Where is there to go in the city when you’re scrimping the cash and counting down the hours until your next paycheque? Given how expensive London is, it can seem like there’s nowhere to go where food doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. Well, have no fear, readers, because we’ve done the work and research to find affordable meals for you. From takeaway, street-food-style spots to BYOB gems, here’s our rundown of the best cheap eats in London:
1. Marie’s Cafe, Waterloo
Proper British fry-ups by day, Thai food by night – what could be better? How about the prices and portion sizes? Marie’s Cafe is an absolute godsend for those after a cheap meal out – and their BYOB policy is pretty great, too! Stir fries and curries start at just £5.50, and you can get Pad Thai or Drunken Noodles for a piddling £6.50. With corkage just a quid per person, you can net yourself a tasty Thai meal for under a tenner! Be warned – it gets very popular, so be prepared to queue.
📍 90 Lower Marsh, SE1 7AB. Nearest station is Waterloo.
2. Sonora Taquería, Stoke Newington
A common bug-bear for lovers of tacos is the sheer cost of them in our capital. Heck, I’ve seen individual tacos priced at £6 or more – for just one taco! Fortunately, the cult-fave Sonora Taquería is here to save the day with its flour tortillas and affordable prices. Tacos start at £3.50, but they also have one of the city’s best IYKYK cheap eats. The Bean Taco and Bean Quesadilla – priced at £1 and £2 respectively – belie their relative simplicity with incredible quality and unbelievable taste. They’re so good that I always get one ‘on the side’ every time I visit. Like Marie’s, it’s a popular joint, so be prepared to queue on the weekends! (Or just head over on Thursday and you’ll pretty much be able to walk right in.)
📍 208 Stoke Newington High Street, N16 7HU. Nearest station is Stoke Newington.
3. Roti King, various locations
Roti King started as a tiny Malaysian/Singaporean spot in Euston that has now set its sights on London domination, with new sites opening all over our city. The roti canai is the star attraction here, but there’s much more on offer. The nasi lemak – steamed coconut rice served with peanuts, fried anchovies, cucumber, egg, sambal and spiced fried chicken – is pretty much to die for, and there are some excellent noodle dishes to boot. The menu hovers between £10 and £12, with generous portions, earning its place on this list of London’s cheap eats.
📍 Find your nearest Roti King here.
4. Guacamoles, Peckham
This little Mexican taqueria can be found inside Rye Lane Market and is run by a husband and wife team – Manny and Gabriella. Be sure to come visit on Tuesdays when the Taco Tuesday deal will net you three absolutely stacked tacos for just £9. Our pick of the lot? Try the birria, al pastor, chicken and tongue with a side of Horchata – happy feasting!
📍 Rye Lane Indoor Market, 48 Rye Ln, London SE15 5BY.
5. En Root, Peckham
En Root in Peckham is a vibrant vegan Indian fusion restaurant offering innovative plant-based dishes. This charming eatery serves delectable street food like samosa chaat, wraps, and pani puri, alongside craft cocktails and chai. With its cosy interior decorated with mandalas and plants, En Root is a lovely little place for date night or an evening with friends! We highly recommend the Jerk Dosa or Wrap – or you can indulge in the Thali for £14 and try the best of everything!
📍28 Peckham Rye, SE15 4JR.
6. Kolamba, Soho
You wouldn’t typically think of Soho for cheap eats, but at Kolamba, hungry lunchers can get a taste of Sri Lanka with a two-course set lunch for just £19.50. Lift your spirits and your energy with the express lunch menu from Monday to Friday, between 1-4pm. Choose between ‘Nalini’s Fish Cutlet’ or a ‘Banana Blossom Pattie’ before tucking into a rice and curry bowl. Each bowl comes with plenty of sides and toppings, with a variety of curries on offer including Ceylon Chicken Curry, Vaira’s Jaggery Beef, Pineapple Fry, and more. Cheap eats don’t get much more filling or satisfying than this!
📍 21 Kingly Street, Carnaby, W1B 5QA. Nearest station is Oxford Circus.
7. Padella, London Bridge and Shoreditch
Given London’s propensity for outrageously expensive Italian restaurants, this may seem a surprising inclusion – but hear us out… At Padella, the pasta dishes (which people queue up to try!) largely run between £12-15. Now that may cause some sticker shock compared to other inclusions on this list, but it’s a far cry from many places that charge well in excess of £20 for a plate of pasta. You can even get a plate of tagliarini with dried chilli, garlic, and pangrattato for less than £10.
