Goddards at Greenwich is a traditional pie & mash restaurant that opened in London, England in…read more1890. It was founded by Alfred Goddard. 'Pie and mash' is a traditional English meal that became popular in the 1800s. The pies are actually savory and filled with minced meat such as beef, chicken or lamb. The pies originated in the 1700s as eel pies. The Thames River was once heavily populated with eels. They would be spiced, stewed in stock, and placed in the pies as a filling. These pies were often sold as a street food. By the 1800s, the price of eels has gone up so the pie filling was replaced with minced meat. Several pie shops began to appear and served pies with 'mash' (mashed potatoes). Alfred Goddard successfully ran his pie shop in Deptford for several years before passing it on to his sons Robert and George in 1936. A second shop was opened in Greenwich in 1952 and each brother managed one of the two locations. The Goddard Family still runs the business today, although only the Greenwich location remains. In addition to the restaurant, they also opened a factory which produces and distributes savory pies around England. I visited Goddards in April 2019. My wife visited there when she studied abroad and wanted me to experience traditional English pies and mash for myself. We stopped there for lunch after visiting the Royal Museums of Greenwich. After looking over the menu, I decided to order the Traditional Minced Beef Pie with Mash and my wife had the Chicken and Mushroom Pie. She told me to get gravy on everything, but we noticed that the menu listed gravy and 'liquor' as dressings. We wondered what exactly this 'liquor' was; was it alcoholic? Two locals overheard us and explained that the 'liquor' wasn't actually alcohol but rather a parsley cream sauce. They also explained that this is the more traditional dressing, not gravy. We decided to take their word for it and order liquor. Although eels are no longer stuffed into the pies, they are still a popular side dish so I ordered some eels as well. Everything was delicious and we ordered some local hard ciders to wash it down. It was so cool to have a traditional English dining experience and we will definitely go back the next time we visit London!

This is stick-to-your ribs comfort food! Just off the main market space, this is a hole-in-the-wall…read moredining spot. Looking for a change of pace from fish and chips (no shade on fish and chips!) come and get a meaty pie!! Great value and hearty savory pies and pasties. I had the daily special (a double-meat pie with gravy) and my hubby had the beef pie and a beer. Service was obliging and quick, with the pies ready almost immediately. If you opt to add the fruit pie for dessert, the "custard" is blistering-hot and thick. Seeet vanilla, but it wasn't the best choice given a hot summer day. (My error in assuming custard would be room temp or chilled! I would get ice cream or no topping next time.) The pies did well with a dash of the housemade chilli vinegar. Delicious to cut through the rich pastry and filling (and you can buy a vinegar bottle to take home, too!!) Seat yourself at the patina'd and time-worn wood tables and chairs or step over the threshold to the next room. (Also an upstairs dining area.)

Battersea Pie Station, under the arches of the lower ground floor of Covent Garden's Market…read moreBuilding, serves up proper British grub. Simply look for The Pie Shop sign and pick your pie which is served with silky smooth mashed potatoes and lashings of rich gravy. Every time I eat a pie this place is my benchmark for the best pies ever! The  menu at Battersea Pie Station includes classics like steak and stout, minced beef and onion and chicken and mushroom, plus more creative, veggie options including butternut squash and goat's cheese. The steak and stout is my ultimate favorite! This place is my go to pie place every time I'm in London. I always try to stay in Covent Garden just so I can come here. This is my basis of the perfect meat pie with the pleasingly firm crusts and sides of mash and roasted potatoes are so delicious. The rich red-wine gravy comes separately in a small jug. I smother the pie with the gravy. Ingredient quality was excellent. They have mini pies and the regular sized pies. Even for a counter-service place this little cafe is terrific value - and you will be surprised that for Covent Garden you can eat a reasonably priced and uber delicious meal that makes me full the whole day! 5 stars can't wait to come back!

