Where the royals dine out: From upmarket eateries favoured by Meghan to William and Kate’s love of a gastropub

Despite the luxurious banquets and state dinners typically expected of a royal, several members of The Firm are partial to a pint at their local boozer or combo meal at a burger joint. 

Prince William has openly discussed his fondness for the good old British pub, while Nando’s and American fast-food chain In-N-Out Burger are Prince Harry’s not-so-guilty pleasures.

However, other Royal Family members have also been known to frequent some of the finer establishments. 

Last week, the Duchess of Sussex enjoyed lunch at The Park restaurant near Kensington Palace, an upscale, mid-century Manhattan-inspired grand cafe. A week prior, she went for a luxurious afternoon tea at Claridge’s in Mayfair with Malala Yousafzai. 

Her late mother-in-law Princess Diana was particularly fond of Italian bistro San Lorenzo, a historic diner which closed in 2022, as well as La Famiglia in Chelsea, where she dined with William just a few weeks before her death.  

In recent months, however, the future of the discreet west London venue has come under threat after noise complaints from a neighbour placed its garden at risk of being forced to close early. 

Despite having a licence until midnight, it has hastily restricted service to 11pm and even stopped performing ‘Happy Birthday’ to customers outside. Stars from Eric Clapton to Barbara Broccoli are now lending their support in the ongoing legal battle.

Read on to discover how to dine like a real royal – with the best takeaways, diners and pubs that have all had the royal stamp of approval…

Prince William 

While affectionately dubbed ‘One Pint Willy’ by Mike Tindall as he is ‘not the best of drinkers’, the Prince of Wales still enjoys the occasional pint at a British boozer as a way to relax and unwind. 

In June, William surprised residents and punters while making an unannounced visit to south London staple The Prince of Peckham to show his appreciation for British pubs and the role they play in our community and society. 

William pulled a passable pint at the regal-themed pub as he spoke of the importance of locals bringing people together. He also threw his support behind campaigns to save Britain’s pubs, which are slowly dying out in many communities across the country, saying we need to ‘protect’ them.

He said: ‘I love pubs. I want to do as much as I can to support pubs because I love the community. We need to protect our pubs.’ 

The future king went on to call them ‘the glue and fabric’ of a community, adding: ‘It’s the people – the team – around a pub that make it.’

Last October, he shared a drink at his local, Windsor’s Two Brewers pub, with Schitt’s Creek star Eugene Levy for his show The Reluctant Traveller.

William’s surprise appearance has now sparked a phenomenon dubbed ‘The William Effect’ – with dozens of royal fans flocking to get a seat at the so-called ‘royal table’ or ‘King’s corner’.

The following month, the future monarch left staff at a local country pub in the town of Mere, Wiltshire, stunned when he stopped by at the Walnut Tree Inn with his royal entourage. 

Owner William Friend-James told the Daily Mail that the Prince of Wales opted to order the homemade Walnut Tree burger and fries, as well as a lemonade.

The £18.95 burger – which comes with a brioche bun, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, gherkin, onion marmalade, burger sauce, coleslaw and fries – has since been renamed the Prince William Burger in honour of their guest.

In 2023, shortly before King Charles’s coronation, the down-to-earth Prince and Princess of Wales travelled via Tube to the historic Dog and Duck pub in Soho, taking time to pull pints and make light conversation with hospitality staff.

‘Expertly done,’ pub manager Chris Watts praised the prince. ‘Not really,’ William joked, as he pulled the pump repeatedly. ‘I’ve not got too much experience of pulling pints. I’m not too bad at drinking pints, but pulling pints…’

Prince Harry 

While Prince Harry may have grown up around the glitz and glamour of royalty, casual burger chains and drive-thrus are a firm favourite of the Duke of Sussex.

In September 2023, Harry and Meghan were pictured stopping to buy food from the popular American chain In-N-Out burger near to their former $14.6million Montecito home. 

