For a family day at the London International Horse Show, choose your off-site meal time around the performance on your ticket—not simply around the date. The show runs from 17–21 December 2026 at ExCeL, confirmed by the official organiser and ExCeL’s event listing. This guide is for families visiting the show, rather than exhibitors, crew or organisers arranging team catering.
The useful decision is whether eating before or after your performance gives everyone enough time to enjoy the meal and complete their journey. Start with your ticket, your children’s usual eating routine and your actual route home or to your accommodation.
Before or after: choose the less pressured option
Record your performance date and start time, then check the organiser’s current information for arrival guidance and any published finish information. Do not substitute the event’s overall opening information for your own ticket details. If the finish is unclear, treat an after-show restaurant arrival as provisional.
| Meal option | When to consider it | What must work |
|---|---|---|
| Before your performance | You would rather eat before settling in to watch, or avoid a meal close to bedtime. | A confirmed restaurant arrival, enough time to eat, and an onward route that meets your required show arrival. |
| After your performance | You prefer to reach the venue first and have flexibility afterwards. | A realistic departure from ExCeL, confirmed restaurant service and availability, and a workable journey home. |
| Elsewhere along your journey | An extra stop would make either option rushed. | A meal location that fits your actual route and can address your dietary requests. |
As a hypothetical example, a family with a fixed return train might prefer eating before the show rather than placing dinner between an uncertain finish and their train. A family staying overnight might consider eating afterwards, but should still confirm the restaurant can accommodate their proposed arrival. Neither choice follows automatically from having an afternoon or evening ticket.
Build a meal window, not just an arrival time
For a pre-show meal, work backwards from when you need to arrive at the venue. Allow separately for leaving the restaurant, the journey, getting into the venue and reaching your place. Include the pauses your own family needs for toilets, coats, pushchairs or a slower walking pace.
Then ask the restaurant whether your proposed meal window is realistic. Explain both when you expect to arrive and when you must leave. Do not make the plan depend on an assumed quick service.
For an after-show meal, work forwards from the expected finish instead. Add time to leave the venue and complete the journey before proposing a restaurant arrival. Ask what to do if you are delayed, and agree a fallback with your family if the timings no longer work.
Test the whole Royal Docks journey
If your visit involves the Elizabeth line, check each leg separately using TfL’s current journey information: your starting point to the show, the show to your meal, and the restaurant to your final destination. Do not assume a restaurant in the wider area fits neatly into your outward route.
Use the exact restaurant address when planning. For Zzetta, that is 110 Barking Road, Canning Town, London E16 1EN. Compare the additional travel against eating elsewhere along your route. If the stop creates too many changes for your family, choose the simpler plan.
If driving, establish where your car will be during the meal and check the relevant parking arrangements directly. If staying overnight, use your actual accommodation address rather than a general Royal Docks location. Recheck travel arrangements nearer the visit; this guide does not provide December service predictions or journey times.
Discuss dietary requests before settling the plan
Zzetta is an independent stone-oven pizzeria offering Halal, Vegan and Gluten-Free options from one flame-fired kitchen. These options are a starting point for a conversation, not confirmation that every dish meets every requirement. Discuss specific ingredients, preparation and suitability with staff.
Look through the Zzetta menu to prepare your questions, then explain each person’s needs individually. Useful questions include:
- Which dishes can you suggest for each stated dietary request?
- Can you explain the ingredients and preparation of the dishes we are considering?
- For an allergy-related request, what shared preparation arrangements and limitations should we understand?
- Can we confirm our choices and any relevant changes again when we arrive?
Do not treat a dietary label as an allergen-safety guarantee. If the conversation leaves a requirement unresolved, settle that before committing to the meal. For children, ask about the dishes they would actually choose rather than assuming a separate children’s menu or particular portion options.
Make a family restaurant enquiry
Phone Zzetta on 020 3904 7074 with your ticket details and proposed meal window. You can use this enquiry template:
“We are visiting the London International Horse Show on [date], with a performance starting at [time]. We are [number] adults and [number] children, aged [ages]. We would like to eat [before/after], arriving around [time], and need to leave by [time]. Our dietary requests are [details], and we are travelling by [arrangements]. Can you confirm whether that meal window and our requirements can be accommodated?”
For a separate team catering requirement, use the Catering Hub; a family restaurant visit is a different enquiry. Keep your meal plan provisional until its timing, dietary questions and availability have been confirmed.
Zzetta – Soul Fired Pizza · 110 Barking Road, Canning Town, London E16 1EN · 020 3904 7074 · WhatsApp +44 7852 272312 · ciao@zzetta.co.uk