The worst part of our trip was finding food that was affordable and tasty at the same time. England is obviously not known for its culinary flair, so this became a task. Finally, we found that the Hard Rock was within walking distance of our hotel. Never has a hamburger and fries tasted so wonderful. In fact, the line to get in stretched around the block. It was mostly hungry American tourists.

Although I love dining in Hard Rock Cafes, I was thoroughly disappointed in this particular location. The atmosphere and decor was accurate--music videos playing, musical things on the walls, etc. However, the food and service was terrible. I received a partially raw hamburger and they refused to correct their mistake, as well as cold french fries. The waitress never checked back in on us, and serice was incredibly slow overall.

This is the first of the Hard Rock Cafes. According to the story, Eric Clapton would come down to the "American Cafe" and sit at the bar. As the place became more popular, he could not get his seat. So, one day, he gave them one of his guitars and said, “Put this on this wall. This is my seat.” Later, other musicians did the same thing and the Hard Rock was born. I apologize if the story is not 100% accurate, but you can get the full story from the people there.

The real reason to go is to see the vault next door in the store. If you are a Jimi Hendrix fan, you MUST GO there. I have a photo of me playing the guitar pictured. It is the last guitar he ever played, AND YOU CAN TOUCH IT!!! It was worth the entire trip to just do that.

On our first night we headed over to the Hard Rock. I am a huge fan of the Hard Rock and always go whenever there is one in town. In this case, we had taken a very long nap and didn’t feel like venturing too far. Thankfully, the restaurant was right around the corner from our hotel and the front desk rang ahead, so we were able to get right on in the front door. This Hard Rock happens to be the original Hard Rock and has been winning fans since 1971. They even still have their original waitress, Rita, in the house. But she only is there at certain times and just happened to be out of the house on our visit.

Now, while no one has ever accused The Hard Rock of having the best food around, it is quite tasty and a welcome relief when visiting outside the States. I went with the old standby of the original burger. This is one pretty thick and very tasty patty. It comes served with a very large order of fries. John went with the club sandwich, which comes with homemade mayo, ham, bacon, and two types of lettuce and is served with coleslaw and fries. We very rarely make it though a meal with room left for dessert, so we split one. We gobbled up their Down Home Apple Cobber. It’s definitely a must-try. The cobbler is toped with walnuts, caramel, and oh-so-divine ice cream (made just for the Hard Rock) and topped off with just a dash of cinnamon sugar. What a way to end the night.

While waiting for your meal, everyone enjoys checking out the walls chock-full of rock-and-roll memorabilia. After all, that is what most people come for. Everyone from Madonna to Hendricks to Clapton, and London favorites as The Beatles, Billy Idol, and Sting have something here. The staff are always hip and trendy, and quite a few sport tats, which is why I also love this place. Imagine the looks you get in stuffy restaurants if you walk in sporting 11 tattoos like I do!

After you have made your tummy and taste buds happy, head next door to the gift shop. Purchase a Hard Rock T-shirt so the whole world knows what a world traveler you are. I have had many conversations about my London trip started by, “Have you been to the Hard Rock in London?” You can also get a London Hard Rock pin to add to your collection. You can also purchase shot glasses and a Barbie decked out in rock-and-roll gear, leather jackets, and more. And now they have a version of the vault, where you can see some of the major pieces from their rock-and-roll collection.

You can go to www.hardock.com for more information. You can also make reservations here up to 1 month in advance.

If you like American food such as hamburgers, BLT's, and similar dishes this is a great place to come, the food is always great, they do serve drinks and you can be as rowdy as you like.

This is a venue where you have to cue for a table, the bigger the group, the longer the wait. The advantage of going in a group is that you can take turns at standing in line while the others go to the pub across the road.

This place has plenty of atmosphere and you munch on your food while the docile tones of rock-n-roll are being played through speakers. Do not go to this restaurant for a quiet romanic dinner.

Closest tube stop Hyde Park Corner.