Meghan previously discussed the couple’s love for the burger joint, revealing that the pair enjoyed ‘surprising’ the staff at the one close to their home.

‘There’s one at the halfway point between LA and our neck of the woods. It’s really fun to go through the drive-thru and surprise them,’ she told Variety in 2022. ‘They know our order,’ she said.

Harry’s go-to order at the fast-food spot is believed to be the Double Double, with fries and a Coke, while his wife orders a cheeseburger, fries and a side of jalapenos.

Prior to meeting Meghan, Harry would often frequent the Hollywood Arms, a cozy neighbourhood pub in Chelsea that was even reported to hold a special ‘secret entrance’ for the prince. 

He was also said to have been a particularly big fan of the BBQ ribs served at American-style restaurant Sticky Fingers on Kensington High Street, owned by former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman. 

The UK classic Nando’s also featured high on Harry’s list of favourite eateries prior to his move to California, with the prince believed to have been introduced to the chicken chain by his police protection officer. His go-to sauce? The mild lemon and herb option. 

The duke was often spotted ordering a midnight takeaway at the popular restaurant’s Fulham branch in 2013, and revealed in his memoir Spare that he even ate Nando’s chicken while Meghan was giving birth to Prince Archie in 2019.

Since returning back to Britain, Harry and Meghan were spotted enjoying lunch at The Falkland Arms in Great Tew, Oxfordshire. The pub is a short two-mile walk from Soho Farmhouse and near where David and Victoria Beckham own a £12million home in the Cotswolds.

Meghan Markle 

The Duchess of Sussex has shown a tendency to dine at some of the more luxurious restaurants on offer in both the UK and California. 

While living in Montecito, Meghan often dined at Italian restaurant Tre Lune – a celebrity favourite known for its famously expensive menu, which features a tableside Cheese Wheel Cacio e Pepe and highly acclaimed wine list. 

The royal enjoyed a spot of lunch with tennis star Serena Williams there in March last year; she, Prince Harry and their friend, actor Matt Cohen, also went for a meal at the luxury eatery to celebrate her 42nd birthday in August 2023.

Meghan has been spotted dining at vegan Mexican restaurant Gracias Madre in Los Angeles too, famous for its wet burritos, jackfruit tacos and plantain French toast. 

Showcasing her love for the finer dining spots in New York, the duchess was spotted eating out at Ralph Lauren’s swanky The Polo Bar on Fifth Avenue on two occasions: during her baby shower trip in 2019 and once again in August last year. 

Two years before she met Prince Harry, Meghan penned an ode to New York City and its culinary cuisine in a 2014 post featured on her now-defunct lifestyle blog, The Tig.

The known foodie included a list of her favourite restaurants in the post, ‘whether I have five days in the city or just 32 hours’, including Rubirosa, a pizza spot on Mulberry Street, and Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s eponymous restaurant that features views of Central Park.

Since returning to the UK, Meghan has been spotted dining at some of Britain’s most luxurious spots – including a lavish afternoon tea at Claridge’s with Malala Yousafzai on October 7.

The pair dined in the hotel’s world-famous Foyer and Reading Room, where afternoon tea costs £95 per person. Champagne is available for £30 more but Malala, a Muslim who does not drink alcohol, and Meghan appeared to stick to tea and mineral water.

Set in Claridge’s famed Art Deco interiors and accompanied by live piano music, it is one of Mayfair’s most exclusive and celebrated dining rooms.

Princess Diana 

The late Princess of Wales was a firm fan of Italian eatery San Lorenzo in Knightsbridge – which counted a dazzling array of other A-listers among its customers.

The stylish restaurant in London’s affluent Knightsbridge area served the rich and famous for six decades, becoming known as one of the world’s premier celebrity hangouts.

Located just a stone’s throw from Harrods and Harvey Nichols in Beauchamp Place, its most devoted customer Princess Diana would often take William and Harry for lunch there.

While the restaurant was in its heyday before Diana’s tragic death, it was closed when the pandemic started but failed to reopen. It remained empty until 2024 when it was taken over by 15 squatters.

