Restaurants

Arguably the most famous of the American chains, the top-of-the-pop-tastic Hard Rock has always polled highly in the burger charts. As you’d expect, the walls drip with rock memorabilia, music blares from TV screens and speakers, and sometimes the waitresses themselves grab the mic – oodles of fun for the kids, although you might wish you’d brought earplugs for the tiniest among them. For tourists, the Café is an attraction in itself, for Londoners the draw is the big, succulent burgers, which arrive nicely pink in the middle (you’ll pay a couple of quid over the odds for the privilege). Nachos are gooey and spicy, the salads enormous and fresh, and the sandwiches huge and creative. Waitresses are eager to please and efficient (perhaps a little too quick to clear when the queue of tourists out front starts to snake down Park Lane). Ring ahead if you want to bypass this waiting system, which can be notoriously painful at busy times. The link between rock ’n’ roll and the waitresses’ cutsey white uniforms (somewhere between dental hygienist and old-school tennis kit) has always eluded us.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009