You know how it goes – it was supposed to be a chill night, but one drink turned into three, and shots appeared as if out of nowhere. And now you need more food to fill your stomach before you head home. Well, lucky for you, there are plenty of places in London that stay open late for hungry patrons. And when we say late, we mean late late. Around-the-clock late, in some cases. Here are the 13 best places for some 24-hour and late night food in London.
But first – the rules: This isn’t some simple, easily placated list of places that stay open until midnight. We want the proper late night food venues for the nights that never end. These places all stay open until at least 3 in the morning.
1. Duck & Waffle, Bishopsgate (Open 24/7)
Duck & Waffle recently announced that they would finally be resuming their legendary 24/7 service, with a plethora of menus to choose from throughout the day. Up on the 40th floor of the Heron Tower is a 24-hour restaurant like no other. Duck & Waffle is ideally located for anyone partying it up at fabric once the consensus comes that it’s time for a post-lash, food feast pick-me-up. Trust us, their late night menu will certainly sort you out.
📍 40th floor of the Heron Tower, 110 Bishopsgate, EC2N 4AY.
🚇 Nearest station is Liverpool Street.
2. Polo Bar, Bishopsgate (Open 24/7)
East London’s infamous Polo Bar has been open since 1953, acting as the perfect pitstop for breakfast, lunch, dinner and everything in-between. While it doesn’t look like much from outside, inside you’ll find a veritable Aladdin’s cave of 24/7 delights. They’ve got food, coffee, and cocktails all through the day, and all through the week.
📍 176 Bishopsgate, EC2M 4NQ.
🚇 Nearest station is Liverpool Street
3. Beigel Bake, Brick Lane (Open 24/7)
Whenever we find ourselves near Brick Lane, we always make the trip to Beigel Bake to pick up one of these bad boys. The legendary beigels are at their best when they’re eaten filled with hot salt beef, pickles and lashings of mustard. We have to admit, though, that their smoked salmon and cream cheese offering shouldn’t be sniffed at either. It’s open all the time (no, literally) so even though queues can get quite long on weekends, there’s no shortage of food on offer.
📍 159 Brick Lane, E1 6SB.
🚇 Nearest station is Shoreditch High Street.
4. Beigel Shop, Brick Lane (Open 24/7)
‘Britains first and best’ reads the sign above Beigel Shop – and, look, we’re not gonna delve our way into that argument. All we’ll say is that Beigel Shop cannot be overlooked when it comes to late night dining. Or, any time of the day dining really, since it’s open around the clock. Settle the bagel beigel beef for yourself, once and for all, by heading to Brick Lane and deciding for yourself.
📍 155 Brick Lane, E1 6SB.
🚇 Nearest station is Shoreditch High Street.
5. Refill Eaterie, Brixton (Open 24/7)
A lot of the focus here has been Soho and surrounding areas, as the hub of much of London’s late-night partying and activities. But across the river, in Brixton, there’s also a 24/7 option. Refill Eaterie offers up Caribbean cuisine for the hungry masses around the clock. Honestly, now that we know jerk chicken is a possibility at this time of night, we won’t rest until the craving is met!
📍 500A Brixton Road, SW9 8EQ.
🚇 Nearest station is Brixton.
6. VQ Restaurants, multiple locations (Open 24/7… mostly)
The VQ group is an extremely reliable option for late night grub, with a number of venues dotted around the capital. Two of them, the Chelsea and Aldgate venues, are open around the clock. Meanwhile their Bloomsbury venue closes at 11pm on Mondays and Tuesdays before opening from 9am on Wednesday util 5am on Monday. The best part? They also offer 24 hour breakfast for when the late night craving for a full English fry-up hits.
📍 Find your nearest location at the website.
7. Balans No.34, Soho (open 24 hours on the weekend)
The OG Balans spot, originally called The Old Compton Café, Balans No.34 (nicknamed the little one) launched the brand with a mission to serve hungry and thirsty Londoners at all hours of the day. After 36 years, not much has changed as they keep doling out food and drink well into the wee hours of the morning. And from March 31, they’re also back to being open for 24 hours a day throughout the weekend. They’ll open up at 8am on Friday mornings, and carry on serving right through until midnight on Sundays. Obey the glowing neon sign, and ‘abandon all plans’!
