London 2018 Review Guide

When in Europe, stop in London! Well that’s my motto at least. I’m convinced I will live in London at some point in my life, and this trip to London during the beautiful summer weather has me thinking this move will be sooner rather than later. I stayed in Chiswick, about 30 minutes outside of the action and where I usually stay, but I loved it just as much!

The first place I hit was As Nature Intended for some groceries. This little market is Chiswick’s mini Erewhon. I love going to markets in different countries, because I am introduced to all products I haven’t seen before. I can also judge how far along a country is in the gluten-free, health-foods game by checking out their markets. Some products I found this trip:

• RAW Seed Crisps- these seed crackers were available in 4 different varieties, and reminded me of my Moon Juice seed crisps that I am addicted to. Protein packed from the seeds!
• Pulsin- These bars were everywhere… even the local yoga studio I went to! Most of the bars use cashews, which I am intolerant to, so I didn’t indulge, but given they are everywhere they must be pretty popular!
• Vego chocolate- I didn’t find Vego chocolate this trip. A friend of mine introduced me to Vego about a month ago and forever changed my chocolate eating life. This is the BEST. CHOCOLATE. I. HAVE. EVER. CONSUMED. Sorry Hu Kitchen Hazelnut Butter chocolate, this hazelnut butter chocolate bar has bits of hazelnut in it and tastes like pure fudge! I was so happy to see the bars everywhere in London, and I totally stole a few back to the states with me.
• The Primal Pantry- I tried three flavors of this bar and LOVED all of them! Made with hemp protein (I’m super into hemp right now) and a few other all-natural ingredients, the bars have flavor, protein, and are low carb.

Every time I go to London, my first stop is Farm Girl Cafe.  Not only is it the most adorable cafe tucked away in an alley in Notting Hill, but the menu is incredibly gluten-friendly. The menu notes gf, df, nf, and v, offers my favorite meal pairings, and serves a whole range of lattes that you can order with almond, coconut, hazelnut, or soy milk! I recommend the matcha, butterfly (blue), beet, charcoal, and turmeric lattes and for the coffee drinkers, the Rose Latte. For meals, I recommend the gluten-free tacos, avocado toast on gluten-free bread (SO much avo!!), Gf tacos, avocado toast, and Farm Salad with pesto and chicken.

After we went to Farm Girl Cafe, we went to Sketch! How have I not heard of this place before- it was so cool and such a treat! Located in Mayfair, Sketch is a tea shop/café/ cocktail bar. They serve their tea menu until 5, and you can also indulge in great cocktails. It has such a cool vibe, especially if you go during happy hour, and make sure you check out the bathrooms- the “egg” stalls look like mini rocket ships!

Chiltern Firehouse is one of my favorite places to go when I am in London. I suggest going for pre- or post-dinner drinks. Tequila and chips, aka fries, for me… always. Sit in the courtyard or at the hotel bar. You will definitely meet some cool people here.

For dinner we went to The Palomar, an Israeli hotspot. Essentially everything is gluten-free except the falafels, and ask for no croutons on the Fattoush Salad and order cucumber with the dips instead of pita. Oh, and no pasta, of course. Check out my full review here to see what I ordered! The staff deserves a A+ for their kindness and service… I HIGHLY recommend going here!

My trip to London was so quick, but in asking my followers for their favorite matcha lattes, I learned of Farmacy. Think Café Gratitude meets a gluten-free oasis. Their menu notes GF, NG, R (raw), and V, and they have the most INCREDIBLE menu of lattes and smoothies. I ordered the matcha latte with coconut milk, and I was happy to see a matcha latte that was more than the standard café 4-6 oz. WHATEVER you do, order the gluten-free and vegan oat-based waffles with homemade nutella and coconut yogurt. These were the best waffles I have ever consumed. Full review here!

London, my trip to you was too short. To say I had anxiety as I left is an understatement- I was freaking out and want so badly to cancel my flight and stay a bit longer! I will be back VERY soon.