Eating out in Bloomsbury
undefined • 9 June 2025
Bloomsbury has a strong academic and literary history and is, of course, home to the British Museum. As you would expect, there are various restaurants catering to tourists that are best avoided if you want a good meal out. Here is our guide to some of the best choices within a 15 minute walk of Virginia House.
My Old Dutch
is a pancake restaurant on High Holborn. Aside from a multitude of sweet options, they have a surprising selection of savoury options too. If you imagine the sort of toppings you might get on a pizza but instead on a large crêpe then you get the right idea. Absolutely every dish is customisable and they also have a really good salad menu. Reasonably priced.
Cocoro
on Coptic Street serves hearty bowls of authentic ramen, sashimi and hot pot in an izakaya setting. We love the display food so typical of Japan to help you choose your dish.
Flight Club Bloomsbury
is more of a social bar that serves food. After a competitive game of darts (yes, darts!) tuck into a sharing platter or a burger. A particularly good spot for groups and located on New Oxford Street.
Uzumaki
on Gt Russell St is an immersive anime restaurant where you can eat a lovely bowl of brothy ramen, admire the amazing character mural and then exit via the gift shop.
Eggslut
is just off Tottenham Court Road on Percy Street. It is messy food to eat but the sort of place where you want to eat without conversation so that you can concentrate on the food’s comfort. Everything is set within a sandwich and honestly it’s the best place eat when you are particularly starving. Make your choice and apply to face.
The Life Goddess
is a Greek deli restaurant on Store Street serving healthy fare such as giant butter beans, kleftiko and crispy liver. A great spot for lunch or dinner with limited outdoor seating.
Honey & Co
have two local spots; one on Store St and another on Lambs Conduit Street. It offers a modern menu with a Middle Eastern influence. They have a decent breakfast menu and a generous sharing menu for lunch or dinner.
Fortitude Bakehouse
is not a restaurant and, aside from some sandwiches, they mostly serve delicious pastries and filled doughnuts, sorry, "beignets", in a converted mews garage. All food is to take away and there is some outdoor seating but it’s really very good and has become an internet sensation which is why it is included here. Be prepared to queue unless you get there very early. Located just behind Russell Square underground station.
Ciao Bella
on Lambs Conduit St is an old fashioned Italian restaurant that has been there for years. It is not the kind of Italian that centres around pizza and pasta but an actual Italian restaurant with actual Italian food on the menu like actual Italians eat.
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Journal
London is perfect for older children.
The English summer season is packed with events intended to reward us all for our patient hibernation, bringing us together to experience something special. Summer 2026 is no exception and with something for everyone depending on your passion, below is just a small selection of what London has to offer this year: Solo Queens – Olivia Dean, Raye, Ariana Grande & Lily Allen are all playing at the O2 this summer. It’s not too late to get tickets at this huge venue. The Lads – The Weeknd, Bruno Mars and Bon Jovi are all playing at Wembley this summer too. The Fringe event – prefer your music a bit more underground? The Brick Lane Jazz Festival returns over 3 days in June, showcasing a huge range of new and established acts across a range of local intimate venues. The Outdoorsy One – Garth Brooks, Maroon 5, Lewis Capaldi are all playing British Summer Time. Since 2013, this has been an annual institution in outdoor music right in Hyde Park and the scale and organisation of it has to be seen to be believed. On the other hand, if it rains you will definitely get wet but that’s part of it isn’t it? One for the Geeks – Dungeons and Dragons Fan Expo is being held in the O2 on the 21st and 22nd of August. This is one for D&D traders and gamers who take things seriously. For Foodies – Taste of London food festival comes to Regent’s Park offering five continuous days of feasting in June. Masterclasses are on offer as well as a chance to purchase direct from artisan suppliers and plenty of cocktail opportunities. For Designers – Clerkenwell Design Week takes place over 3 days in May with the usual plethora of talks and events as well as hundreds of brands and emerging talent exhibiting their latest offerings. A feast for the eyes with plenty of high quality options for you to rest your legs in style too by testing out one of the many chairs. The Perennial Classic – still impressive for its scale, popularity and colour; the Chelsea Flower Show. Held in the vast grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, this veritable institution is televised for the BBC and never fails to deliver. Its scale has to be seen to be believed. Warning: has the power to convert even the most reluctant gardener. The Grand Master – with the full programme not announced until late April, expect an eight week season of daily orchestral classic music concerns set in the Royal Albert Hall. “Prommers” can expect the pinnacle in the famous “Last Night of the Proms” which traditionally celebrates patriotic music of the United Kingdom. Pick up a “Day Promming” last minute ticket for just £8. The Decadent Option – for some of the most impressive set and costumes you will ever see, The Royal Opera House is a distinguished cut above the competition. Offering a range of both opera and ballet performances, this summer’s highlight is a classic; The Marriage of Figaro runs from the 4th of June to the 2nd of July 2026. The Niche – tagging onto the end of the season to such an extent that it is almost off season, The Lapada art and antiquities fair returns to Mayfair’s Berkeley Square at the end of October. Exhibitors cover nearly every discipline across the art and antiquities spectrum, meeting strict knowledge and expertise requirements with highly vetted wares only. Browsing essential, purchases optional. The Warm Up Act – tickets to Wimbledon can be virtually impossible but the lesser subscribed Queen’s Club Tennis Championship takes place just before in June. Head over to West Kensington to assess the favourite’s form played on grass. For Children – a lovely venue in the heart of one of the Royal Parks; Regent’s Park’s Open Air Theatre is showing Anansi the Spider for the over 4s in August and September. Bring an umbrella. The Comedies – Shakespeare’s wonderful classics A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, Love’s Labour’s Lost and As You Like It are all being performed throughout this summer. Which will you choose? The Spectacle – Back by popular demand, War Horse is on at the Olivier Theatre on the South Bank between 16th May and 30th July 2026. Based on the famous novel by Michael Morpugo, it is performed entirely by the Handspring Puppet Company with life size horses. The Musical – it shouldn’t be funny but it is; The Book of Mormon continues its run at the Prince of Wales Theatre in the West End. Expect jaw dropping irreverence and a certain crisis of faith. Each of these events is between 2 and 60 minutes' travelling distance from each of our 7 centrally located buildings.
