Where to taste typical dishes in the
United Kingdom?

You are visiting the United Kingdom and want to learn about the country's typical dishes? Here are some tips for all budgets and all occasions!

Let's start with one of the country's emblematic dishes: Fish and Chips. The United Kingdom, and particularly England, is overflowing with "Chippies" (the name given to the restaurant offering this traditional dish), so you will be spoiled for choice! We particularly recommend coastal restaurants, for fish (almost) from the sea to the plate.

Another great place to enjoy Fish and Chips or any other traditional dish, all for a reasonable budget: the pubs! You will eat what the British affectionately call "pub grub" and will undoubtedly find the country's essential dishes, served generously and at a low price: all the "pies" possible and imaginable, the Bangers and Mash, the Toad in the Hole and even the famous Sunday Roast! All accompanied by the essential mashed, fried or roasted potatoes. In some pubs, it is even possible to offer you a Full Breakfast whatever the time of day!

In recent years, another type of pub has emerged, which gives pride of place to quality and local products: gastropubs. Another way to introduce yourself to traditional dishes, for a slightly higher bill and quality products. Finally, if your budget allows it, opt for a gourmet restaurant run by great chefs like Alain Ducasse, Clare Smyth or Gordon Ramsay, where you can taste traditional dishes revisited or discover another cuisine with all the best of the UK.

Fish & chips + pubs

And since the United Kingdom wouldn't be what it would be without its famous curries, dishes of Indian origin made with spices, it's impossible not to talk about them. Of course, although you will find these curries in almost every pub, the best place to taste them is traditional Indian restaurants, with their know-how passed down from generation to generation. From Birmingham to London, Edinburgh and Cardiff, restaurants serving curries are popping up across the UK. In London, there is even a “curry street” dedicated to this type of restaurant. Same thing for Manchester, famous for its Curry Mile, a district full of Indian restaurants. The future of spices is assured in the United Kingdom!

In addition to restaurants, it is possible to try British specialities "on the go", by going to a bakery for example: you will find a wide choice of pies, rolls (small round breads) or even Cornish pasties, turnovers filled with meat which are the pride of Cornwall. Another alternative to traditional restaurants: the tea rooms, in which you can sit comfortably to taste savoury specialities (pies, burgers, soups, salads, etc.) but also and above all the one that needs no introduction, the essential part of your stay across the Channel, the culinary treasure of the British, the star of Sunday afternoons: afternoon tea! You will be overwhelmed with scones, carrot cakes and other sweet treats, all lavishly washed down with clotted cream, jam and tea. You will come out with an extra notch in your belt and doped with sugar!

Finally, if you have the opportunity and if you like culinary explorations, why not try British cuisine from home? Whether you are in France or on the other side of the Channel, it will be easy for you to obtain the ingredients necessary for your recipe in the supermarket or on the Comptoir Irlandais website for very specific fine food products that cannot be found in your country. And for the recipe, head to our blog to discover British but also Irish recipes that are absolutely essential and can be made at home. The opportunity to please your loved ones by offering them a Sunday meal in the “pub grub” version which will change them from the traditional chicken and chips and, who knows, will give a kick to their preconceived ideas about British cuisine… Now it's your move!

Curries, tea rooms and at home