Mrs. Lovett has nothing on this place! Perfect for a quick humble meat pie dinner before a fancy…read morepants opera. Every dish I tried was a hit. Minced Beef & Onion: The most popular, apparently. Smooth and moist inside with a buttery flaky outside. Steak & Stout: Same great crust, but with a very distinctive inside, chunks of firm roast and thick gravy where you could actually taste the stout. Probably my favorite pie here. Chicken & Mushroom: A nice variation from beef, but by no means lesser. With it's large chunks and umami gravy, this was like a quick hit fix for when craving a proper chicken pot pie. Mash & Gravy: The mash was smooth and buttery. The gravy was more than plentiful. Kinda lives under the shadow of the delicious pies though. Sticky Toffee Pudding: Good, but not great. The toffee sauce felt a bit too thick and wasn't as warmed as I like it. The sponge cake was alright, but kinda dry, like they just plopped into the toffee sauce puddle. But it did do a good job of soaking up the sauce with a little spoon dexterity.

Was great to experience some classic Fish & Chips in London. Next I'm going to try the Cod instead…read moreof the Haddock. The haddock was a little too mushy versus being firm and flaky. The tartar sauce went perfectly with the fish, the location was great, and the staff was very helpful. Looking forward to returning.

We had a great casual lunch at Poppies when we were in London last month, a satisfying meal of fish…read moreand chips and beer. Poppies has four locations, but this one on Hanbury Street by Spitalfields Market is the original. We were able to make an online reservation for six like an hour ahead of a Thursday lunchtime visit. We could've walked in, but the restaurant was fairly busy. The space was great, small and fun with a retro American diner aesthetic. There was a jukebox in one corner and tons of knick-knacks and memorabilia on the walls. We were with my parents and our boys, and the vibe was very easy and kid-friendly. We had a young, friendly server who wanted to talk to us about America, where he hoped to study. He was a bright-eyed sweetie, and he took very good care of us. We drank Poppies Pale Ale, which was on tap and quite refreshing on a hot day. And of course, we had lots of fish and chips. We tried both the haddock and the cod, which cost a dollar more. Our waiter said he personally preferred the haddock, and all of us ended up agreeing, though honestly both were delicious, flaky and flavorful, the batter light and crispy. The chips were great, as was the house tartar sauce. We also got sides of garden peas and sliced gherkins, which were both lovely. My kids had fish bites and fries. If you're looking for a chippy (love that word) on this side of London, I'd highly recommend checking out Poppies. It's a welcoming place with excellent fish and chips, exactly what we wanted for lunch that day.

Like most of my relationships, I didn't come to Canteen with high expectations. Unlike most of my…read morerelationships, I left completely impressed! While Canteen isn't quite 'the one' for me, it certainly is, ahem, worth another visit... and often. My servers were anything but aloof and by the end of my 3-hour coffee-turned-work-station-turned-lunch meeting, I knew most of them by name. The venue itself is nice and airy with plenty of window seating, communal tables, 2-tops and even a rather comfortable bar. Plus there's free wifi. I would highly recommend this as a central meeting point - my tablemate was making a skype call to Singapore and apparently the connection was a-ok for that! The one star off is for the prices which I do feel are a tad high. An 8oz black coffee cost me £2.25 and lunch specials hovered around the £14 mark, some of which did not include any sides at all. (I'm lookin' at you whole grilled Plaice!) However for a coffee and a meeting, Canteen is a great spot and will certainly be my business friend-with-benefits whenever I'm in the neighbourhood.

My experience of Canteen at this location has been mixed. The first time I went I was thoroughly…read moreimpressed, although I felt the portions were a bit small, and my later experiences were mostly just OK. I have tried the daily roasts and the pies. The roasts were good, nothing was over-cooked and dry, although at times it was a bit plain. The pie was not very memorable. I brought visitors here often or told them about it for British cuisine. One friend, who is a foodie, went to the Baker Street location and she enjoyed it so much that she went there repeatedly during her trip. My favorite item from Canteen, although I don't know if they still have it, is the chocolate beet cake. Its taste is very unique, and I enjoyed it very much.

