Travel Through History with Your Tastebuds

London has a colourful and diverse history and so there is probably little surprise that London is home to some of the oldest eateries in the world. This guide will take you through 200 years of culinary delights so if you are a history lover who has a soft spot for delicious food, this will be right up your street.

Veeraswamy

Indian cuisine has become a firm favourite with the people of Britain and it is strange to think that it wasn’t until 1926 that the first Indian restaurant to opened in the UK. Veeraswamy is situated near The Marble Arch by Montcalm on Regent Street and it was opened by a young man who descended from Indian royal. The upper class flocked to Veeraswamy as they enjoyed its exotic spices and delicious dishes and, today, it has become a firm favourite with people from all walks of life. While there are hundreds of Indian takeaways and restaurants in London, Veeraswamy is still the place that everyone goes to for delectable food and fascinating history.

Simpson’s Tavern

Simpson’s Tavern is considered to be London’s first steakhouse which opened in 1757; it was known for its fine selection of meats and ale for hundreds of years. Thomas Simpson founded the current tavern after his first restaurant was destroyed and his ‘Original Fish Dinner’ was famous throughout London right up to the first part of the 1900’s where the dinners still only cost 2/-. Tradition meant, and still means, so much to Simpson’s Tavern that ladies were not permitted to enter until 1916, up until then it was a gentleman’s club but today all are welcome to the tavern to dine on a hearty meal and a good old-fashioned pint.

Simpsons-in-the-Strand

Simpsons-in-the-Strand was originally a coffee house and smoking room before it gained a reputation for producing the best food in London during the 1800’s. Many celebrities flocked to its doors including Charles Dickens, P.G. Wodehouse, Vincent Van Gogh and George Bernard Shaw who would come to dine, drink and play chess, a game that Simpsons-in-the-Strand has a unique connection to. While playing this classic game, waiters used to serve dishes on silver trolleys that would glide between tables, an act that ensured that no game was disturbed and, even though the game is no longer played in its rooms, the trolley tradition is still alive in Simpsons-in-the-Strand today.

Rules

Rules was born in 1798 and it is the oldest restaurant in the city. Only a short walk from the restaurants near Marble Arch, it has been known ever since for its game dishes. Many famous names have walked through its doors over the centuries such as Charles Dickens and Charlie Chaplin, and, during the Second World War, it was very popular due to its selection of rabbit, grouse and pheasant which was a delicacy for the city’s inhabitants due to rationing. The best time to visit is from the 12th of August, when the game season begins, but make sure you book as it is still popular today as it was in the 18th century.