Going to MCM with friends? Decide what eating together means before choosing a restaurant: a meal after everyone has finished, an earlier departure together, or a smaller gathering for those ready to leave. The official MCM London website confirms 23–25 October 2026 at ExCeL London in the Royal Docks, rechecked on 12 September 2026. Start with a shared plan now, then confirm the details with your chosen restaurant.
This guide is for friends attending as visitors and eating outside the venue. Exhibitors, crew and organisers arranging meals around work commitments need a separate team enquiry rather than assuming a visitors’ restaurant plan will fit.
Choose the meal that fits your group’s priorities
Ask everyone one question: is staying together more important than staying at the show until each person is finished? Neither answer is wrong. It tells you whether to protect a shared departure time or let people make different plans.
| Meal approach | Choose it when | What to resolve first |
|---|---|---|
| Meal after everyone finishes | Nobody wants to leave before their own plans are complete. | Whether a restaurant can accommodate your proposed arrival and allow enough time to eat. |
| Earlier meal together | The meal is a priority and everyone agrees to finish their visit earlier. | A departure point in the day that every diner accepts. |
| Smaller meal group | Some friends want to leave while others want to stay. | A confirmed diner list, without counting undecided friends as definite guests. |
For a hypothetical group of eight, five might prefer an earlier meal while three want to remain at the show. An enquiry for five, with a question about whether numbers could later change, is clearer than promising eight diners. Do not assume extra seats can be added.
Separate leaving the show from arriving for dinner
A proposed restaurant arrival is not the same as the moment you decide to leave ExCeL. Before suggesting a meal time, agree where your friends will regroup, how you will check everyone is present and who will contact the restaurant if plans change.
Build your own allowance for gathering belongings, meeting friends and making the journey. Check your intended route for your chosen date, including any accessibility requirements; this guide does not assume a journey time between ExCeL and Canning Town. Share the restaurant’s full address rather than relying on a name alone.
If you are considering leaving for food and returning to MCM, check the organiser’s current admission and re-entry rules first. Otherwise, plan the meal as the end of your show visit rather than depending on an unverified return arrangement.
Would Zzetta suit the meal you want?
Zzetta is an independent stone-oven pizzeria, established in 2018, at 110 Barking Road, Canning Town, London E16 1EN. Treat it as an off-site restaurant option to enquire about, not a confirmed arrangement for MCM attendees. Ask whether your chosen date, proposed arrival window and group size can be accommodated.
Use the Zzetta menu to start a discussion about what people would like to eat. Then ask staff about the dishes you are considering and any arrangements for a group. If sitting together matters, say so explicitly rather than assuming how seating will work.
For friends wearing costumes or carrying purchases, mention any bulky items when enquiring. Ask about practical space and access needs; do not assume storage, changing facilities or a particular seating layout. Each diner should be able to decide whether the proposed setting works for them.
Resolve dietary questions before agreeing to share
Zzetta offers Halal, Vegan and Gluten-Free options from one flame-fired kitchen. These are options to discuss with staff, not a promise that every dish meets every requirement. Specific ingredients, preparation and individual suitability must be checked directly.
Ask each friend to share their requirements before deciding between individual orders and shared pizzas. Where allergies or other dietary needs are involved, encourage the diner to speak directly with staff rather than relying on a group organiser’s interpretation. Do not treat a menu label as an allergen-safety guarantee.
Individual choices may be your group’s preferred approach if sharing would make ordering complicated. If you would like to share, first establish which proposed dishes each person is comfortable choosing after that conversation with staff.
Send an enquiry that can receive a useful answer
Choose one contact person and send a realistic headcount, not the entire group-chat membership. You can adapt this hypothetical message:
Hello Zzetta, we are friends visiting MCM London and would like an off-site restaurant meal on [23, 24 or 25 October 2026]. We have [number] confirmed diners and propose arriving between [times]. Can you accommodate us seated together? Our dietary requirements are [details], and our access or bulky-item questions are [details]. Please let us know the group meal arrangements, what information you need and how we would confirm. Could we get a quote?
Get a Quote on WhatsApp or phone Zzetta. If you are actually organising food for an exhibitor or working team, use the Catering Hub for that separate enquiry. For a friends’ meal, make clear that you want to eat at the restaurant.
Once arrangements are confirmed, share the agreed date, arrival time, address and diner list. Ask the restaurant how to handle late arrivals or changes in numbers. An enquiry alone is not a confirmed reservation.
Zzetta – Soul Fired Pizza · 110 Barking Road, Canning Town, London E16 1EN · 020 3904 7074 · WhatsApp +44 7852 272312 · ciao@zzetta.co.uk