Posts Tagged ‘American food in London’

Continuing on from yesterday’s post about where Americans moving to London can find their American fix:

London Restaurants

Where franchises are concerned, you will perhaps be thanking (or cursing) God that there’s still T.G.I.Friday’s . No Olive Garden, alas, but fast-food chains like McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway, and KFC are so prevalent here that a British friend actually asked me once if we had the last two of those in the States (NO JOKING. It took some thought for her to realize that the “K” in “KFC” stood for Kentucky). Ah, and Chipotle has arrived! And for your coffee fix, Starbucks is just as widespread as in the U.S. of A. I continue to be dismayed that the rustic, Alaskin/Canadian-feeling Caribou Coffee has not arrived here, but am gobsmacked to find that the nearest one to London is in Dubai—it’s all over the Middle East! Seriously. Kuwait has 22 of them. C’mon, London! (To find where London does serve great coffee from its own local businesses, see my previous post, “An American Schmo + A Cup o’ Joe.”)

Even those restaurants not found in the U.S. have found their way into American-food-lovin’ hearts via venues that cater to American-style cuisine: Texas Embassy Cantina (tex-mex), Crazy Homies (Mexican) and its sister restaurants Lucky 7 (diner grub) and Tom’s Deli, Chilango (the Chipotle burrito equivalent started by a University of Illinois grad before Chipotle itself arrived), Bodean’s (BBQ), Belushi’s (burger joint), Chicago Rib Shack, and Henry J. Beans (bar and grill).

London Entertainment

Even London’s prestigious West End gets infiltrated by American musicals like Jersey Boys, Million Dollar Quartet, Chicago, and Dirty Dancing, and you’ll definitely see the States representin’ on the telly (including those shows that, to be fair, derived from UK TV). I don’t want to take up the space listing all the American sitcoms and dramas aired nightly on TV here (especially on Comedy Central); let’s just say you’ll probably find whatever show you’re in love with at home here as well (unless it’s “Survivor.” Sorry, outta’ luck). The same applies to American films; the main adjustment as an expat is having to wait from a few weeks to a few months for movies and TV series alike to open in UK cinemas. We even had to wait longer for The King’s Speech! Outrage!

These are but a few examples of the comforts of home to be found in the United Kingdom if you’re moving to London from the United States. As I’ve said time and again, the differences from what you know in your homeland are something to enjoy and appreciate during your time living abroad, but we’re only human; as much as the rest of the world may diss it, we do come from a nation with its own culture, and that’s something to celebrate as well. So when you understandably need exposure to uniquely familiar American traditions like Thanksgiving or the Super Bowl, don’t feel bad or try to abstain—join forces with the multitude of others who have made the move and desire the same!

In pondering my blog post yesterday about getting adjusted to some differences when you move to London, while its primary focus was the logistical differences rather than cultural ones (a move abroad, after all, should embrace those sorts of differences!), it is nevertheless a fact that many American expats crave what they knew from home at least every now and then. It’s not intended to be ethnocentric or closed-minded, it’s simply a matter of what you know and sometimes not realizing until it’s gone how much you miss it. This does not just happen to Americans, but indeed anyone who relocates internationally and has to assimilate to new everyday ways of living. Why do I keep referencing Americans then? Well, because I’m American. And I work for an American-owned and operated business. And most of our clients are American. It’s not a demographic I should only focus on, but is a quite relevant one, so below is a summary of locations where we Yankees can get our fix of Uncle Sam. London Neighborhoods This advice could direct you toward the whereabouts of your future London apartment in one of two ways: tell you where you want to live or indicate where you don’t. It depends on if you’re relocating to London and hoping to avoid fellow Americans like the plague or, conversely, seeking to immerse yourself in this familiar community. We’ve blogged about it numerous times before (see our “London Neighborhoods” category for related posts), but, overall, Americans moving to London tend to gravitate toward Notting Hill, Kensington, South Kensington, Chelsea, St. John’s Wood, and Islington. With the exception of the latter, west London in general reigns as providing an aesthetic and convenience that the Yankees dig. These neighborhoods are central, close to Heathrow Airport, gentrified, and relatively family friendly—though if you’re looking to optimize this last item on the list, Highgate and Hampstead are nice choices for more interior and village-y green space, though will come at a price for such. London Stores For groceries, I can recommend Partridges, the USA Food Store, and Whole Foods for a healthy dose of familiar foods (the first two will for sure have quintessential products like Jif peanut butter, Kraft Mac-n-Cheese, Bisquick pancake mix, and even Teddy Grahams, for cripes sake, and the third serves up a fine Thanksgiving meal). For clothing, while I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to dive headfirst into the fabulous fashionista offerings of local stores, you can still find familiar retail chains that are popular in the States like the Gap, Banana Republic, Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and Hollister.  J Crew and Abercrombie, on the other hand, are no-shows as far as I can tell. Join us tomorrow for a continuation on this brief look at where we can find the US in the UK!