Burger King in London

If you have a specific food allergy then it may also be worth checking the ingredient list for Macdonalds and Burger King in the UK as they do not always have the exact same ones as the US versions. Do not assume that because a food is safe to eat in the US it is safe for you here.

For example in the US fries are cooked in Soy and Canola oil, in the UK the are cooked in Sunflower and Rapeseed (Canola) oil.

Excellent point.

Fortunately the corporate web sites are usually very detailed on this and it makes research beforehand quite simple.

Thank you for your input. I'm glad I'm not the only one that needs to feel confident in eating the familiar foods. I used Burger King as an example. There are so many different spices and ingredients in different foods that I would love to sample but can't take that risk. I do appreciate the suggestions made and have been looking into hotels with onsite restaurants that I can email for information

I would be prouder if it didn't take personal experience to discover the difficulties in dealing with these issues in unfamiliar restaurants.

Although the landscape is changing, especially on cruise ships but also in restaurants, sometimes concerns are met with varying amounts of disbelief. In certain countries, for example. avoiding garlic can be a major challenge.

There is a Burger King at Fenchurch Street station (quite near the Tower.)

I think that one is more or less takeaway (takeout!) only? There might be a couple of tables, but it's not a large sit down restaurant, if that is what the OP is looking for.

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If you have a serious allergy, all restaurants are required, by law, to have allergy information available. You'll normally find this on the restaurant's website or just chat to the server and they'll ensure that you food is safe for you to eat. They'll normally be documentation available if you ask.

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What about the Pret a Manger chain of casual restaurants? There are tons of them in London, they have a website that lists all the ingredients and nutrition of their menu items, and I think they are way healthier than BK or McD's. I was just in London, stayed at the Hub by Premier Inn at Tower Hill (near Tower of London) and there were at least 3 Prets in close proximity. And they have a menu that's pretty familiar to Americans, basically similar to Panera's.

Can you tell I'm a fan? :)

On your second point, if that's what you think I suggested I didn't make myself clear. I thought I was arguing that, if it weren't for cruises and their increasing attention to dietary issues, we wouldn't have the freedom to travel as we do. ...

 

We don't have a problem travelling in our own country, since McDonald's and BK are rather ubiquitous here in Canada. And it's the only time we frequent them.

The hypothetical that I was posing was that, if the existence of chains like McDonalds and Burger King was a prerequisite to your being able to travel, then if they did not exist you would have as much difficulty travelling domestically as internationally.

What about the Pret a Manger chain of casual restaurants? There are tons of them in London, they have a website that lists all the ingredients and nutrition of their menu items, and I think they are way healthier than BK or McD's. I was just in London, stayed at the Hub by Premier Inn at Tower Hill (near Tower of London) and there were at least 3 Prets in close proximity. And they have a menu that's pretty familiar to Americans, basically similar to Panera's.

One of the other oddities I sometimes find myself thinking about Pret is that so many of its staff had not yet even been born when I started being a Pret customer.

Sorry if I misunderstood, I simply took it from the words of yours which I quoted in my post.

 

The hypothetical that I was posing was that, if the existence of chains like McDonalds and Burger King was a prerequisite to your being able to travel, then if they did not exist you would have as much difficulty travelling domestically as internationally.

 

And similar to the menus of US branches of Pret a Manger - although I am always jealous that the US branches have some much more interesting items than we get from Pret in the UK.

 

One of the other oddities I sometimes find myself thinking about Pret is that so many of its staff had not yet even been born when I started being a Pret customer.

I wasn't aware that they had expanded to the US. Sadly, I haven't seen any in my travels in this country--I'd be thrilled if one opened nearby!

I wasn't aware that they had expanded to the US. Sadly, I haven't seen any in my travels in this country--I'd be thrilled if one opened nearby!

Quite a few in the New York area. Other US locations include Boston, Chicago and Washington DC. That's it, so far.

Darcy

What about the Pret a Manger chain of casual restaurants? There are tons of them in London, they have a website that lists all the ingredients and nutrition of their menu items, and I think they are way healthier than BK or McD's. I was just in London, stayed at the Hub by Premier Inn at Tower Hill (near Tower of London) and there were at least 3 Prets in close proximity. And they have a menu that's pretty familiar to Americans, basically similar to Panera's.

 

Can you tell I'm a fan? :)

The problem with Pret is things are not made to order. For example I can't eat tomato, mustard, citrus or mayo (amongst other things)... which means most Pret sandwiches are out.

I can order around it in a normal restaurant, so I don't need to stick to fast food. But Pret may be an issue for the OP.

Quite a few in the New York area. Other US locations include Boston, Chicago and Washington DC. That's it, so far.

 

Darcy

I will have to check the website and find where they are in Chicago as I'm in downtown Chicago a few times a year. Unfortunately my travels rarely take me to NYC, DC or Boston. Thanks!

The problem with Pret is things are not made to order. For example I can't eat tomato, mustard, citrus or mayo (amongst other things)... which means most Pret sandwiches are out.

 

I can order around it in a normal restaurant, so I don't need to stick to fast food. But Pret may be an issue for the OP.

Not the OP, but thanks for posting this.

