LDNGuide
Where To Eat When It's Rainy And You're Sad
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
You might be going through a tough time at work. You might be mourning your favourite TV show that’s been cancelled. Or you might just be a Pisces. Whatever it is that’s making you want to curl up in a ball and cry—even if it is the fact that it’s been raining for a week straight—can be improved by grabbing an umbrella, and eating at one of these spots. From a pizza with a pillowy base made to hold anything from tomato sauce to tears, to vegetarian noodles that demand a smile, here are 11 restaurants where you might just crack a smile.
THE SPOTS
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Homies on Donkeys is a Mexican taqueria in Leytonstone where you should come after a two-day sulk. It’s impossible to feel sad when you’re sitting by a floor-to-ceiling mustard-yellow and Barbie-pink mural eating some of London’s best tacos. Plus, after two days of mainlining ice cream, you can get the roasted broccoli taco with creamy refried beans and crunchy onions, and feel good that you have reintroduced vegetables.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
You’re on your eighth self-help podcast and a chipper person from LA is telling you you should go for a run within 20 minutes of waking up. Something about your circadian rhythm. That’s a stretch, but eating a gooey bowl of Cretan eggs with yoghurt and chilli oil? Doable. Tucked into Ealing’s leafy side streets, Kanenas is a family-run, neighbourhood cafe that's big on heart. Settle into the wooden booth at the back for coffee and a solid pastrami toastie, or perch on the covered bench seat outside and fuss at all the golden retrievers passing by.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
A good paratha is something we’d walk 20 minutes for. An excellent paratha, like the one at this South Indian-inspired restaurant, is something we’d cross the city for—even after a break-up, in the rain. Ganapati is a cosy restaurant in Peckham that’s perfect for embracing your feelings. Take a seat in the glass conservatory, hear the rain patter down on the roof, and point at the chicken thali on the menu if you’re avoiding human interaction. And because we are strong believers that bread is the secret to happiness, make sure you try one of their flaky Kerala parathas as well.
photo credit: Laksamania
This Malaysian Soho favourite has made a name for itself by serving homely, huge portions. Pick between things like a Singapore curry laksa with a coconut curry broth, shredded chicken, and king prawns, and the sour and spicy penang assam number. You’ll need about 70 extra tissues when your nose inevitably starts running—which is great for you because it means no one will notice if a teardrop escapes mid laksa slurp. The compact but comfortable dining room is a great place to come on your own, headphones in, and have some therapy in the form of a bowl of steaming hot broth.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Someone wise once said that you can cure anything with seafood pajeon and black bean sauce noodles. Yes, that wise person is us. And yes the food at You Me Korean, a homely Korean spot in New Malden, is actually worth crying about—unlike that emotionally unavailable Hinge date who you’ve convinced yourself you’re in love with. Come for the excellent food and stay for the friendly staff who might just give you an extra big portion of noodles when they see those tears in your eyes.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Is there anything more comforting than a pizza so thick that it could double as a pillow? Yes, it’s pizza topped with minced beef, pickles, and burger sauce. Turns out that combining two of the most-loved comfort foods actually works—well at least it does at this casual Spitalfields pizza spot. Detroit Pizza specialises in Detroit-style pizzas, and a meal here is the kind that requires a nap after. Which is kind of perfect seeing as you have no desire whatsoever to speak to anyone in the next two to 48 hours.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
One restaurant, one chef, one roti beef rendang that will inevitably become two when you need to double check that a roti can be this gloriously soft and flaky. This low-key Malaysian spot inside Queensway Market has everything you need to tackle even the worst of days. Come rain or shine, the tender beef rendang will provide the kind of comfort that only comes from cuddling a baby animal or spending the entire day in bed. And don’t worry about ordering the wrong thing, because at Normah’s there are no bad dishes.
After venturing through monsoon-like weather and crying on the Central line, you’ve earned a decently priced, delicious bowl of tongue-numbing noodles. Look at that glorious red shimmer. Just look at it, steaming your pores with your nose already twitching from all that chilli. Mr. Meng on Charing Cross Road is home to many a spicy broth ranging from seafood numbers to a chicken and matsutake mushroom broth that will make you throw that tin of Heinz cream of chicken some serious side-eye. Order a spicy noodle soup and don’t leave until the rain stops.
photo credit: Karolina Wiercigroch
If you feel like you’ve been in a conscious, eye-open coma with a rain soundtrack for the past week, then let us suggest you double down on that feeling in a big, béchamel-heavy way by heading to Café TPT. The classic Chinatown Chinese diner offers a huge range of delicious dishes, from sweet and moist char siu pork, to beef flank curry, to hot and sour soup. But the Macau-style pork chop on rice—chilli oil-fried pork strips covered in a curry-tasting, cheesy béchamel sauce—will make you embrace the sound of rain, and remind you that there are still things to be grateful for.
photo credit: Karolina Wiercigroch
It’s grey today. Hot water’s gone mid-shampoo. Fine. Still no answer to that email. Fine, fine. Upstairs doing their 9am Riverdance routine ft. Henry the Hoover. Fine, fine, fine. The nice bread has gone mouldy. Everything. Is. Fine. Only it isn’t of course. Embrace the not-fine-ness. Get off the sofa, don an XL hoodie, and head to Fish, Wings & Tings, a Caribbean spot in Brixton, for as much jerk chicken as you fiscally can. The leg is enormous, moist, and covered in a spiced tamarind BBQ sauce. It’s a cosy blanket of a meal, and the same goes for the curried mutton and stew oxtail.
photo credit: Giulia Verdinelli
Your milk goes off today. You have taken that as a clear and definitive sign that you should text your ex. Why? Because it’s better than going to Sainsbury’s in this weather just for a sad bowl of cereal. Rather than relying on the expiry dates of inanimate dairy products to decide your mood, eat what is effectively a hug in the form of La Mia Mamma’s cacio e pepe. It’s cheesy, it’s peppery, and most importantly, it’s a way better idea than messaging your ex. Book a table ahead at this Italian restaurant in Chelsea because serving London’s best cacio e pepe makes it a pretty popular place.
