A large pizza topped with sliced mushrooms, tomato, mozzarella and herbs on a wooden table, with drinks behind

A wild mushroom pizza at Pizza Express in Clerkenwell.

Toilets

Are in all the major museums and tourist attractions. Also restaurants etc. Most tube stations don’t have toilets (the Toilet Tube Map shows which ones do); major railway stations have toilets but they’re horrible.

Food

Can be bought pretty much everywhere, but in the very touristy locations (such as Covent Garden, Leicester Square, South Kensington) the restaurants are mostly priced far higher than the quality of their food deserves.

  • If you want a cheap sandwich and a donut, find your nearest Greggs or Subway.
  • if you want a fancier sandwich then try Pret a Manger or Marks and Spencer (not every M&S does food though). Pret does rather handy kiddy sandwiches - small and plain (ham and butter, or cheese and tomato).
  • Another option is the coffee shops (the inevitable Starbucks and Costa Coffee, plus loads of independent cafes), which are also excellent places to sit and breastfeed (says Ms Dave).
  • if you want a sit-down meal that will be ok and not cost the earth then the restaurant chains Pizza Express and ASK are a safe bet; Giraffe is rather “world music”-y but they are particularly kid friendly.
  • If you want a properly high-quality meal then go by the reviews on OpenTable.
  • Do not under any circumstances enter an Angus Steakhouse as you will be sorely disappointed by the quality of the food. If you want steak then go to Gaucho instead.

Obvious Stuff

I’m going to assume that you already know about British money, that you should dial 999 in an emergency, and all that stuff. If you have a non-emergency medical problem then call 111; if you need non-emergency police help then it’s 101.