While intrigued by the menu, I wondered if there was any possible customization of their offerings.

We'll examine the sandwiches carefully in terms of ingredients.

Very helpful!

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We don't have any allergies to worry about. Eating in American fast food restaurants is not something we do when traveling.

I think Britain gets a bad rap on its food. We find the food generally to be quite good. Love the fish and chips.

Also, I love Indian food and there is always that choice as well as Italian and more.

One thing about British breakfasts that I don't care for as much is the sausages. They taste more like our hot dogs. Still, there is usually plenty of choice other than the sausages.

We don't have any allergies to worry about. Eating in American fast food restaurants is not something we do when traveling.

 

I think Britain gets a bad rap on its food. We find the food generally to be quite good. Love the fish and chips.

Also, I love Indian food and there is always that choice as well as Italian and more.

 

One thing about British breakfasts that I don't care for as much is the sausages. They taste more like our hot dogs. Still, there is usually plenty of choice other than the sausages.

There are some excellent restaurants in the UK these days with cuisine from every corners of the world.

With regards to the sausages, I don't think British sausages taste like hot dogs of which I enjoy occasionally.

Sausages come in different varieties and quality. We often stay in country BBs where they are excellent but have been sourced locally from good butchers or farms.

We don't have any allergies to worry about. Eating in American fast food restaurants is not something we do when traveling.

 

I think Britain gets a bad rap on its food. We find the food generally to be quite good. Love the fish and chips.

Also, I love Indian food and there is always that choice as well as Italian and more.

 

One thing about British breakfasts that I don't care for as much is the sausages. They taste more like our hot dogs. Still, there is usually plenty of choice other than the sausages.

I don't eat American fast food restaurants at home so certainly not when traveling!

I think British food deserved a bad rap 40 years ago. Ugh. We ended up eating in Indian and Italian restaurants then. Now I think there is a lot of good food in Britain.

I don't eat American fast food restaurants at home so certainly not when traveling!

 

I think British food deserved a bad rap 40 years ago. Ugh. We ended up eating in Indian and Italian restaurants then. Now I think there is a lot of good food in Britain.

London has May many wonderful restaurants now including roughly 65 Michelin Stared Restaurants.

We rarely spend for those, with exception of the very reasonably priced lunches in many of them and still eat extremely well for the weeks of our visits.

London has May many wonderful restaurants now including roughly 65 Michelin Stared Restaurants.

We rarely spend for those, with exception of the very reasonably priced lunches in many of them and still eat extremely well for the weeks of our visits.

Orchestrapal

If you are a frequent visitor to London and enjoy our restaurants take a look at a website - Catherine's Hot Dinners. It lists and reviews many new and just about to open, London restaurants.

Some of the more expensive restaurants have 'soft launches' where they offer 50% discounts just before they fully open to the public.

Basically, you are a guinea pig, but I have been to some excellent places that I possibly couldn't afford if I had to pay their normal prices. Great if you can go for lunch as it is easier to get a booking than for dinner.

I think Britain gets a bad rap on its food. We find the food generally to be quite good.

There are some excellent restaurants in the UK these days with cuisine from every corners of the world.

I think British food deserved a bad rap 40 years ago.

London has many wonderful restaurants now including roughly 65 Michelin Stared Restaurants.

The simple reality is that today, London is one of the food / eating capitals of the world.

In part this is due to some of the same factors that have reportedly led Samer Halimeh to open his flagship jewellery shop in London even though his company is based in New York: because of its status as the "billionaire capital of the world" and its easy accessibility for customers from Europe, Russia, the Middle East and India. Money comes here, money is spent here, and money is spent here by the people on whom it has been spent here.

In reading posts like this...it amazes me why people get so upset when someone wants to find a McDonalds or BK while traveling the world. Let the person eat whatever they want. It is their vacation...I also enjoy McDonalds and eat at one in every port we visit...so what...

In reading posts like this...it amazes me why people get so upset when someone wants to find a McDonalds or BK while traveling the world. Let the person eat whatever they want. It is their vacation...I also enjoy McDonalds and eat at one in every port we visit...so what...

I was just in one in London. To use the bathroom....Fake food and unhealthy food is not my thing. But to each their own. Yuck.

The other person wanted to use them because they have food allergies. The problem is that making an assumption that the ingredients are the same in other countries as in your own could be a mistake.

oops, old thread

I know of course that it's no joking to have food alergies, but if I had to rely on BK or McDo I would rather kill myself. Of course I go to McDo as well, but maybe once on a trip and once or twice in a month at home if I have no other choice.

But London has so much to offer and part of the fun of travelling is tasting different food on every day;

I just stayed in London for 5 days and during my stay I've eaten just once in a McDo and the other meals I had

from Japan, China, Vietnam, Jamaica, India, Italy and Britain itself (your regular Fish and Chips)....

I know of course that it's no joking to have food alergies, but if I had to rely on BK or McDo I would rather kill myself.

That is a remarkably insensitive thing to say to someone with serious food allergies. Not to put too fine a point on it, the OP probably asked the question because they were worried about killing themselves.

Fortunately they got some decent advice when they asked back in May...

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