As I wrote previously, I recently went to London with a friend and, while we spent some time retracing our footsteps from our study abroad semester in 2005, we certainly ate much better this time around.

I don’t even remember having high tea in the city when we studied abroad, and this time we found ourselves at Brown’s Hotel for the afternoon tradition. We were seated at a quaint table for two near the piano player, who was exceptional. It was summertime, so there wasn’t a fire lit in the fireplace, but I imagine this being the perfect place for a spot of tea on a cold winter afternoon.

Rather than eating Mark & Spencer’s cereal for lunch, as we did as college juniors, this time we dined at one of the most Instragram-friendly spots in London, Dalloway Terrace. The dining experience is truly serene (aside from the occasional sounds of construction occurring on the day of our visit). Cute touches included blankets draped over the chairs for any chills in the air and summer hats available upon request. Menus range from all-day dining and brunch to breakfast, dessert and afternoon tea.

And our dinner experiences at both Red Rooster Shoreditch and Holborn Dining Room were a far cry from the £1 pizza and Tesco frozen meals we survived on during the first go-around.

Red Rooster Shoreditch is the British outpost of acclaimed chef and restaurateur Marcus Samuelsson’s Red Rooster Harlem. Samuelsson is known for serving as guest chef for President Barack Obama’s first state dinner and for multiple television appearances, including Chopped. At 24 he became head chef of New York’s Aquavit, and he opened Red Rooster Harlem in December 2010.

Reclaimed oak accents, antique mirrors, red leather banquettes, tweed details, copper topping and locally sourced British fare highlight Holborn Dining Room’s unique vibe. Another standout is The Gin Bar, which offers London’s largest collection of the spirit. With more than 400 gins and 30 tonics, a possible 14,000 gin and tonic pairings are possible.

—Kimberly Krol, editor in chief