London: Our 10 favorite inexpensive restaurants
Visiting London and looking for excellent restaurant suggestions that won’t blow your entire budget? Alas, it can seem impossible in a city where most “affordable” restaurants tend to be either uninspired tourist fare (cheap pizza and pasta) or dismal fast food joints.
That’s not to say it’s impossible, however! We asked London-based correspondent (and foodie) Alex Robertson Textor to suggest his 10 favorite budget-friendly restaurants in the city.
Bon appetit!
BAO Bar
53 Lexington Street (Soho); also Netil Market E8
http://www.baolondon.com/
The Netil Market location (near Broadway Market) in Hackney is open on Saturdays only, serving delicious Taiwanese baos for £3.50. But if you can’t wait for Saturday, check out BAO Bar’s Soho location for baos and other delicious things.
Herman Ze German
19 Villiers Street
http://www.hermanzegerman.com
Get a proper German sausage (among other varieties: bratwurst, bockwurst, and a veggie wurst option) at this bright little place in the shadow of Charing Cross. Note: Herman Ze German also has two sit-down restaurants, one at 33 Old Compton Street in Soho; the other in Fitzrovia.
Koshari Street
56 St. Martin’s Lane
http://www.kosharistreet.com/
This super carby Egyptian street food is delicious, a vegetarian dish that includes lentils, rice, noodles, chickpeas, tomato sauce, and a dusting of dried caramelized onions. Cap your meal with a fine milk pudding called muhallabieh. You might just want to nap afterwards, but at least you’ll have sweet dreams.
Masters Super Fish
191 Waterloo Road, SE1
In the shadow of Waterloo Station is a simple fish restaurant much loved by cabbies and retired locals. Masters Super Fish defines “old school” – you’ll pay a bit more for grilled as opposed to battered fish, and pickled cucumbers and onions are your essential sides. Some may find service surly, but make no bones about it. This is a true South London institution.
Pret-a-Manger
Located everywhere, really. There are almost 200 Prets in London
http://www.pret.co.uk/en-gb/
Many Londoners might complain about Pret-a-Manger’s ubiquity. Those with poor taste might even claim to like another sandwich chain more. But the fact is that Pret-a-Manger’s food is fresh and quite healthy, especially when viewed in the context of other fast-food restaurants or supermarket chain ready-made lunches.
Sagar Vegetarian Covent Garden
31 Catherine Street
http://www.sagarveg.co.uk
Delicious vegetarian South Indian grub in a heavily-touristed area for cheap? Yes please. Sagar’s dosas are delicious; the lunch special (a heaping thali) costs just £6. The restaurant also lists a vegan menu for those avoiding dairy. Sagar also has branches in Hammersmith and just off Tottenham Court Road.
Silk Road
49 Camberwell Church Street, SE5
No website
Sample the food of China’s Xinjiang Province at this fantastic, informal Camberwell restaurant. Standouts include cumin-dressed lamb kebabs, broth-based chicken with noodles, lamb dumplings, spicy cabbage, and a sharp cucumber salad. Bookings recommended at dinner time: +44 20 7703 4832.
Tasty Vietnamese at Sông Quê Café. Photo: Ewan Munro
Sông Quê Café
134 Kingsland Road, E2
http://www.songque.co.uk
Nobody comes to London for the Vietnamese food, sure, but this fantastic high-volume Shoreditch restaurant, usually crowded with hipsters, tourists, and Vietnamese Londoners, is a treat nonetheless. Beef pho and rice vermicelli dishes are recommended. You should be able to get out of here for less than a tenner.
Tayyab’s
83-89 Fieldgate Street, E1
http://www.tayyabs.co.uk/
The spiciest Punjabi food you can imagine, around the corner from the enormous East London Mosque. The queues here are long. A booking for dinner is more or less essential – don’t expect to be seated immediately even with a booking. (The restaurant appears to operate two queues at peak times, one for those with bookings and one for those without.) The karahi dishes are fantastic, as are the vegetarian items; for a good example of the latter, go for the tinda masala.
Terry’s Café
158 Great Suffolk Street SE1
http://www.terryscafe.co.uk
Terry’s Café is an old-style caff with well-sourced ingredients and a loyal local fan base. Eggs with fixings on toast begin at £2 per slice. Terry’s has even made concessions to the hipsters in the ‘hood. Guests can choose between “old-fashioned” coffee (from 80p) and Monmouth coffee (from £2.)
About the author
