34 AM on December 12, 2016