Museum Restaurants in London

The British Museum's Court Restaurant overlooks the magnificent 19th-century Reading Room. Choose from afternoon teas (including a Viennese Tea with traditional Demel chocolate cake), and classic European dishes such as salmon risotto and Indian butter chicken. Look out for special menus reflecting current exhibitions.

Have a look around Camden Arts Centre's free exhibitions and then enjoy a bite to eat in the café overlooking the garden. There's an array of tasty salads, sandwiches, pastries and homemade cakes, plus an excellent range of teas and coffees. If the weather is good, you can eat al fresco, making this a great place for families.

Rum & Sugar is housed in a Grade 1 listed warehouse on the dockside, built in 1802, which was used to store rum, molasses, coffee and cotton from the West Indies. Today, you can enjoy seasonal British dishes such as oysters, steaks and fish and an eclectic list of rums, cocktails, beers and wines.

Run by restaurateur Oliver Peyton, The National Dining Rooms overlook Trafalgar Square, and serve seasonal British fare such as Newlyn potted crab and Bickleigh White Park beef, as well as delicious afternoon teas. Pop into the gallery's National Café if you'd prefer something a little less formal.

The National Portrait Gallery's Portrait Restaurant offers amazing views over Trafalgar Square towards the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye. The modern British menu features dishes such as Jerusalem artichoke with poached egg, and guinea fowl with Keens cheddar cheese croquette, as well as afternoon teas.

The Royal Academy's original refreshment rooms, dating from 1885, have been given a stylish revamp by designer Tom Dixon. But the real highlight is the art on show, including sculpture from the gallery's collections and wall murals painted by Royal Academy artists. The menu includes seasonal British food and afternoon teas.

The Saatchi Gallery's café-bar is housed in a beautiful, light room with a coved ceiling and al fresco tables. The constantly evolving menu includes plates like Moroccan spiced lamb, Dorset crab risotto, and tortellini of artichokes. There's a changing exhibition of artworks on the restaurant's walls, most of which are for sale.

At Tate Britain's Rex Whistler Restaurant, you'll find modern British food, an award-winning wine list and a spectacular mural. The seasonal menu includes dishes such as dressed Cornish crab, char-grilled South Devon beef, and pea and baby leek tart. Kids eat free with every adult ordering two courses.

The seventh-floor Tate Modern Restaurant boasts its own specially commissioned artwork, Cold Mouth Prayer by James Aldridge. The seasonal menu features dishes such as pea soup and devilled Cornish mackerel. A late lunch is served from 3pm, and there's also a bar where you can relax with a glass of wine.

The V&A Café is located in the museum's original refreshment rooms – the Morris, Gamble and Poynter Rooms – which formed the first museum restaurant in the world. The rooms were intended as a showpiece of modern design, craftsmanship and manufacturing, and the décor still looks stunning today.

At the Wallace Collection's elegant restaurant, diners eat in the sculpture garden underneath a fantastic glass roof. The French brasserie menu features many ingredients imported directly from France, with dishes including green vegetable cassoulet and grilled baby chicken. There's also a French afternoon tea.

Whether you're browsing an exhibition or catching a train from nearby Euston Station, the Wellcome Collection café is a welcome pit stop. In airy, colourful surroundings, you can treat yourself to pies and quiches, pretty cup cakes, cream cakes, sponges and crumbles, afternoon tea or a glass of wine.

For an upmarket experience in East London, head to the Whitechapel Gallery's restaurant, where you can pick from seasonal British dishes such as pan-fried sea trout with baked Cornish early potatoes, and twice-baked courgette soufflé. Make sure you leave room for desserts like deconstructed black forest gateaux with chocolate fondant.