Go Here: London Calling (Part 1)

An updated list for London lovers

I am one of these American wankers who secretly wishes he was English. I dress it up by calling myself an “Anglophile.” I have my reasons.

At 24 I left my job in Louisville, KY when I learned I was expecting a baby boy whose mother was moving to Charleston. I started over in South Carolina and took a job as a server and bartender at FIG.

Soon after the move I got a call from my old boss (I had worked for 21C Hotel in Louisville), who was an early champion and remains a mentor. He left the company and was consulting for hotels around the world, helping reimagine their food and beverage programs. When he called, he told me he’d been hired by Morgans Hotel Group to give a critical eye to their marquee London properties (St. Martin’s Lane, Sanderson) and wanted me on the team. I was his “cocktail guy,” and at that time, I was very passionate and clued into the burgeoning global cocktail renaissance.

So at 24, having done very little international travel (and having never visited London) I was Heathrow bound as part of a four person team tasked with bringing fresh ideas to some iconic hotel properties. Morgans had effectively introduced the idea of the boutique hotel. It was incredible.

I quickly learned that a big part of F&B consulting is “market research,” which meant we got to (had to!) explore London’s dining scene in depth, on someone else’s dime. Our job required a clear sense of the market, competitors, trends, successes, and failures. So we ate out. A LOT. At some of London’s best restaurants. Great tables, lots of food, VIP treatment. For at least a week.

This was an absolute show-stopper of a trip - something I wouldn’t have been able to afford on my own. I was staying in luxury hotels in palatial suites, riding the elevator with David Byrne and Damon Dash, dining at iconic restaurants like River Cafe and St. John, and quaffing cocktails at the cities leading bars, all in the name of research. We visited museums, frolicked around the city in the back of black cabs, and carved out plenty of time for exploration. What a time to be alive.

As you might imagine, this cemented a deep, enduring, perhaps unrealistic love for London. So much so that I returned as often as I could. I was engaged there, married outside of the city, honeymooned there, and I’ve returned every summer for the last 8 years (save for a couple years during COVID).

I say all this to clarify WHY I love London so much. After years of history, I have strong opinions about why it’s a special place, and what it is I’m looking for each time I return.

So after a recent visit I wanted to update my previous London coverage with some new (to me) favorites.