Page 355 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - London

CHILDREN ’ S L ONDON  353

Eating Out with Children
The variety of cuisines available in the city is vast and there is plenty to
suit kids with adventurous tastes: enjoy a trip to the orange-lantern-
filled Chinatown, tuck into a thali at an authentic Indian curry house or
share a selection of Spanish tapas, perfect for those wanting to try a
little of everything.
They may not be the most imaginative choice, but chain restaurants
are guaranteed to be a safe option for families, with high-chairs,
easy-wipe surfaces, suitable good-value food, friendly staff and no
exorbitant prices. Some places also provide activity sheets with
puzzles to solve and pictures to colour in. A few of the best, all with
branches across the city, include Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK) and
Byron for good-quality burgers, and Ask, Pizza Express and Carluccio’s
for popular Italian meals. There’s a branch of family favourite Giraffe
at the Southbank Centre (see below). For more options, and more
contact details for places mentioned here, see the Light Meals and All branches of the cheerful Giraffe chain
Snacks section on pp308–11. have an excellent children’s menu
For a totally different and fun-filled family dining experience,
The Rainforest Café is most certainly worth a visit. The restaurant, Useful Addresses
complete with gift shop, is designed
as an Amazonian jungle with lifelike All Star Lanes
moving animals and the sounds of Bloomsbury Place WC1.
tropical thunderstorms. Those who Tel 020 7025 2676.
want to make a night of it might (One of several branches.)
enjoy a visit to All Star Lanes, an
American-style diner complete with Giraffe
bowling alleys. The kids deal – main Riverside Level 1, Southbank
meal, drink, dessert and game of Centre SE1.
bowling – makes for a reasonably Tel 020 7042 6900.
priced evening. (One of several branches.)
The Rainforest Café
Combine a family-friendly meal with an 20 Shaftesbury Avenue W1D.
evening’s entertainment at All Star Lanes Tel 020 3326 6390.

In England it is illegal to season and the towering Tate takes older kids with a strong
smoke in a vehicle carrying Modern (see pp182–5) offers art stomach on a grisly tour of the
anyone under 18. trails and challenges for kids. most blood thirsty events in
Near to the London Eye, street British history.
performers entertain the crowds The Southbank Centre itself
The South Bank and there is a weekly food (see pp190–91) is home to the
With a walkway that stretches market behind Royal Festival National Theatre, the British
virtually unbroken along the Hall (see p311). The London Film Institute (BFI) and the Royal
Thames from Tower Bridge (see Aquarium (see p192) provides Festival Hall. The centre offers a
p157) to the London Eye close-up encounters with sea huge programme of events all
(see p193), the South Bank, life from starfish to sharks. The through the year, as well as
with its many attractions, is the London Dungeon (see p192) family-friendly restaurants.
perfect destination for families
seeking a fun day out. It is also
conveniently sandwiched
between London Bridge and
London Waterloo train stations.
By London Bridge, bustling
Borough Market (see p180)
makes a perfect stop for lunch
or a snack. Worth a visit are two
very different ships, both
moored nearby: HMS Belfast
(see p187) and the replica of the
Golden Hinde II (see p179).
A little further along the
river, Shakespeare’s Globe (see
p181) has monthly children’s
workshops during theatre The London Eye, providing views across the city

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