Once we got to London, we beelined for the Borough Market. This was one of our favorite spots on our last trip and we were so excited to go again (honestly, I’m already looking forward to the next time, too). One of my favorite stands there is the Colombian Coffee stand - they make an incredible mocha with raw cacao, so my first priority was this delicious coffee. I love plain old coffee, but this is a whole other level. We walked around a little to see if there was anything super eye catching (even though we KNEW what we were going to eat), and got several samples. Next we snagged some perfectly cooked sweet potato fries from Scotchtails, the Scotch Egg stand, then went right to get duck confit form Le Marché du Quartier. We also grabbed some prosecco spritzers nearby to eat with our lunch. I’d eat this exact meal again everyday, but there are also so many options here, which I think could work really well for a group of people who might not all want to eat the same thing - everyone can go pick what works best for them, and then re-convene to eat together.

That evening we had a super fancy dinner at Simpson’s in the Strand. This place has old school vibes - they might bring a huge carving station to your table depending on what you order, and it’s just super fancy in general. We started with some cocktails - they all have old-timey names, and there’s a lot to choose from! We got scallops as an appetizer - these were Nathaniel’s first and now he loves them! I’m so happy! For dinner Nathaniel got Beef Wellington and I got the monkfish. We each got a glass of wine to pair with our meals, too. We shared some sort of lemony dessert, which was delicious, but why would you serve sorbet on a plate? 😂 They also brought us Earl Grey fudge - I’ll have to try to make something like this at home because this was SO good.

The next morning I grabbed coffee near our Airbnb at the Arro Coffee. This is a cute spot - so cute I dragged Nathaniel there the next morning for coffee and pastries before we drove off to Liverpool! Great location and good coffee.

After, we headed to the Palace Theatre’s will call to grab our Harry Potter tickets, and we decided to grab a fast bite (and some more caffeine) at Pret a Manger, a chain. While I don’t always like to defect to chains (like Starbucks), it’s nice being able to pop in somewhere and KNOW you’re going to get an ok cup of coffee and a passable snack. Also, they use paper straws, which I am so on board with! Plus, it was pride month in the UK while we were there, and Pret made their sign a rainbow, and I’m all about it 🏳️‍🌈

Between Part 1 and Part 2 of Cursed Child, we grabbed a meal of Spanish tapas at Las Banderas. The service left a bit to be desired (we had to remind them to bring us our pitcher of sangria after all of our food was already delivered), and they were OUT OF MANCHEGO, which is a travesty for any restaurant, but especially a Spanish one. The food was good, though, and we were pretty excited to get some real jamón since we weren’t swinging through Spain this trip. We got jamón, croquettas, pulpo and padron peppers, and some churros for dessert, which, despite the disappointment of no cheese, hit the spot.

Back at the theatre we got 2 for 1 mojitos, which weren’t anything special, but were a good way to pass some time before the next act started. I think it was a lost opportunity to not have themed cocktails - I would have totally ordered a firewhisky or a butterbeer 😉

After the show, we went to Patara for Thai food, which was recommended by one of Nathaniel’s relatives. We got cocktails and shared a few appetizers, but I think we confused the staff because we didn’t order any main courses. We got the duck spring rolls, chilli calamari, chicken & prawn satay and the chor muang. The chor muang are the purple dumplings and were our favorite of the four things we got.

The next day was pretty sparse on food until we got to Liverpool. We got breakfast at Arro again, along with some junk food and coffee from the rest stops along the highway. I got Starbucks there because it was easy, and we got to discover some funny UK candies. Oh, and a shoutout to Fanta, who sells this delicious lemon flavor in Europe, but not in the US - please bring it here!

When it was time to eat dinner in Liverpool, we first stopped by the Philharmonic Dining Rooms - we chose this spot because the Beatles used to play here, and Paul McCartney somewhat recently did a special with James Corden where he performed a surprise show. This is not your average pub - there are several different rooms, all beautifully decorated, but rather than having servers, you belly up to the bar to order whatever you’d like to eat and drink. We decided to just grab a pint here, and do some research about where to eat.

We decided to go back to Albert Dock for fish and chips - Nathaniel did some great Googling, and found Docklands Fish and Chips, a spot that sells pretty much JUST fish and chips - and it did not disappoint. It’s fun finding places that do just one thing, because if they can do just one thing and stay in business, that means they do it well. We ran there because the internet told us they closed soon, but they definitely stayed open later than 8pm the evening we went - maybe it all has to do with demand and how busy they are.

Also, I would be remiss not to mention the generous pours we got at our hotel for pretty cheap. We got back and decided a drink would be a nice way to unwind after a long day of driving and exploring, and the Dolby Hotel’s bar did not let us down.

The next morning we grabbed breakfast at Albert Dock at Peaberry Coffee House & Kitchen. I got coffee and doughnut french toast with nutella and banana, and Nathaniel got English Breakfast Tea and a bagel with an egg, bacon and black pudding on it. I really like the Albert Dock area - it has lots of fun shops and restaurants, and next time we go, we’ll go into the Tate museum there, too!