Oh, and did we mention that they’ve even been recognised by MICHELIN with a Bib Gourmand for “good quality, good value cooking”? How’s that for a recommendation?
📍 6 Southwark Street, SE1 1TQ & 1 Phipp Street, EC2A 4PS. Nearest stations are London Bridge and Shoreditch High Street.
8. Korean Dinner Party, Soho
Another surprisingly affordable spot to eat in Soho can be found at the top of Kingly Court in the form of Korean Dinner Party. In particular, their Taco Tuesday offering is a steal. Just £20 per person nets you bottomless sharing taco platters with beef short rib, al pastor, Korean fried cauliflower, dips, slaw, and flour tortillas. Yum!
📍Top Floor, Kingly Court, Kingly Street, Carnaby, W1B 5PW. Nearest station is Oxford Circus.
9. Phat Phuc Noodle Bar, Chelsea
You may be surprised that one of the best cheap eats in London is based in Chelsea, but our capital often has a way of throwing a spanner in the works. Phat Phuc – which translates to ‘happy buddha’ in Vietnamese by the way – has some brilliant food at pretty decent prices. Take a seat at the noodle bar and you can enjoy everything from spicy coconut laksas to steaming bowls of pho – almost all of which will run you just a bit more tenner.
📍 The Courtyard, 151 Sydney Street, London, SW3 6NT. Nearest station is Sloane Square.
10. Falafel & Shawarma, Camberwell
This cheap eats spot is a right little hidden gem in Camberwell. Falafel & Shawarma specialises in, as you might have guessed, falafel and shawarma. And as you also might have guessed – their prices are incredible. The heaving wraps are just £4 here (at least, last time we visited they were!), with all sorts of goodies to fill them with. Just be warned: it’s cash only, so make sure to hit up an ATM ahead of time so you’re not caught out.
📍 27 Camberwell Church Street, London, SE5 8TR. Nearest station is Denmark Hill.
11. UBA, Shoreditch
If you find yourself in Shoreditch come lunchtime (between 12-3pm), head to UBA for an express lunch menu that fills you up for just £19 per person. Pick from the ‘Meat’, ‘Fish’, or ‘Vegetarian’ options and you’ll get four dishes to chow down on. You might not get much work done afterwards, but you didn’t break the bank either! Dishes include Korean chicken, rock shrimp tempura, Nashi Pear and Avocado Salad, Xiao Long Bao, and more.
📍 61 – 67 Great Eastern Street, EC2A 3HU. Nearest stations are Old Street and Shoreditch High Street.
12. De Nadas Empanadas, multiple locations
Bookmark this one for your next lunchtime craving when you need plenty of food without dishing out too much money. De Nadas Empanadas’ lunch deal sees them doling out three empanadas of your choice, with a side salad, with change for a crisp £10 bill. And with so many empanadas to choose from, you can keep coming back for even more cheap lunches without getting bored!
📍 Find your nearest De Nadas here.
13. Marugame Udon, various locations
London’s relationship with noodles is a confusing one at the best of times. Bowls of hot noods can be eye-wateringly expensive or surprisingly cheap. Fortunately, Marugame Udon errs very much on the cheap side. Even ignoring their near-constant giveaways and promotions (walk in on a random day and you might just luck yourself into some free food), Marugame Udon’s namesake udon bowls start at just £4.95. Join their Marugame Club and you’ll even get two free pieces of tempura to thank you – as well as being kept abreast of ALL of their promotions and sales.
📍 Find your nearest Marugame Udon here.
14. eat TOKYO, various locations
eat TOKYO is so popular with Londoners that it even earned itself a spot on our list of restaurants that Londoners could exclusively eat at for the rest of their lives. And it’s not just the quality of the food that earned it a spot on the list, but also the incredible value. You can nab yourself a katsu curry for just £8! With so much to choose from, you can easily splash out – but it’s also just as easy to net yourself some delicious cheap eats.
📍 Find your nearest eat TOKYO here.