📍 34 Old Compton Street, W1D 4TS.
🚇 Nearest station is Leicester Square.
8. Balans Soho Society No. 60, Soho (Open until 6am)
Speaking of Balans, there’s yet another (larger) spot for late night grub and drinks in the form of the brands other legendary watering hole, Balans’ No. 60 (nicknamed the big one). They have a reputation for serving up more Porn Star Martinis than anywhere else in the entire city – so you don’t need to think twice about what you’re drinking! The venue is open until 5am on Wednesday and Thursday night (or, Thursday and Friday morning, rather), while Friday and Saturday evenings see them open all the way through to 6am. Now that’s some proper late night food.
📍 60-62 Old Compton Street, W1D 4UG.
🚇 Nearest station is Leicester Square.
9. Bar Italia, Soho (Open until 4am)
Our first entry on the list to not stay open around the clock, Bar Italia comes pretty close nonetheless. The iconic Soho institution is open from 7am-4am all the way through the week. Is that late enough for you? It’s been a Soho late-night staple since 1949, serving up Italian food and cocktails in a buzzy atmosphere. Oh, and plenty of late-night espresso pick-me-ups!
📍 21 Frith Street, W1D 4RN.
🚇 Nearest stations are Tottenham Court Road and Leicester Square.
10. Chop Chop, Leicester Square (Open until 4am)
It makes sense that a casino like the Hippodrome would be open until well into the early hours of the morning (in fact, it’s open 24/7). But did you know that there’s also a casual Chinese restaurant on the premises that will keep you fed until as late as 4am? Well, you do now – I just told you… Whether you’re heading there after a night at the theatre, a night on the tables, or a night dancing on the tables, Chop Chop have you sorted with the likes of crispy duck pancakes, prawn wonton soup, dim sum, Char Sui BBQ Pork, Hong Kong style roast duck, and more. There’s no way you’ll end up going to bed hungry!
📍 Chop Chop at The Hippodrome, Cranbourn Street, WC2H 7JH.
🚇 Nearest station is Leicester Square.
11. El Camion, Soho (Open until 3am)
When those late-night craving for tacos or burritos hit and you’re in Soho, you’re in luck! El Camion is a late-night bar and diner serving up absolutely delicious Mexican food and tequila cocktails in kitschy, yet charming, environs. It’s all vibes at El Camion, where they’re open from midday through to 3am, every single day. Except Sunday – but we’ll allow it, it’s the day of rest after all. And we’re sure they’re pretty damn tired!
📍 25-27 Brewer Street, W1F 0RR.
🚇 Nearest station is Piccadilly Circus.
12. Lanzhou Lamian Noodle Bar, Soho (Open until 4:30am Friday and Saturday)
When the desire hits you in the wee small hours of the morning for a steaming hot bowl of noodles, there’s only one place to go: Lanzhou Lamian Noodle Bar. This unassuming venue is not to be overlooked, as it serves up some damn fine food. If you can handle it, go spicy – it’s what you need at this time of night.
📍 33 Cranbourn Street, WC2H 7AD.
🚇 Nearest station is Leicester Square.
13. Somine, Dalston (Unofficially open until 5am)
This ones a case of, if you know, you know. Sure, according to their website Somine technically closes their doors at 2am at the latest. But come the weekend, you’ll often find them staying open until 5 in the morning! And the Turkish food they dish out is some of the best in London, as well as being just what you need in the wee hours. And they’ll be back the next morning, just a few hours later, with plenty of Menemen and Turkish Breakfasts for the aching heads.
📍 131 Kingsland High Street, E8 2PB.
🚇 Nearest station is Dalston Kingsland.
So, there you have it. Save this for your next ‘just-one-drink’ night that goes off the rails!