Fit for a queen: the Queen’s tastes included Dover sole and martinis to afternoon tea at Fortnum’s.
(Picture: Getty Images)It is an extraordinary time, a strange moment. It is one marked —for many of us, at least — by an overwhelming sense of peculiarity. For countless people across the country, Queen Elizabeth II was a constant; a steadfast figure in a world constantly changing. Her reign saw the world elementally shift but somehow, the Queen remained the same; a constant in a fitful, ever-changing time.
The loss is one that many will be feeling keenly; these next days will be different, somehow. Up and down the country, people will be wondering how and where to pay respects, the proper way to toast.
For rather plain reasons, Her Majesty rarely ate out; it would have been difficult for both her and wherever she went. That said, a 70-year reign — the longest of any female head of state, and the longest of any British monarch — is an expansive thing, and it follows that she did see some of the same places that her public did.
It’s said that the Queen enjoyed going out, in part because of the simple novelty of ordering. Used to having her kitchens prepare food 24 hours in advance, deciding what to have in the moment was thought to be something of a boon. The Queen may have rarely had the opportunity to dine for pleasure, but she did occasionally. Here’s where.
Bellamy’s
The Queen is reported to have visited Bellamy’s at least twice. She visited first for her 80th birthday, returning a decade later with Princess Anne and Princess Alexandra, her cousin. Owner Gavin Rankin took the name from the gentlemen’s club in Evelyn Waugh’s Sword of Honour trilogy, and accordingly dubs it “a club without a sub”. A French brasserie, it specialises in comfort, in the kind of lunches and suppers that can stretch on for hours. Her Majesty is said to have ordered the smoked eel mousse, caviar and roast quail, while elsewhere the menu includes Dover sole, said to be another favourite. The wine list is very proper, which is to say French entirely, and the Martinis are particularly good. Despite its pedigree, there is a set menu for £27 for two courses, £33 for three.
18 Bruton Place, W1J 6LY, bellamysrestaurant.co.uk
The Ivy
Not the chain, but the original on West Street. Her Majesty once visited in its Nineties heyday — when Chris Corbin and Jeremy King owned it — but it’s said the pair whisked her upstairs to the private dining room. Later, in 2017, the Queen returned to celebrate a friend’s birthday. Other guests included Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and, curiously, David Walliams. Interestingly, like Bellamy’s it does a set menu (although only between 2.30pm and 6pm), which is £31.50 for three courses, and £26.50 for two. The most famous dish, a Shepherd’s pie — sort of, it uses beef mince as well as lamb — is rightly revered.
1-5 West Street, WC2H 9NQ, the-ivy.co.uk
Claridge's
Long somewhere where Royals have gone: french Empress Eugenie — who was married to France’s last monarch, Napoleon III — entertained Queen Victoria here. It’s said Queen Elizabeth visited the five-star hotel many times, most recently in 2016 when she attended a Gold Service Scholarship event, to honour the UK’s best young waiting staff. While the main restaurant is presently being overhauled, the somewhat more casual foyer is still serving terrific food, and the hotel has a number of notable bars (and stocks Dubonnet, a Royal favourite).
Brook Street, W1K 4HR, claridges.co.uk
Quaglino’s
Perhaps today not the restaurant it once was, the famous Quaglino’s was nevertheless the first public restaurant to host the Queen after her coronation in 1952; her 1956 visit, extraordinarily, marked the first time a British monarch had ever eaten in a restaurant. Opened in 1929, the restaurant has hosted other royals — Princess Margaret went; it was said to be a favourite of Prince Harry once upon a time — and even was a royal matchmaker of sorts, as it’s where Grace Kelly, latterly Princess Grace of Monaco, met her husband. Celebrities including Angelina Jolie and Elton John have been spotted there over the years, and Judy Garland held her wedding reception there. The classic cocktails remain decent.
16 Bury Street, SW1Y 6AJ, quaglinos-restaurant.co.uk
The Goring
Though more famously associated with the late Queen Mother — it still serves Eggs Drumkilbo, said to be her favourite dish — the Queen is said to have visited more than occasionally (in fact, one rumour has it that there is a secret, underground passage between here and Buckingham Palace). Its cocktail bar is notably good, while the elegant, Michelin-starred dining room specialises in an especially soft style of service, as well as British cooking done especially well: the beef Wellington is extraordinary, and they’re particularly good with fish. Quiet, understated, excellent.
15 Beeston Place, SW1W 0JW, thegoring.com
Fortnums
In recent memory, the Queen came here with both Camilla and Catherine, with the famous department store laying on a special Diamond Jubilee afternoon tea, which the Queen is said to have enjoyed (she even dressed in Fortnum’s green for the occasion). While the afternoon tea is especially good, Fortnums has long held a royal warrant and has a relationship with the family going back to its founding in 1707; owner William Fortnum was Queen Anne’s footman. Later, Queen Victoria ordered 250lbs of concentrated beef tea, which she gifted to Florence Nightingale. Queen Elizabeth II also did her Christmas shopping here annually, well into her late seventies.
