Good Eats in London

Just about two weeks ago now, I went on a food tour through IES Abroad that was centered around East London eats. I’m a fairly picky eater, so I was intimidated by the thought of blinding going into what I would be eating, but it ended up being totally worth it. We had a great tour guide that gave us the ins and outs of all the places he took us to partnered with the history of many of the foods we ate as well. Let’s get into it! 

Stop #1: Rajmahal Sweets 

The first place we stopped was Rajmahal Sweets, a small Indian sweet shop located near Brick Lane. Unfortunately, I didn’t try any of the sweets, but they had plenty of savory options to choose from. I had a spinach cheese pastry and it was delicious and only 2 pounds! I would love to come back here to try out the sweets and have another try at the pastry I already had! Definitely recommend! 

Stop #2: Yi Fang 

The next stop on our tour was Old Spitalfield market. Funny enough, I stumbled upon this market the day before and already had some time to look around the market and the surrounding area. By the time we arrived, most of the vendors were closed for the night so I wasn’t able to try anything directly in the market. Right outside of the market was a chain boba tea spot where I got a Taro milk tea. This was the most interesting boba I’ve ever had and was a pleasant surprise! It was almost like a taro milkshake with tapioca which was something I’d never had before. I would recommend it! 

Stop #3: Poppies 

The place I would recommend the most is stop 3. Poppies is an iconic fish and chips spot in London with multiple locations around the city. Previously to this stop, I hadn’t yet tried fish and chips. I’m (guiltily) a picky eater and fish usually isn’t something on my radar, but these fish and chips were amazing. Right after we went to this spot, I texted my family to tell them I found the best fish and chips spot to take them to. 10/10 recommend! 

Stop #4: Beigel Bake Brick Lane Bakery 

Now, this stop is where I started to reach my limit, so unfortunately I didn’t get anything from this shop. I will say, the history was very interesting. Our tour guide explained to us that many of the claimed “British” foods actually have Jewish history and origins. So, this one is the oldest “bagel” shop in London! They’re known for their salt beef beigel, but they had plenty of other options, as well as other sweet options! 

Stop #5: Dark Sugars Chocolate 

The last stop, of course, was dessert. Dark sugars is an African-sourced chocolate shop that specializes in truffles. They also have amazing hot chocolate, which is what I tried. The hot chocolate was delicious and had a really cool presentation as it was served with heaps of chocolate shavings on top. 

And that wraps up the tour!