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15 Quirky Places to Eat in London That You Need to Try [2024]

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England’s capital is in no shortage of places to eat!

But so many choices can make deciding where you want to go quite difficult.

If you want to take a step away from your classic Nando’s meal and try something a little quirkier, like igloo restaurants in London, then we’re here to help.

Keep reading to help you narrow down the best quirky places to eat in London, and make sure to add your favourites to your food bucket list!

Quirky Places to Eat in London

1. Ballie Ballerson

Shoreditch address: 91-113 Curtain Road, EC2A 3BS

Soho address: 53-54 Berwick Street, W1F 8SP

If you’re looking for fun and quirky places to eat in London, then it doesn’t get much better than Ballie Ballerson.

The Shoreditch venue caused so much excitement that they’ve now got a second site in Soho!

Ballie Ballerson is home to one of the best bottomless brunches in East London.

You get two hours in the venue, the first ninety minutes of which come complete with bottomless pizza, prosecco and pornstar martinis, leaving you thirty minutes at the end to let off some drunken steam by jumping into a ball pit!

They cater for all dietary requirements, so there’s no fear of having to leave your vegan friend out of the foodie fun.

2. Gremio de Brixton

Address: St Matthew’s Church, Basement, Brixton Hill, Brixton, SW2 1JF

Tapas lovers, this one is calling your name!

Not only does Gremio have some mouth-watering tapas dishes on offer, but it’s also one of the most fun tapas bars we’ve ever come across!

The restaurant is tucked away in the crypt of a church, so it’s a great way to get off the beaten path in London.

It’s such a surprising location for a restaurant that makes it all the more appealing to us.

The walls are dotted with pictures of matadors and flamenco dancers, and in a corner, you’ll find a Catholic shrine, which is definitely not your standard eatery décor!

The venue also doubles as a bar and clubbing area, playing Latin tunes into the early hours.

3. sketch

Address: 9 Conduit St, Mayfair, W1S 2XG

This fabulous Mayfair restaurant is probably most famous on Instagram for its “egg” pod toilets! However, there’s more to sketch than just its loos.

It serves Michelin-starred food in beautiful surroundings including a magical forest, chairs wearing ballet shoes and hot pink sofas as far as the eye can see.

I’d recommend booking a classic afternoon tea from £59pp served from 11:30 am – 4:30 pm in The Gallery which has been referred to as a ‘look inside a candyfloss machine’.

If you’re looking for more of an upmarket eatery, then sketch might be perfect for you.

There’s loads of choice within Sketch itself too, as it’s home to a whopping five different venues, four of which are amazing restaurants.

You’ll be able to pick between the Lecture Room which boasts multiple Michelin stars, the Glade which is a super cute woodland-themed lunch spot, the Gallery which is a funky vibrant brasserie-style venue, and the Parlour, an eccentric little patisserie, restaurant and bar.

You can also grab a drink at the East Bar & Pods – what we’re trying to say is you won’t be short of options here!

Make sure you book to guarantee a table in this popular London haunt.

4. Circus

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Address: 27-29 Endell Street, Covent Garden, WC2H 9BA

Fancy watching a pop-up circus during your dinner? Head over to Circus in London’s famous Covent Garden area.

Pan-Asian cuisine is served up in a futuristic dining room for you to share amongst your group while you are transfixed by the surprise cabaret and circus performances that are going on around you.

Contortionists, fire-breathers, hula-hoopers and more will dance and twirl their way around you, making this one of the best food experiences on offer to you in the city.

5. Rainforest Café

Address: 20 Shaftesbury Ave, West End, W1D 7EU

Take a trip to the jungle by eating at the exotic Rainforest Café.

Open since 1997, this eatery brings the best of the Amazon to you, right in the heart of London’s West End.

There’s something for all the family here, with American and international cuisine available on the café’s extensive menu.

The beautiful surroundings are brought to life with amazing special effects and lifelike animatronics.

Being surrounded by aquariums, waterfalls and lifelike jungle animals while you eat is such a fun experience, and it’s definitely one of the most quirky places to eat in London!

6. London in the Sky

Address: Peninsula Square, Greenwich Peninsula, SE10 0DX

Now, this is one of the most unforgettable dining experiences you’ll ever have.

Bet you never thought you’d be eating your lunch suspended 100ft in the air!

London in the Sky is definitely not for the faint-hearted, but it’s an incomparable experience.

Unbeatable views of the capital are paired with fantastic food and drink, making this one of the most fantastic meals you’ll ever have.

On days when flights are running, the organisers run eight flights a day, but tickets sell quick so if this looks like your kind of thing, get booked in now!

7.  The Last Tuesday Society’s Absinthe Parlour & Cocktail Bar

Address: 11 Mare St, Hackney, E8 4RP

Not an eatery per se, although they do offer cheese boards and peanuts, no list of quirky places to eat in London would be complete without a mention of The Last Tuesday Society.

Experimental cocktails are the speciality here, and there’s no shortage of eccentric spirits on offer.

If you’re cool with having a drink while being watched by a taxidermy lioness, then this is definitely right up your street.

It’s worth a visit even if just to satisfy your curiosity if you ask me.

8. Darcie & May Green

Address: Grand Union Canal, Sheldon Square, Paddington Central, W2 6DS

Designed by legendary British pop artist Sir Peter Blake, these two-storey barges are one of the most vibrant and quirky places to eat in London.

