Eating out in the UK

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andya700

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From time to time (very regularly) I look at food review videos on Youtube, by quite well known food reviewers. One of these reviewers, is a guy named GaryEats, who is quite personable and does IMHO quite fair reviews. I watched one today, where he is in New York, at a place called Hamburger America, where the burgers cost the equivalent of £5 to £7 and are really good quality. Last year, my wife and I went to Edinburgh and one of our meals was from a burger chain called Five Guys, which people were raving about at the time. We had two burgers with large fries and to be honest, it was very average, but the price was not average - £28.65. The following night, we had a lovely Indian takeaway - 2 mains, 1 rice, 2 samosas and 1 naan - £22.50.
Eating out nowadays, seems to be very expensive and underwhelming. Fortunately, we both cook good food and due to my tremors (which get worse when I am stressed), we don't eat out any more.
 
I agree and have stopped eating out as a result of the huge price hikes. I've even stopped having takeaways too after the local Kebab House put the price of a large Doner up from £7.00 to £13.50. :jawdrop:

Luckily, I'm a pretty good cook and have cooked my own Chinese & Indian food for many years (mostly better than takeaways or restaurants). With all other meals, I batch cook and freeze about ten portions at a time so I don't have to cook as often.

I'd be happy to pay restaurant prices if the food was of good quality and cooked well, but sadly it rarely is - the quality of service has dropped considerably too. :(
 
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Five Guys is imho very good for what it is, we used to occasionally go there when we lived in Wellingborough, but it is at the end of the day a takeaway burger joint, and you pay extra because, to be fair, the quality and quantity are good American rather than cheap British..

Bear in mind the costs of running these businesses especially iro staff wages, it's not easy to keep prices down.

Eating out to me is a restaurant thing as opposed to takeaways. We have a superb chip down in Newcastle (I'm talking NI not Northumberland) called McCanns, which is superb: two fish suppers for £27 (large fillet of cod, large ish chip, mushy peas and tartare sauce, can of pop). Alternatively a nearer place Scopers does amazing F&C: smoked battered haddock, twice cooked fries, tartare sauce, for @13; scampi and chips (the scampi is actually proper sections of langoustine tail, not minced prawn as so often in England) £15.

Proper restaurant meals out though, I budget for between £80 and £130, depending on how many courses and whether it includes wine. I am very foody and won;t eat at mediocre places, so I'm talking Michelin 1/2 star for this, with the wonderful local fraesh ingredients. We don'y do these meals out very often though.
 
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We don't eat out much, often have takeaway, but restaurant very rarely unless I'm working there at an event.
The problem for me is the chef ( I have a chef mate).
You find a nice place with great food, go back two weeks later and it's rubbish. What's happened is the chef has moved on, or the restaurant is cutting costs on food quality.
To be fair wholesale food prices have gone up dramatically this year, my mate told me last week he bought £700 worth of meat for a week ( it was £550 the week before) a box of tomatoes went up 25 percent in a month.
It's a case of changing more and pulling people off, or cutting corners, and putting people off......
 
We seldom eat out now because we often end up disappointed, preferring what we cook most of the time. Restos are often not cheap around here - takeaway curry main, side and rice is about £30 typically.

Last year we visited our son in Switzerland - cheese fondue plus 3 non-alcoholic drinks about £100
 
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We don't have takeaway food, never really have anyway.

We occasionally go out for a nice meal or (like today) food at "The Lounge" in Keynsham - something like £31 for two full breakfasts, a Coke and a lager. The usual country pub we use is around £20 a meal for steak or lambshank etc so maybe £70 or so with drinks and desserts.

It's certainly not a very regular thing anymore though.
 
The wife and I took our nephew out for his 21st last weekend. We went to The Beefy Boys (award winning burger joint) in Shrewsbury. 25 quid for a burger, fries and a beer. Maybe a bit expensive but the burger was stunning. Fries were good as well, (truffle oil, cheese and spices.)
Eating out is reserved for birthdays and the like for us now. I’d much rather keep it to special occasions and pay a little extra for good food and service.
 
My wife and me regularly go out for a "road trip" that usually involves a pub lunch. Usually pay between £50-£70 for a 2 course meal and a drink for two. But it tends to be our main "luxury" purchase.
 
