Never mind dining like a queen – this weekend dine like The Queen in honour of Her Majesty’s 90th birthday. Although Elizabeth II’s birthday was actually back in April, ceremonial celebrations are now in full swing. We’ve rounded-up all the UK restaurants where our longest reigning monarch has dined (or rumoured to have dined) in her incredible 64 years on the throne. Celebrate The Queen’s birthday in right royal style…
This was the site of not only Prince Phillip’s 90th birthday party in June 2011, HM The Queen also celebrated her 70th birthday here 20 years ago.
“Perfect in every way!” – Alain Roux’s “heavenly” Thames-side legend is at “the very pinnacle of classic French cuisine” (“with a few modern, but unpretentious twists along the way”). Aperitifs on the terrace in summer are a particular highlight, but the “elegant”, if “slightly old-school” setting is also “wonderful in winter”, and the ambience is enhanced by the impeccably well-judged service led by “masterful maître d’ Diego”. “Your plastic needs a very high melting point” to cope with the “toe-curling prices”, but for the vast majority of reporters “it’s a spectacular experience for your bank account to die for”.
In March this year The Queen joined her daughter Princess Anne and her cousin Princess Alexandra for a private dinner at Bellamy’s. All due respect to HM, but given she rarely dines out, we suggest she consults her Harden’s London Restaurant Guide next time.
“A refined atmosphere not found in many restaurants” helps make Gavin Rankin’s “clubby” and “luxurious” brasserie – tucked away in a tranquil Mayfair mews – a particular “winner for a business lunch”; its straightforward, often “rich” cuisine is “expensive but worth it”.
Royal Warrant holders
It is rumoured that HM has supped at the Goring’s esteemed dining room. While we can’t point to the veracity of these rumours, we can say that their breakfast is “fit for a queen’. It is of course much-loved by the Duchess of Cambridge who stayed there before the royal wedding in 2011. The hotel was granted a Royal Warrant in 2013.
“Marvellously discreet” bastion near Victoria (complete with royal warrant) – “a fine example of everything old-fashioned and English”, not least its “magnificent” staff. “Superb” traditional fare is served in the “beautiful” and “civilised” dining room, with top billing going to the “breakfast fit for a queen” and “quintessential afternoon tea”.
Their beef is selected from Donald Russell, Royal Warrant holder since 1984 and trusted supplier to HM The Queen.
“A real treat in every respect” – this luxurious, well-spaced Belgravia dining room is firing on all cylinders after its revamp last year; as well as the top-quality roast beef and grills for which it’s long been famous, the “seasonal menus show true skill and inventiveness”.
By Philafrenzy – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45790751
This plush private dining rooms and club in the heart of Belgravia, occupying a former church, provided the catering for Will and Kate’s royal wedding back in 2011. Book a private dining room in the venue’s atmospheric Belfry is you’re feeling particularly flush and want to celebrate in style.
This is one that everybody knows about. F&M famously hold Royal Warrants as HM’s grocer and provision merchants. Their Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon, at the retailer’s Piccadilly HQ, was opened by The Queen in 2012.
“I didn’t think posh afternoon tea would be my thing, but I was bowled over!” – Fortnum’s “light” and “elegant” third-floor salon is a relatively new addition to the store, with cake trollies and “light and fluffy scones” Ã gogo; it’s pricey though, and critics say “the big hotels do it better”.
And if you’re looking to dine like The Queen without the price tag, you’ll find it easier than some might imagine. At home Her Majesty may reside in a palace, but she is a lady of simple tastes and loves staples like Heinz Baked Beans, HP Sauce, Coca-Cola, Ryvita and Musk’s Newmarket Sausages (all Royal Warrant Holders).
