The survey of 400 London diners, commissioned by Camden restaurant Gilgamesh, found that lunchtime restaurant visits are now almost as popular as evening ones in the capital, with around 80 per cent of respondent saying they eat at a restaurant for lunch least once a week.
Furthermore, at least 6 out of 10 Londoners eat at restaurants on weekday evenings, with only 6 per cent of those surveyed claiming they wouldn’t eat out during the week. However, 70 per cent of Londoners said they were most likely to eat out on Thursday to Saturday.
Popular cuisines and districts
When it comes to cuisine in the capital, the majority (54 per cent) of diners said they would choose British or Italian cuisine at lunchtime, although Asian cuisines such as Indian and Chinese were also popular choices.
Italian was also the top choice for evening meals, followed by Indian, British and Chinese. They survey results suggested French food is losing popularity in the capital, with just 31 per cent of men and 33 per cent of women citing French as their preferred evening choice.
Over half of those surveyed said they believed that London has a more vibrant restaurant scene than other cities they have visited, with just 2 per cent stating that London is less exciting than another city.
Within London, Covent Garden scored the most votes for the ‘coolest’ eating out district (35 per cent), with other established dining areas like Soho (29 per cent) and Mayfair (20 per cent) also ranking highly.
Camden has also become a popular dining area, with the district ranking above Shoreditch and Notting Hill as a cool place to eat out, and the majority (6 out of 10) non-Camden residents stating they would dine there.
A previous survey released by Giglamesh suggested that local sourcing and provenance are more important to Londoners than the reputation of a restaurant’s head chef.
It also concluded that Londoners are prioritising eating out, with the majority of those surveyed (76 per cent) claiming they would give up other luxuries before sacrificing a meal out.