With thousands of fans setting their sights on Wembley for the men’s and Women’s FA Cup finals this weekend, one common question will come to mind: ‘Where should we eat?’
As Wembley Way tries its best to funnel you towards the national stadium, multiple eateries will be doing their best to lure you in like sirens.
To stop any potential headaches for fans, I selflessly nominated myself to try three popular matchday locations for food.
Bread Ahead
About halfway down Wembley Way, Bread Ahead is hard to miss.
Seen by many Londoners as one of the best bakeries the city has to offer, Bread Ahead looks like the ideal spot for breakfast or brunch before the big game.
Unfortunately, that isn’t the case.
When I arrived, I was shown to a dirty table and was handed a stained paper menu with green gunk at the bottom of it which I hoped was avocado.
Undeterred by the previous customer’s leftovers, I ordered the poached eggs and avocado on toast as sometimes you don’t want to be weighed down by food during the trials and tribulations that 90 minutes – and maybe extra time or even penalties – at Wembley might bring.
While I waited for my food, a starling flew in from outside and landed next to me.
Yet although I admired its shimmering feathers, this was a table for one.
My food arrived ten minutes later and looked perfect.
As I pierced through the egg, the yolk oozed out a sunset orange, the toast was light and airy and the avocado had a citric zing to it – except everything was stone cold.
While I could make do with that, the overly-liberal use of chilli oil on the eggs, which has been lovely when I’ve had it in the past, left me struggling to speak at points as it was overpowering every flavour on the plate.
From previous experiences, I know Bread Ahead can be very busy on match days and the service suffers because of that.
I’d happily join the queue for their baked goods, but any other food on their menu isn’t worth the time.
Masalchi by Atul Kochhar
Who doesn’t love a pre or post-match curry?
Masalchi is the closest it can be to Wembley Stadium, sitting next to the steps of the main entrance.
You are hit by the vibrant smell of a variety of spices from the moment you open the door, a teaser of what’s in store.
Two-time Michelin star chef Atul Kochhar is behind the restaurant, inspired by his experience with dishes from Indian street markets.
On my visit, I ordered chicken makhan masala, which is a creamy butter chicken curry, plus chicken 65 – Hotel Buhari, which is spicy deep-fried chicken, and a garlic and cheese naan with complementary poppadoms.
The masala has a slight berry sweetness to it which reminds me of Christmas, which was a weird sensation to have in the middle of May but did not stop me from happily going in for more.
It paired perfectly with the savoury naan, which I tried my best to use efficiently to mop up any excess sauce.
The chicken 65 had an opposite approach to the subtle curry as its flavours were loud with every centimetre covered in spices making it incredibly moreish – my favourite of the lot.
What I had was a small snapshot of the menu, which you can view here, and I cannot recommend this place more highly.
Five Guys
Many players crumble under the pressure of Wembley, and I think that’s the case with Five Guys.
It is renowned as one of the best burgers you can get in London, but similar to Bread Ahead, I don’t understand the hype.
After a game, Five Guys is easily one of the busiest locations for hungry football fans, with the queue often spilling out onto the street.
However I have never left their Wembley location impressed and this visit was no different.
I ordered a bacon cheeseburger and it looked sad straight out of the foil, serving only to reinforce my belief you can get a better burger at a school barbecue.
The patties were bland, the bacon was like sharp cardboard, the cheese could probably be used as superglue and the sweetness of the bun was similar to that of cake.
If you want an average but expensive burger then you’re better off buying one in the stadium, and at least there you’ll have a better view.
Where else to eat?
I was excited when I started this article, but two-thirds of the reviews for three of the most popular matchday spots being negative is a shame.
All is not lost, however.
The London Designer Outlet in Wembley is home to many much-loved high-street restaurants, you can view what’s available via their website.
Featured image credit: Tom Horn
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