So many restaurants and no idea where to eat!

November 18, 2011 8:57 AM

Help! In London tonight, where should we go for dinner tonight? (a Friday night!?)

Hi there! We are in a bind! We're 2 hrs from London and are making our way down there, but realized we have no idea where to go have dinner and are worried that it's a Friday night and won't find a place...! We are interested in perhaps going to a wine bar (or a coffeeshop or a hookah bar ..? a place with live music?) afterwards and need recommendations for that as well.

We are steering more toward Lebanese or some restaurant with or need a hookah bar?

We are thinking Westminster or Marble Arch?
Help please!

posted by xicana63 to Travel & Transportation around London, England (5 answers total)

From Marble Arch, walk up Edgware Road, there are about a million Middle Eastern restaurants. I can't recommend any in particular, but the two I've eaten in (at random) were both pretty good, and fairly priced. Pretty sure you'll find a hookah bar or cafe easily, as well.

I've checked Time Out, and they give good reviews to:

Maroush I
Abu Zaad (both 4 stars)

Ranoush Juice, Al-Dar, and Abu Ali all get 3 stars. All these are within a few hundred metres of Marble Arch, mostly on Edgware Rd.

Time Out also gives 5 stars to Vinoteca, a restaurant/wine bar on Seymour Place near Marble Arch.
posted by Infinite Jest at 9:05 AM on November 18, 2011 [1 favorite]

If it makes a difference, you can't smoke hookah indoors now due to the smoking ban. You;ll have to sit out on the terrace, and with limited space it might get busy on a Friday night.
posted by mippy at 9:31 AM on November 18, 2011

Go to one of the Lebanese places on Edgeware road, then walk a few blocks to Vinoteca wine bar at 15 Seymour place.
posted by jetsetlag at 9:37 AM on November 18, 2011

A friend just suggested Al Waha on Westborne Grove in Notting Hill. It doesn't have a hookah bar, and not sure what the price range is, but apparently it is mind.blowingly.amazing. Oh, and you'd definitely be able to find a hookah bar near there.

Call and try to book last minute!

Here's a link

Good luck!
posted by _superconductor at 10:24 AM on November 18, 2011

You cannot beat Gordon's Wine Bar for an after meal location. It's central, it's cosy, it's reasonably priced. You're right next to a tube station if you want to go anywhere, you're right next to the river... you really can't beat it. I've left the link as the Google search result so you can see the location, the reviews etc all on one page.
posted by dougrayrankin at 5:58 AM on November 19, 2011