London: The Old Monk Exchange

Oh, London! Land of pubs, chips, and beautiful architecture!

ABF & I met up one day after he finished work and set off to wander around Westminster, Big Ben, and the lovely, lovely Thames. A good hour or so later, we were wandering AND hungry, with not a clue of where to go.

It was a very corporate area and a lot of restaurants were closed, and I admit that I was absolutely not eating at a Subway in London, not even if it WAS right there and we were so hungry and no, no, NO! I could tell from ABF's stricken face that he was hoping for a more compliant and agreeable LKP, but no such luck. Not 100 yards from said Subway (again: ABSOLUTELY NOT) we found The Old Monk Exchange, where they offered dinner for 2 people for 10 pounds (that's about 16-17 American dollars)! We were in.

You walk downstairs to a huge, expansive room set up with big and small tables, a big bar, a wide area to gather around said bar, and a very impressive wine list.

(please note this was around 8pm, so it was a very late dinner--hence the emptiness of the place)

ABF & I walked up to the bar to order the burger and chips (fries). Easy-peasy, and the smell coming from the grill in the kitchen was fantastic.

We also ordered an ale (for ABF) and a red wine (for me) to take back to our tables while we waited for our food.

We grabbed smaller table in the upper level, where there were lots of alcoves and quieter spots. It wasn't long before our food arrived. The burgers were perfectly cooked, came with a generous amount of fries, and despite an odd, sweet-tomato-salsa type topping, were very good! What a deal!

I loved the feel of this place. Spacious, good but not blaring music, and a general comfy feel. I imagine this place does well at happy hour, and ABF & I will definitely be back (on my next trip) for a pint!

The Old Monk Exchange
61-71 Victoria Street
London SW1H 0HW, United Kingdom
020 7233 2248

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