The princess’s love for Italian dining spots was well known, as she often ate at La Famiglia in Chelsea too – where she and William were photographed together on August 21, 1997, just ten days before she died.

The homely Tuscan restaurant is currently engulfed in a large noise row, with celebrities lining up to save the beloved spot’s gardens. 

Other popular spots the late princess was known to frequent included Launceston Place in Kensington, a Michelin-starred restaurant famous for its British and French fine-dining set in a cozy townhouse. 

Diana also tended to visit pizza spot Da Maro in South Kensington, alongside L’Escargot in Soho, and Hotel Cafe Royal on Regent Street – a historic five-star hotel where she would often stay. 

Famous for its afternoon tea and fine dining, Diana was said to have enjoyed many lunches in the hotel cafe’s historic Oscar Wilde room. 

King Charles and Queen Camilla 

The King and Queen made their first official public debut as a couple on January 28, 1999, at London’s The Ritz Hotel following a 50th birthday party for Camilla’s sister.

Renowned for its two-Michelin-star dining, the Ritz is widely known to be one of Charles’s favourite restaurants and remains the only hotel to have been granted a royal warrant for its banqueting and catering services.

King Charles is also recognised to be a firm fan of Mount St Restaurant, popular for its signature lobster pie, as well as Brilliant restaurant in Southall, west London. 

Visited by His Majesty on two separate occasions, the family-run Punjabi and Kenyan-influenced eatery closed its doors in April last year after 50 years of service, and its legacy continues through Brilliant Gastro by Dipna Anand on the same site. 

Queen Elizabeth II

The late Queen is most famously associated with discreet Mayfair eatery Bellamy’s – which offers pricey caviar and serves Minstrels with its coffee. 

Tucked away on a quiet mews, the upscale French brasserie hosted the late monarch twice since it opened in 2004. 

Her first visit, in 2006, was for her 80th birthday, when her dear friend and former Lady-In-Waiting to the Queen Mother, Lady Penn, hired the 70-cover restaurant for a private party that evening.

In 2016, she was back again to have dinner with her daughter Princess Anne and her cousin Princess Alexandra.

The following year, Her Majesty was spotted enjoying dinner at the original 1917 Ivy in London’s Covent Garden for a close friend’s birthday – a rare public restaurant outing.

However, this was not the first time that the late Queen had been spotted enjoying a spot of dinner beyond the confines of the palace.

In 1956, Her Majesty made history when she stepped out for dinner at Modern European restaurant Quaglino’s in the heart of the capital with Prince Philip and the Queen Mother. 

Queen Elizabeth broke royal protocol by becoming the first reigning British monarch to eat in a public restaurant, dining in its famous Art Deco underground room which is well known for its jazz music, blues and cabaret. 

And though rumours suggested she had enjoyed Eggs Royale for her dinner, the details of her meal remained private. 

The restaurant later went on to host other royals, including Princess Margaret – who had a permanently reserved private table called the Royal Enclosure. 

Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie  

The daughters of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson are no strangers to London’s upmarket dining and brunch spots.

Last December, the two sisters were seen dining at Mayfair’s exclusive Mount St Restaurant, famed for its British staple dishes and private dining rooms. 

In fact, Beatrice and Eugenie are known to frequent several other food venues in Mayfair, including Latin and Mediterranean eatery Isabel’s. 

Last year, the sisters stepped out for the launch of luxury Mr Porter Steakhouse, situated on the area’s affluent Park Lane. Formerly the location of the popular Trader Vic, the steakhouse describes itself as ‘extravagant yet modest’, and a restaurant that ‘fearlessly explores the borders between dinner and sinner’.

Guests can expect to dine on premium steaks, lobster, chips and ‘perfectly poured’ cocktails.

And in Notting Hill, the princesses are said to enjoy spots such as Eel Sushi Bar and Dorian, a Michelin-starred bistro that’s beloved by David and Victoria Beckham.