JasonPC said:
The wife and I took our nephew out for his 21st last weekend. We went to The Beefy Boys (award winning burger joint) in Shrewsbury. 25 quid for a burger, fries and a beer. Maybe a bit expensive but the burger was stunning. Fries were good as well, (truffle oil, cheese and spices.)
Eating out is reserved for birthdays and the like for us now. I’d much rather keep it to special occasions and pay a little extra for good food and service.
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Last week, we bought a Wagyu fillet steak from Aldi (2 x £9.49 each), Aldi beef dripping chips £2, Bearnaise sauce from M&S £3, green beans from Aldi (£1.49). The fillet steak was superb, better than I have had in the US or Hawaii, medium rare, so tender, loads of flavour, possibly the best steak dish I have ever had, bearing in mind that we have eaten in 2 Michelin star restaurants in the past.
 
munch said:
My wife and me regularly go out for a "road trip" that usually involves a pub lunch. Usually pay between £50-£70 for a 2 course meal and a drink for two. But it tends to be our main "luxury" purchase.
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That is a luxury, mind you, I have said to the wife, that now we are retired, we will have one special bottle of wine, up to £30 each month. We have been very disciplined and all of the wines so far have been under £25.
 
My wife likes to cook, but I get the family a takeaway every Saturday so she has a night off from it, but the prices are getting a little silly. One of my favourites is Thai and last year it used to be around £40 for three adult meals, one kids and maybe one portion of rice. It's now reaching £70 for the same meals and despite being very good, it's starting to feel overpriced for what is just takeaway.

Even the local chippy can be over £40 now and the local Indian places can be over £50. There's no drinks or extra sides, so it seems a lot and the quality can often be hit or miss. However, a Kurdish place I like does an amazing fresh Lamb Shawarma, bread cooked in front of you and packed with meat and all the extras. Easily a foot long and all for £6.

Eating out can be insane when it comes to the prices and I wouldn't mind if it guaranteed quality, but more often than not I find the quality does not reflect the price.
 
I don't think eating out in the UK is expensive, compared to the EU average I think it's about the same with some exceptions. I also think it does depend where in the country, near me in Leeds its a rip off, but head over to Bradford and its cheaper, i find big brands screw you over, five guys is right up there. I also think places like Wetherspoons drag the price of food down artificially making food cheap so they can make money on booze, which is the same as a lot of restaurants. One of the think that f***s me off the most is Italian restaurants where food is reaonable but its £5 for a s*** bottle of peroni or £7 for a s*** glass of house wine.
 
Mr Bump said:
I don't think eating out in the UK is expensive, compared to the EU average
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I'd agree, at least compared to France. Generally reckon on about 14-18 euros for a pizza, 20-25 for a main, 6.5-8 for a beer, 25-50 for a bottle of ordinary wine, 7-8 for a desert. But some restos are a LOT more than this. Once can sometimes get a good lunchtime menu for about 20-25 euros for a main and dessert. Italy seems better value, generally.
 
Mr Bump said:
I don't think eating out in the UK is expensive, compared to the EU average I think it's about the same with some exceptions. I also think it does depend where in the country, near me in Leeds its a rip off, but head over to Bradford and its cheaper, i find big brands screw you over, five guys is right up there. I also think places like Wetherspoons drag the price of food down artificially making food cheap so they can make money on booze, which is the same as a lot of restaurants. One of the think that f***s me off the most is Italian restaurants where food is reaonable but its £5 for a s*** bottle of peroni or £7 for a s*** glass of house wine.
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  • European Average: Around £49.44 (€56.00)
  • United Kingdom: Typically averages around £75 to £85+
 
ancient_mariner said:
I'd agree, at least compared to France. Generally reckon on about 14-18 euros for a pizza, 20-25 for a main, 6.5-8 for a beer, 25-50 for a bottle of ordinary wine, 7-8 for a desert. But some restos are a LOT more than this. Once can sometimes get a good lunchtime menu for about 20-25 euros for a main and dessert. Italy seems better value, generally.
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yeah i agree, i just find alcohol in restaurants a complete p*** take so much so that when me and the wife go eat we just drink the tap water.

The odd thing is when in GC at the house when you eat out the alcohol in the restaurants is the same as bar prices, they know if its out of line people will shop elsewhere.
 
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Mr Bump said:
yeah i agree, i just find alcohol in restaurants a complete p*** take ……..
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As much as we enjoyed our meal last weekend the restaurant was guilty of the thing that annoys me most when eating out. We placed our drinks order. I asked for an IPA, expecting a nice cold pint in a glass, only for them serve me a small can of beer. They didn’t even bother to pour it and hide the fact that I was paying 6 quid for a can that is 2 quid in a supermarket. Ok, restaurant overheads, I get it, but …..
 
JasonPC said:
As much as we enjoyed our meal last weekend the restaurant was guilty of the thing that annoys me most when eating out. We placed our drinks order. I asked for an IPA, expecting a nice cold pint in a glass, only for them serve me a small can of beer. They didn’t even bother to pour it and hide the fact that I was paying 6 quid for a can that is 2 quid in a supermarket. Ok, restaurant overheads, I get it, but …..
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Often the menu will describe how the beer is dispensed (draft, bottle etc.). I don't do tinned beer, not ever. That would have gone back.
 
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