London Transport Museum’s café bar, Canteen, is here to prove that eating at tourist attractions in the heart of the city doesn’t have to mean sub-standard food. Perfect for a pit-stop brunch, lunch or pre-theatre drinks and snacks, this (somewhat secret) spot offers quirky décor and a buzzy ambiance.
The menu is predominantly geared (if you’ll pardon the pun) around lunchtime, with sandwiches at the heart of the offering. With tongue in cheek names, combinations are called things like The Bakerloo and The Hammersmith & City. The former is a classic cheddar and farmhouse chutney baguette with the addition of sun-dried tomatoes and rocket, while the latter is a ham, Emmental, and Dijon mayonnaise sourdough sandwich. Soup of the day helps to bulk things out if you’re feeling particularly hungry, while a carefully curated run of salads offers a healthy option. A miso and ginger salmon box – for instance – is stuffed with veggies and topped with Omega-rich seeds.
Little ones are catered for via the kids’ menu that includes a fun lunchbox that allows them to pick and mix five items from a selection of healthy options. The café offers family friendly facilities too, such as highchairs and baby changing units.
If you’re just stopping in for drinks and snacks you can expect cocktails (the Routemaster combines gin, Cointreau, grenadine, raspberry puree, and lemon juice), wines, spirits, softs and hot drinks.
Offering stunning views of the Covent Garden Piazza, this central London café is open to the public and visitors alike and is decked out in a playful way. Interiors have been purposely designed to celebrate the rich design heritage of London’s transport network and guests can expect vintage light fittings designed for Embankment Tube station, wooden benches found in the basement of Gloucester Road, and salvaged luggage racks from 1960s decommissioned trains.