15. MR FALAFEL, Shepherd’s Bush
Over in New Shepherd’s Bush Market, you’ll find another cut-price falafel vendor that doesn’t skimp on portion size. MR FALAFEL is the source of many a ‘best falafel in London’ argument in our office, and one bite will have you weighing in on the debate, too. With a ‘budget’ falafel wrap costing just £3.65, and a King Size wrap (which is bigger than their X-Large by the way!) running you less than £7, MR FALAFEL easily earns its place on this list of cheap eats. Heck, even their heaping Falafel Salad Boxes are a mere £6.25 each!
📍 New Shepherds Bush Market, Units T4/T5, Uxbridge Road, W12 8LH. Nearest stations are Wood Lane, Shepherd’s Bush, and Goldhawk Road.
16. Baban’s Naan, Finsbury Park
Baban’s is the stuff of London legend at this point, so beloved that they’ve even been immortalised on a t-shirt from wine shop/restaurant/distributor Top Cuvée. The hole-in-the-wall tandoor often commands a queue from its devotees (and from hungry football fans on match days, thanks to its proximity to the Emirates Stadium). How cheap is it? A naan wrap and drink will run you just £6. But a topped naan could run you as little as £1.50. Might as well grab two or three, eh?!
📍 51a Blackstock Road, Finsbury Park, London N4 2JW. Nearest station is Finsbury Park.
17. Ararat Bread, Dalston
If you’ve ever bought a bag of naan from a corner shop or organic produce store in East London, it’s likely come from Ararat. The bakery’s naan are everywhere thanks to the quality and affordability. But if you go direct to the bakery – tucked away down Ridley Road Market – you’re in for a treat. As well as watching the naan get made and shoved into bags in a mesmerising dance, you can get hot-from-the-oven naan topped with cheese or meat and cheese, for just a few pounds each. Dig into your pocket, grab a few coins, and grab some delicious flatbreads. You’ll be telling EVERYONE about them.
📍 132 Ridley Rd, London E8 2NR. Nearest stations are Dalston Kingsland and Dalston Junction.
18. Hiba Taboun, Walthamstow
Yup, that’s right, another flatbread vendor joins the list. But once you’ve tried the food at this place (and seen the prices), you’ll see why! Hiba Taboun’s manakeesh is an obvious choice for this cheap eats list, and comes topped with the likes of cheese, za’atar, or minced lamb, among other choices. Oh, and none of them cost more than a trifling £3.50. It’s the sort of warm, welcoming place to settle in, grab some food, and relax without burning a hole in your wallet.
📍 2, Golden Parade, E17 3HU. Nearest station is Wood Street.
19. Rosa’s Thai, various locations
This beloved London Thai chain is here to sort out your lunch without breaking the bank. Rosa’s Thai’s newest deal is Saiphin’s Set Lunch, which offers guests a choice of starters, mains, a side and drink all for £15. The menu will change regularly, but expect signature Thai dishes such as Thai calamari with tom yum spices, Spring rolls, and Pad See Ewe (stir fried flat noodles).
📍 Find your nearest Rosa’s Thai here.
20. Pizza Union, various Locations
Pizza Union is ideal for the times you fancy a carbalicious treat, but you’re not up for splashing the cash. A proper, human-sized Margherita costs just £5.95. You could even get a Marinara for just £3.95! But, if we were you, we’d opt for the Calabria for a modest £7.95, with mozzarella, mascarpone, nduja, and rocket. The most expensive pie on their menu is just £8.95, and comes piled high with meats. That’s less than a Margherita at most London pizzerias! Given you’ve saved so much money, why not finish your meal with a Sicilian cannoli? It’ll cost you just £1.50. No, seriously! (Psst… there are gluten–free options too.)
📍 Find your nearest Pizza Union here.
21. Poptata, multiple sites
There’s never a bad time to pop-ta Poptata (sorry)! These roving, loaded fries vendors don’t just serve up cheap eats, they might just serve up your favourite fries in the city! A particular favourite is the Mr Brisket Fries – a whopping serving of fries piled high with slow-cooked brisket and toppings. Portions are so huge that you might need a lie down afterwards. And the best thing of all? These cheap eats start at just £4.50 a pop.
📍 Find your nearest Poptata here.
🛻 Poptata also appears around the country for temporary pop-ups and residencies. Keep an eye out for their newest location!
So there you have it – a roundup of the best cheap eats in London. Whether you’re feeling the squeeze due to the cost of living crisis (sigh) or are counting the pennies near the end of the month, we hope this roundup gives you all the inspiration you need for a cheap night on the town! (And don’t forget about London’s Happy Hours…) You can thank us later.
