Whilst the water in London is drinkable, it suffers from a surfeit of lime.
Many people either have water filters in their homes or drink bottled water.
By law, restaurants and cafes must provide you with tap water if requested, and cannot charge for it. If you ask for water without specifying, you will usually be brought bottled water, which must be paid for. So if you are on a budget, remember to ask for tap water with your meal.
Most English public houses are quite charming, with a very good selection of quality beers. There are quite a few very old pubs in London.
If you are on a budget but don't want to subsist on Ramen noodles, or you wish to eat traditional English food, the pub is the place to go. Main courses are usually between £5 - £10. However, a lot of them close the kitchen around 7pm or earlier, so it's a good idea to make sure they are serving before ordering your drinks.
Some pubs have an upstairs lounge and bar, which is usually much less crowded.
The range of wines is usually limited (and wine bars are scarce).
Important!
Many pubs still close at 11pm (no, we aren't kidding). Some places now have late-night licenses, but 11pm is still common. Last orders are called about 10:45 - 10:50.
As of 1 July 2007, all public spaces in the UK are smoke-free!
There is a chain of pubs called Wetherspoons, which carries 'real ale' - naturally brewed beer from small(ish) local producers, comperable to N. American microbreweries. Confusingly, they pubs all have different names - look for the Wetherspoons name on the window.
It's a reliable choice across London for decent beer and affordable pub grub.
Recommendations
BITE: Beer in the evening Honest reviews from ordinary (opinionated!) people, who live here.
Fancy a pint Another source of pub reviews.
By UK law all establishments must display menus and prices outside and you can check these out before you enter.
Many restaurants (especially in the central district) offer set-price and pre-theatre (i.e. pre 7 - 7:30) menus.
All-you-can-eat buffets are common in Chinatown and Soho.
"Simply Food" Restaurant Listings Guide. This is an excellent service, giving ratings, price ranges, maps and reviews for almost all London's restaurants.
Time Out London Reviews of restaurants, pubs, bars, clubs, shows, the works, and constantly updated. Very useful.
Reliable food chains that you'll find in London (we'll assume you can find the fast food places yourself):
Pret a Manger - healthy breakfast, lunch and snack food, and drinkable coffee
Wagamama - noodle bar, specializes in speedy fresh noodle dishes
Pizza Express - Does what it says on the tin, fresh thin-crust pizza cooked on-site.
Nando's - 'Home of famous Portuguese flame-grilled peri-peri chicken' (with a token beanburger for vegetarians).
Tipping in the UK is 10 - 12.5%. Most people round it to 10%.
Always check your bar or restaurant bill before tipping.
Some have already added a Service Charge i.e. tip (this isn't the same as VAT however).
If the service was lousy, don't tip.
Whilst generally waiters etc are paid so poorly they make it up with the tips, bad service means they aren't doing their job properly, and there is no reason you should reward them for it.
Although the native English themselves seldom ever complain, if you do have a problem they are generally good about fixing it (after they get over the initial shock!).
Sadly, the London service industry is not particularly good - so don't expect friendly chirpy waiters and shop assistants. Elsewhere in the UK tends to be a lot friendlier.
If you're on a seriously tight budget, consider visiting a grocery store to buy coffee, tea, cereal and sandwich makings to keep in your hotel or flat. Grocery stores in England have well-marked organic sections, and labels list ingredients and allergens clearly.
Waitrose - high-end groceries, good quality, good beer and wine selections (one benefit of living in Europe - cheap Italian and French wine!)
Sainsbury's and Tesco's have many small, busy-commuter branches in central London, full of ready-made meals, sandwiches and single servings.
Marks & Spencer - their food locations have lots of yummy single portions for microwave slaves.
(Links point to store locators - enter your post code to find the nearest shops.)