This London chain was recommended to us by our friends who are longtime UK residents. We figured we…read morehad to try proper British fish and chips after tasting a couple of so-so meals. Poppies seemed like the perfect iconic choice with its old-school North London charm and 1940-50s repurposed memorabilia which feels like stepping back in time. The servers were attentive right from the start. We were pleasantly surprised when our food arrived quickly as everything was out within 10-minutes, piping hot and freshly cooked. My wife and I shared the classic cod fish and chips 4/5. The portion was decent, the fish was flaky inside with a nice crispy batter, and the chips were golden and tasty - nothing greasy, which was a plus. Loved the capped mini-cup of tartar sauce. This came with a side salad with crispy vegetables and creamy honey-mustard sauce. We stuck to the timeless Caramel Sticky Toffee Pudding (with a scoop of ice cream) smothered with warm sauce. The dollop of vanilla fused with the sponge cake & the buttery toffee sauce did it for us. Simple, comforting, and very British! Overall, Poppies delivered an authentic experience - great service, quick food, and that nostalgic atmosphere. We recommend it, especially if you're after a classic London chippy vibe without any fuss.

Poppies is a chain fish and chips restaurant in London. Recommended by our UK local friends to try…read more Indeed it was good. Had one of the best sticky toffee pudding ever. We ordered the fish (haddock) (they ran out of the cod) and chips ( requested for a crispy one). Came in at almost 8pm and was seated right away. The area was by Camden, not so safe feel but everything was good. This was the closest to our hotel. The restaurant has a diner feel. Service was quick and staff were attentive and nice. Ordered the house salad as well.

City institution hidden away on a side alley near the Royal Exchange. Great mix of people from…read morecity workers, tourists and pensioners ! Food is simple English fare. Too tip is to always order "with" - as in with a sausage on the side. Pork belly for starter is delicious. And you can't go wrong with the steak and kidney pie. Recommend getting chips and bubble and squeak with it! Service is attentive and good.

This is a fine example of an old-fashioned City institution, the chop house. A very odd mix of…read morepublic school dining hall and old man's pub, this won't be everybody's cup of tea. The food is unexceptional but hearty - think a good lunch day at, say, a remote boarding school in Suffolk, and there are a number of idiosyncracies. If you ask for the stilton, you'll be presented with a whole cheese ( several previous [temporary] owners). And if you have a roast, the question may arise as to whether you'd like a sausage. This is a test; the correct answer is "Yes". So, don your old school or regimental tie, leave the good woman at home ( sorry, it is a bit of a blokey institution, although women aren't actually barred), and tuck in to a hearty repast that won't have changed much since 1855, accompanied by at least one bottle of claret.

While visiting my sis in London we were looking for an authentic Fish and Chips restaurant and…read morefound this gem. The staff was very friendly and had us seated in no time. We all ordered the Cod and chips and were impressed. Service was really quick and the cod was wonderful! Crispy outside and soft inside with a generous portion served with Tarter sauce, vinegar, mayo and ketchup on the side. The chips were also great. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for an authentic fish and chips experience in Lo

Toff's is well known and famous for their fish and chips. The restaurant has both take away and…read moredine I options at their location on muswell hill. Parking outside is very limited. I highly rate their cod and chips and have always enjoyed it. Their grilled fish options are very good too. Portions are generous. Service is friendly and professional and the staff take pride working there. The shop is also clean and has a retro low key vibe. Where I think they can improve a bit is with the appetizers but overall still one of my favorite places for fish and chips.

This place is SO. GOOD. The owner is such a great…read moreconversationist while you wait for your pie, too. He was unfortunately closing early as we ordered, as he had a leak and was waiting on an engineer. We were his last customers for the day and we probably spoke to him for 10-15 mins without even realizing! One of the friendliest exchanges we've had in London on this trip. The food itself was stellar. Suuuuuuuuch good pies. My group had 'The Moolin Rouge' and 'The Heidi'. My boyfriend's words were, "This is PERFECT for a chilly day." Don't skip over this little gem!

The pies here are delicious. The crust is very flaky and melts-in-your-mouth. crust, it's very well…read moremade and not store bought. It's also a great portion size for lunch. Pies are piping hot and you'll need some time to let them cool. Service here was great, they are kind and attentive to your needs.