Okay Dopers- need food advice in London!

[Dervorin]

@villa

While you are there, you have to try one of the really good Indian restaurants - I honestly don’t know where I would suggest, but can ask family if you want.

Mela is pretty central and good, and the staff are friendly and knowledgeable: http://www.melarestaurant.co.uk/

If you want something a bit more authentic, though, I can’t do better than recommending Tayyab’s: New Tayyabs, Fieldgate Street, London E1 | Food | The Guardian. It’s small and crowded, but the food is out of this world. Well worth the wait, and there often is a wait, with the queue going out of the door and into the street. If you can have your meal at a slightly off-peak time, it would help avoid a long wait.

[ColdPhoenix]

@Dervorin

If you want something a bit more authentic, though, I can’t do better than recommending Tayyab’s

Tayyab’s is great (as long as you’re not vegetarian). If there are enough of you make sure to book. I felt like I was in Goodfellas as the waiter walked us past the long queue to our table!

[jjimm]

@Really_Not_All_That_Bright

For what it’s worth, the best meal I’ve ever had was at Zen Central in Mayfair (it’s an “Asian fusion” restaurant, a bit like PF Chang’s).

Looks like it’s gone bust. Shame, as I was going to check it out on your recommendation.

Another place to consider is Wong Kee in Chinatown. Very good, very cheap, simple Chinese food - and astonishingly rude waitstaff. People actually go there just to get insulted.

[Really_Not_All_That_Bright]

Well, I suppose it can’t have been that good, then.

[Illuminatiprimus]

I heavily recommend a persian restaurant in Covent Garden called Simurgh - it’s in Garrick Street. More info here. Taken loads of people there any no-one has ever had a bad meal.

[Omar_Little]

I give Wahaca’s a double thumbs up as well. Best Mexican food in Europe.

@Novelty_Bobble

http://www.wahaca.co.uk/

Very nice mexican street-style food, cheap (For Mexican food in the UK anyhow) and tasty.

We had the lunch set meal, £20 for two of us and went away full and happy. The smoked herring and olive tostadas were a revelation but If possible I’d eat them first as they are fairly delicate and come as a bit of a shock to the palate if you eat them after something spicier.
They also do that weird huitlacoche stuff in a quesadilla, yum…don’t look, just eat! and for those who’ve never had it, don’t google it first.

You can’t book though, so you may have get rat-arsed at the bar first.