We include the Hard Rock not because of life-changing food (it’s good enough), but out of a grudging acknowledgment of authenticity—this is the original Hard Rock Cafe, opened here in 1971 long before you could find knockoff in every city from Key West to Kuwait. Its burgers nudge £20, it’s cramped, and much of the so-called memorabilia consists of instruments played once and tossed aside. But you don’t have to eat here or force down a sugary cocktail the color of toilet cleanser to take a free tour of its museum, The Vault (daily 1–9pm), packed with historic castoffs from the rock’n’roll trade.

This is the original location; the Hard Rock at 225–229 Piccadilly opened in 2020 and there, you have to eat in a not-very-historic basement.