Hard Rock Cafe London!

We just got back from a sight seeing weekend in London where we made like tourists and saw a bit of the capital through eyes that acted as if they’d never lived there. Of course when you do live somewhere you never really see it, not like you do as a visitor and we really opened those peepers with the children like we never had before. Since moving away we had been back almost weekly until lockdown so I suppose we never really go the absence making the heart grow fonder, but having not visited as a family since February 2020 we went in with new eyes.

We went on the Cable cars followed by the Uber boat, saw the Tower of London and Houses of Parliament and showed the children pieces in real life that we see in books but when we were dwellers we probably never focused on. They loved it and loved the Art of Banksy exhibition we took them to just as much as they enjoyed walking over the glass walk way of Tower Bridge, a really unique way of seeing ALL the sights. They really, really enjoyed their lunch at Hard Rock Cafe too, it was a super highlight and sandwich filling to a really excellent day and again, with it seeming like a tourist thing to do it was something we hadn’t explored the idea of before.

I had assumed, wrongly as it goes, that the food wouldn’t really be the most impressive thing about the Hard Rock Cafe and instead thought it wouldn’t really be of importance to them. The show of it all, the memorabilia and vibe (which I had rightly assumed would be music and dancing and fun and exciting) felt like it would take first place and with their captive tourist audience nothing else would need to be good. But it was good! Oh so good and in central London, busy as heck and with 4 children in tow, we had the most relaxing experience with absolutely fabulous food to boot. Our waitress said things to me like “Don’t pick the food up off the floor (the baby made a mess) that’s my job, yours is to have a lovely meal with your family, you can do that at home but not here!” and as I watched the other waiters rallying the restaurant to sing happy birthdays to their diners and rushing around making everyone’s experience perfect, I have no doubt that they genuinely mean it when they are so kind. The happiness came from the staff’s eyes not just their mouths and to see happy workers means a lot. If they are happy then it must be a great place and honestly it all felt like one big party. We loved seeing the costumes on the walls. Shakira, Rita Ora and Paloma Faith’s amazing garments, Robbie William’s hand written lyrics and the VIP section with Elton John. It was funny when we noted Ed Sheeran’s costume compared to the other fabulous outfits was just a pair of jeans!

And all of the ambiance was super exciting but the food was definitely not playing second fiddle to anything. A kid’s menu with lots of choice satisfied even my fussy eaters who loved chicken tenders, a chicken sandwich (like no other chicken sandwiches) and a hot dog all served on guitar plates and we enjoyed burgers (of course because when in Rome) followed by the most gigantic dessert for us all to share. That’s not even mentioning the starters… We went IN!

My sister in law asked me after we’d been if she thought it was worth taking the children, it’s a bit more pricey (but not terribly so) than a usual Pizza Express for example and I honestly told her that yes it is. It’s more than a restaurant with a massive shop upstairs and all the show of the event, which is what it feels like, in the restaurant. It’s something very special to do with the children and the food, though absolutely well worth it alone, is not the only part that makes a visit to the Hard Rock Cafe, London. We had a FABULOUS time!

Collaboration with the Hard Rock Cafe, London.