How2: Get The Most for Your Money While Eating Out in London.
If there’s anything you should know about me it’s that I love to eat. Like seriously, my boyfriend thinks it’s so fascinating how much I can just eat eat and eat more. There’s no stopping me when it comes to food. I’m also not a fussy eater, Morley’s or Novikov, I’ll take either. With that being said, I’ve been to my fair share of bougie restaurants in London and I’ve also been to so many different Nando’s branches I can’t even count. So, I want to share all of my little secrets and tips to make sure you’re not breaking the bank when eating out in London.
Let’s start with the card that I hope everyone has heard about, Tastecard. This is a great card that gives you 2 for 1 and other discounts at a tonne of restaurants. So, this is great when you’re out on a date or out eating with one of your friends. I got mine free with my Natwest bank account and it’s come in handy a few times! As with all discount offers, there are T&C’s and specific days/times that the Tastecard is valid, so as always, it’s about searching and finding the best deal for you. Standard membership is £3.99 p/m and then if you want to upgrade to Tastecard+ it’s an additional £1.99 p/m. With Tastecard+ you can access even more offers such as 50% off Pizza Hut delivery, discounts on cinema tickets (when these reopen of course) and specific retailer discounts which change monthly.
One of my favourite things about London is the variety of cuisines we have; you can literally get food from every culture somewhere in London. We have so much choice! As long as I’m not eating in a mushroom restaurant (I hate mushrooms… it’s a texture thing) I’m good with anything. If you’re like me and willing to try different foods, I’d download Bookatable now. This is an app where you can search by location for restaurants that are doing set menu deals and reserve a table all in one go. Bookatable definitely has a mixture of restaurants to choose from; from GBK to ROKA. Some of the deals on here are better than others, so it’s all about searching and seeing what’s out there. They also do Star Deals which change every so often. These are superb discounts that offer more than the standard set menu deals – this is usually where the fancier restaurants are. Just to give you an example, there’s a deal on there at the moment for 3 courses & an alcoholic drink for £36 at The Shard. Yep, The damn Shard. There’s also a similar service called First Table which does pretty much the same thing, so if you can’t find what you’re looking for on Bookatable, you can always try an alternative.
Now, I actually haven’t been able to use this next membership yet because I only got accepted just before lockdown happened, but I cannot wait to use it! It’s called Nightkey and if you’re a bougie dinner kind of person, this is going to be your everything. It’s basically an upmarket Tastecard, you’ll find discounts on restaurants such as Hakkasan, MNKY HSE, Buddha Bar, STK and the list goes on. They even have bars on here too, so it’s perfect for a night out with that special someone or the girls! You can book a table through the app and you just need to show your virtual Nightkey membership card at the restaurant and voila, 25% off your bill at Hakkasan. Similarly to Tastecard, Nightkey has a premium membership which costs £9.99 p/m, this is said to come with complimentary access to members’ clubs, exclusive invites to private events and special offers to unique experiences for you to enjoy with up to 4 guests. As Nightkey is free and is partnered with some of London’s top restaurants, its membership is based on a screening process which took about 3 weeks for me. It’s not difficult or long, you just need to enter a few details on the app and the team will decide whether you’re the “right fit” for this membership. You can also use a referral code from an existing member, which increases your chances of being accepted, I only have 1 referral code left (E593AC – first come first serve).
UPDATE 2/7/20: Nightkey have given all existing members 10 new referral codes!! Perfect timing now that restaurants and bars are starting to open up again across London. If you’re one of the 10 who manage to secure one, enjoyyyy!!
New Referral Codes:
HO01OO
45J79L
D552NA
6L2J6E
A5BM9P
K2LOJB
75IFLE
7AD347
4MJ2CI
LI59G4
Now, we go from Nightkey on a premium level to an everyday way of eating that won’t hurt your pocket … and sometimes it’s not that obvious! Restaurant app’s guys!! My go-to favourite on a rainy day when I’m trying to budget my money but still cheat with my belly is the KFC app. Hahaha. Exclusive app-only deals that change weekly; you will definitely benefit. It’s also a rewards app, we don’t ever go anywhere without our phones, scan the QR code and you’re done; free side, free snack and £5 off! Some other apps that you’ll find me scoping for freebies and deals are Nando’s (of course), Subway, McDonald’s, Burger King, Itsu, O2 Priority, GBK, Costa Coffee & Krispy Kreme.
Restaurants also do eat-in deals that you can take advantage of. A few of my favourites are:
Big Easy – Daily Specials. My recommendation would be unlimited shrimp on Tuesdays for £20… mouth watering
Cottons - 50% off their special jerk menu on Mondays & Tuesdays
Crazy Bear’s Express Menu – Tuesday to Thursday midday-3pm / 5.30pm-6pm & Friday to Sunday midday-6pm. 2 courses for £14.95 for 3 courses for £19.95
There’s only been one magazine I’ve collected since Young Voices got removed from the shelves and that’s Time Out. Every Tuesday you’ll catch me on my commute reading Time Out! It’s such a cool London magazine with inspiring stories, funny articles and best of all discounts. Every week Time Out drop gems in their magazine about weekly offers, free events in London and discounts in some of their partnering restaurants. If you don’t ever have the opportunity to pick up a copy (they’re mainly distributed in Central London), they have an app and website where I’m sure you’ll be able to find all of the info you need.
My last tip for the next Food God’s out there, if you’re really into it why not sign up to be a mystery diner?! What more could you want, free food, your chance to be a food critique and a small bonus?
As always, if you use any of the pointers we’ve recommended let us know! Let’s hope we can all get back to eating out with our loved ones and sipping cocktails soon.
“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well” – Virginia Woolf