Planning Your Trip - Eating in London

 

Ok, "Eating in London" isn't entirely accurate - that would take way more than this short page - more like "Eating in and around ExCeL London" since that's more manageable for me to do a guide on and I'm guessing most people won't be getting the tube into the city to get lunch during Celebration days.

If you do head into the city after a day at Celebration then you can find Time Out's recent Best Restaurants guide here.

ExCeL London

If there's one thing ExCeL London has, it's plenty of dining options. There are twenty two food and drink locations in the convention center ranging from Subway to fine dining at The Bridge Restaurant. Judging by their website there will be something for every price range and taste.

Let's be honest, even the cheaper options for convention center dining always come with a mark up, but there's a lot to be said for convenience. So if you are planning on eating in the convention center I'd recommend aiming for late morning or mid afternoon to avoid the lunch time rush. Or during any of the major panels, enjoying your meal whilst streaming the latest news from a galaxy far, far away (just make sure you have headphones).

You can find more details on all the available options on the ExCeL website. Restaurant hours for Celebration should be posted about a month before the event.

One thing to keep in mind is that ExCeL is apparently card only for their food court/own vendors.

Local Hotels & Nearby Dining

Convention center food not to your liking? Why not check out the local hotels! I'm not sure how much cheaper these will be, but it at least gives you a few options for a change of scenery during the day and places to eat in the evening without heading into the city.

To the West of the ExCeL center are Aloft's Docksider restaurant and Double Tree's Salt Port restaurant and deli. I'm not sure how easy access will be given the current construction work (with the exception of accessibility access the ExCeL West entrance is closed and guests advised to take the Dockland Light Rail one stop to the East entrance each morning if they are staying in hotels on the West side). There is a path alongside the convention center but it may be closed due to the construction works.

To the East of the convention center (so by the main entrance) is Tapa Tapa (tapas) and Zero Sette (Italian). The Sunborn London offers the Lands End restaurant, whilst Novotel London ExCeL has the Upper Deck Restaurant. Walking a little further will bring you to a few more restaurant options, as well as a Tesco Express and Nisa Local if you just want to grab and go.

Bring Your Own

If you want to do Celebration on a budget, or simply don't have time in your schedule for a proper lunch break, then you're going to want to take food in with you. Taking water and snacks is pretty much essential for any convention, but bringing a packed lunch can really save you both time and money. Plus it's probably healthier too! If you're driving in you can bring some supplies with you, but for those flying in or just wanting to buy provisions once they arrive, there's the above mentioned Tesco Express and Nisa Local within easy walking distance of the convention center. If you're in a group then splitting the cost on supplies can really save you a lot of money on your food bill.

Most likely, you'll mix it up a bit. Bring some food of your own, eat on site one day and at a local restaurant the next. Just make sure that you do eat and stay hydrated. You'll be on the go almost constantly at Celebration, so it's important to stay fueled up and ready to go.