Since this was my first time in London, of course I wanted to do all of the major touristy things like visiting Buckingham Palace, the London Eye and Big Ben. However, I came across Walk Eat Talk Eat tour and I thought it’d be a great way to see London in more ways than the typical first-time touristy ones. And I could try some of London’s food? Sign me up!
We met our tour guide and owner of Walk Eat Talk Eat, Charli, at the Shoreditch High Street Tube station and we set off on our tour. There are so many amazing parts of London, so why Shoreditch?
According to Charli, Shoreditch has so many different types of cuisine, done really well in the area. The neighborhood has a really unusual, gritty history and isn’t super touristy. Charli’s goal is to help people get off the tourist trail and see a Londoner’s London. Sounds fantastic, right?
Stop 1: Constancia Food Truck
We walked a short distance to the Shoreditch Food Park for Constancia’s Argentinian choripan sausages. Constancia is actually a restaurant but they’ve branched out to reach the masses via their food truck.
The sausages were delicious. I was pleasantly surprised. I knew that if this was the first stop, there was so much more to look forward to on the tour.
Stop 2: Albion Caff
Walking into Albion Caff was like a breath of fresh air. It was so open and airy, and there were tons of goodies and pastries on display.
Here, Charli picked up a fougasse (French bread) sandwich stuffed with mushrooms and some sort of creamy cheese.
I have to be honest. This was my least favorite dish on the tour. Not because it wasn’t good, but mushrooms just aren’t my thing. What made up for it was walking to a neighboring park where Charli gave us a history of the area. I loved learning more about Shoreditch, all while eating food made in that very neighborhood.
Stop 3: Beigel Bake
Next, we headed a short distance to Beigel Bake for beigels (not bagels) and oh. em. gee. These beigels were pure heaven. We tried salt beef bagels sandwiches, which tasted much like a corn beef sandwich. It. was. delicious.
When I return to London, I’ll definitely be going back to Beigel Bake. The owner even said Beyonce and Mariah Carey have been in to try their beigels. And if their beigels are good enough for Beyonce and Mariah Carey, they’re good enough for you and me too.
Stop 4: Anti Shop
After walking through much of “Little Bangladesh” (think Chinatown but Bangladesh), we ended up at the Anti Shop where we sampled sugar-free and gluten-free brownies. Usually I’m not the sugar-free, gluten-free type of girl, but they were actually really delicious and a welcomed treat.
People are able to buy the furniture in the Anti Shop, which is made by local artists. I thought this was a pretty cool concept.
Stop 5: Ambala
Our final stop was to Ambala for barfi – Bangladeshi sweets. I’ve never tried Bangladeshi foods, so this was a great gateway.
Barfi may not be the prettiest but it was sweet and the perfect way to end the tour.
We didn’t taste any typical dishes that come to mind when thinking of London like spotted dick or shepherd’s pie. And I was completely okay with that. I loved tasting internationals foods offered in London with the perfect-sized portions. I would have never explored Shoreditch in such a way without a local tour guide to lead the way.
Thank you to Charli for a great tour! I guarantee that you’ll be glad you took this tour and saw London from a different point of view. Walk Eat Talk Eat offers other tours in case you have different interests. Be sure to check them out and tell them we sent you!
