Dropsafe

by Alec Muffett

London is the most expensive place in the world to eat out

Eek!

http://www.independent.co.uk/living/food_and_drink/news/article2953471.ece

From nose-bleed mortgages to wallet-bashing lattes, Londoners are used to paying some of the highest prices on the planet for their basic needs. Now it seems they are being charged more than anyone else for a meal out while suffering some of the worst-rated food and service among the world’s leading cities.
The capital has overtaken Tokyo and Paris as the most expensive city for eating out, with a three-course restaurant meal costing an average £39.09 per head including service and a drink. An annual price increase of nearly 3 per cent means a meal in London now costs on average £4 more than its nearest competitor, Paris, where the price is £35.37, according to a study by the Zagat restaurant guides.

…that said, if you’re selective and hunt around, you can find excellent food at a good price; Adriana has discovered several places which are now favourite haunts, and if a basic dish like sausage and mash is priced significantly more than 10 quid plus a small uplift proportionate to the atmosphere of the place, then it will be snubbed.

That may well be the whole point: in this burgeoning era of amateur-foodies, perhaps people still need to get a grasp upon what a meal should cost, else consumer demand will be uninformed and people will accept paying over the odds.

That’s one of the things I notice when visiting France: the food tends to be excellent, and it also tends to be inexpensive…

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Comments

3 responses to “London is the most expensive place in the world to eat out”

  1. Adriana

    Actually, I don’t see why a sausage & mash should cost more than £5. I get very upset when charged in excess of £10 in a pub with an ambiance of a place where horror movies begin and quality of cafeteria. You know what I am talking about. 😉

    London is expensive, but if you are willing to pay you also get quality that tends to be worth the money. I am in New York almost every month and have been to many restaurants considered excellent by the locals. Yes, steaks, ribs, Italian, Japanese and Mexican cuisines are excellent. Not sure about the rest – Middle Eastern and Thai rarely compare to even average meal in London. And I am not even mentioning Chinese or Indian. And yes, I do know many good places in NY and still find London coming top.

    All that said, you can find decent places in London for decent money. They are usually local, not listed in guide books and have a loyal following by people who keep it to themselves. 🙂

    I agree that France tends to have good food and inexpensive.. as long as you stick to good standard French fare. Nothing wrong with that but I’d soon be dying for a Peking duck, sushi or laksa. 🙂

    Reply
  2. Steve

    list of favourite haunts please, though I hate bangers and mash!

    Reply
  3. Adriana

    Steve, will see what I can do. Let me put it together over the weekend. With Alec assisting. 🙂

    Reply

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