Bow Wine Vaults has existed since long before the wine-bar craze began in the 1970s. One of the most famous in London, the bar attracts cost-conscious diners and drinkers to its vaulted cellars for such traditional fare as deep-fried Camembert, lobster ravioli, and a mixed grill, along with fish. The cocktail bar is popular with City employees after work (weekdays 11:30am-11pm). More elegant meals, served in the street-level dining room, include Thai green mussels in curry sauce, escallop of veal Milanese garnished with pasta, and haddock Monte Carlo. Wines from around the world are available; the last time we were there, the wine of the day was a Chilean chardonnay.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's London 2009, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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