Located on Grand Union Canal, the barges have a colourful interior and a 50-metre open-air deck, making them the perfect location for a relaxed summer day.

What’s on the menu? Aussie brunch, lunch and dinners, with bold and delicious flavours designed to make you feel at home.

The venue is open from the early morning right up to the late night, going from coffees and banana bread to cocktails and craft beers as the day goes by.

Give it a go if you’re looking for a relaxed but quirky place to eat.

9. Inamo

Covent Garden address: 11-14 Hanover Place, WC2E 9JP

Soho address: 134-136 Wardour St, W1F 8ZP

Inamo has made its mark on the capital and now boasts a number of sites across the city.

The restaurant offers Japanese, Thai, Chinese and Korean cuisine, and while the food is amazing, they have a quirky twist to their dining experience.

Using ground-breaking technology to create an interactive experience for their guests, Inamo provides you with constant technological entertainment throughout your entire time at the restaurant.

Think live chef-cam feeds projected on your table, retro games and the chance to cyber-graffiti your tabletop, and you’re on the right tracks.

If technology is a big part of your life, then you’ll definitely have a lot of fun trying out the different techy treats at Inamo.

Plus, they also serve up one of the best bottomless brunches in London. Delicious!

10. The Schoolhouse

Address: 137-139 St John’s Hill, Battersea, SW11 1TD

Fancy taking a trip down memory lane?

Head on down to The Schoolhouse to relive your youth.

It is, quite literally, themed on your school days, so what better way to reminisce on “the best years of your life”?

There are board games and Harry Potter’s favourite drink, Butterbeer, alongside weird and wonderful cocktails and a delicious food menu for you to try.

Whether it’s a school reunion or just a trip on a nostalgic day, The Schoolhouse is something different for you and your friends to try out.

And at the very least you’ll have some great food and drinks to accompany your memories.

11. Dans le Noir?

Address: 30-31 Clerkenwell Green, Farringdon, EC1R 0DU

Scared of the dark? Don’t come here then! Dans le Noir? invites its guests to dine in darkness, being served by visually impaired waiters.

This is a sensory experience that aims to educate your palate, and it wants you to have a surprising encounter with an experience unlike anything you’ve ever done before.

The surprise menus are cooked with quality ingredients and are accompanied by delightful wines, and the experience of trying them in darkness allows you to fully open up your senses of smell and taste so you enjoy the flavours as much as you possibly can.

Quirky it definitely is!

12. Bob Bob Ricard

Address: 1 Upper James St, Soho, W1F 9DF

Press for champagne buttons are available at every table here.

What more could you want?!

Renowned for pouring more champagne than any other restaurant in the UK, if bubbles are your bag, then this is the spot for you.

The food on offer is a mixture of Russian and British, and they describe their menu as being comfort food for special occasions.

Special occasions would definitely be hosted well here, as not only is it the place to go for champagne lovers, it’s also a destination for caviar lovers, offering a variety of fine caviars at the best value in the capital.

If you’re feeling fancy, book into Bob Bob Ricard.

13. Bustronome

Address: Coach Bay, 40B Victoria Embankment, WC2N 6PB

We’ve seen supper in the sky, we’ve talked about breakfast on a barge, but what about dining on a bus?

Yep, that’s right!

Bustronome is a fine dining restaurant on a double-decker bus.

The glass top of the bus allows diners to get stunning views of the city while enjoying some of the best food London has to offer.

There are options for lunch and dinner, with or without wine pairing, and there’s even a menu for the kids.

If you’re looking for something to spice up your date night, Bustronome is the one for you.

14. Iron Bloom

Address: 46 Great Eastern St, Hackney, EC2A 3EP

Iron Bloom is right in the middle of Shoreditch.

The menu offers a wonderful range of seasonal British plates and fabulous cocktails, and they are served up in a three-tiered ex-ironworks space, which has tried to preserve the feel of its former life with a modern twist.

One quirky example of this is the use of the old industrial lift shaft as a suspended DJ booth, giving the venue a funky edge.

The building gives guests a brilliant blend of rustic history and modernness, making it the perfect meeting between old and new.

They run fantastic pop-up events such as a Filipino-Mexican street kitchen, so check the website and see what’s on before booking a ticket at this fab eatery.

15. Proud Cabaret

Embarkment Address: Waterloo Bridge, 8 Victoria Embankment, WC2R 2AB

City Address: 1 Mark Lane (Opposite Fenchurch St Station), EC3R 7AH

Proud offers some of the most unique shows in the cabaret business.

To get you on the right track, imagine burlesque, sultry shows and plenty of glamour.

In the midst of all this, you’ll be able to enjoy carefully curated cocktails and a mind-blowing fine dining menu, making this an all-around top-of-the-range evening out.

Proud feature all-star cabaret performers including appearances from Denise van Outen, so if elegance and celebrity is your thing, get on down to Proud Cabaret for a once-in-a-lifetime show.

Hopefully, this list of quirky places to eat in London has helped you to whittle through London’s endless options for eating out.

We’ve featured some of the most fun and exciting venues the capital has to offer, but there’s still so many more!

London’s food and drink scene is constantly changing, so keep an eye out for new additions as the years go on.

From cabaret to rainforest animals, double-decker buses to flying high in the sky, we’ve tried to highlight the most quirky places to eat in London.

At least half of these must be on your bucket list now, surely!

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