Cheap Places to Eat in London

Cheap Places to Eat in London

London has a huge range of cool yet cheap places to eat. In fact, some of the capital’s best-loved eateries are its most affordable. And, whilst it’s true that London isn’t known for being especially low-cost, you don’t need to spend a fortune to sample some seriously good grub while you’re here.

From hearty seasonal dishes to next-level street food, there’s culinary delights to be had on every corner – if you know where to look. That’s why we’ve put together a handy guide to help you discover some of the best budget-friendly restaurants in the capital.

Cheap Spanish Restaurants and Tapas Bars in London

For the best cheap tapas London has to offer, we have listed a couple of our top recommendations for some great local eateries where you can find cheap and delicious tapas in the capital.

• Delaterra is a charming little Spanish restaurant-come-café serving brunch, tasty mains and classic tapas dishes. Located in Islington, it gets rave reviews and is often cited as being really good value for money, with many dishes costing less than £10.
• Barsito 57 is a cosy local tapas bar situated in Clapham. It’s much-loved by the locals, and reasonably priced, with sharing platters and charcuterie boards available for £10; you can also get mixed tapas boards for £16.
• Miss Tapas is a small, family-run tapas bar located in Peckham – which is fast becoming one of London’s premier foodie boroughs. Tapas starts from £2.50, with more substantial tapas dishes on offer from £5+.

Cheap Italian Restaurants in London

Who doesn’t enjoy a hearty Italian meal? From rustic delicacies to warm crusty pizza, London does not disappoint with its choices of budget-friendly Italian restaurants. Check out our favourites below:

• Pizza Union: A chain of pizza bars with restaurants across the city (in Aldgate, Dalston, Hoxton, King’s Cross and Spitalfields). You can get 12” pizzas from as little as £3.50 here; the most expensive pizza on the menu is £6.50. If you’re staying at easyHotel London City Shoreditch, the restaurant is only 9 minutes on foot from their Hoxton restaurant on City Road.
• Padella: This restaurant specialises in pasta, and most dishes are less than £10. They have two locations: Shoreditch and Borough Market. An internal link to the easyHotel London City Shoreditch page can be included within the copy, as their Shoreditch restaurant is a 15-minute walk away.
• Emilia’s Pasta: This restaurant specialises in freshly made pasta dishes, with main meals priced at £8-£13. Restaurants can also be found in St. Katharine Docks and Aldgate.

Cheap Vegan Restaurants in London

In recent years we have seen a sharp increase in demand for cheap and delicious vegan food all over the world, and London is no exception. You can now find a multitude of vegan restaurants in London that cater to all needs. Consider yourself a lover of meat? Don’t knock it ’till you’ve tried it!

• Kin Café: This vegan and vegetarian café is open for breakfast and lunch, and is located in central London – close to Oxford Circus. You can get substantial salads from as little at £4.50, and things like vegan chickpea curry for £10.50. It’s an especially good brunch spot, with dishes like shakshuka on the menu (for just £10!).
• Temple of Seitan serves up vegan fast food from their Hackney and Camden locations, offering vegan burgers and fried chicken made from seitan – a wheat-based meat substitute. You can easily get a meal here for less than £10.
• The Indian Veg: This fuss-free vegetarian restaurant has been popular with locals and students since it first set up shop in 1985. It offers an all-you-can-eat Indian buffet for £7.95! It’s located in Angel, and isn’t too far from easyHotel London City Shoreditch (being less than 20 minutes away by tube).
• Mao Chow is a Hackney restaurant that specialises in vegan Chinese food, with most dishes costing less than £10 (£10.50 is the maximum price you can expect to pay).

Cheap Asian Food in London

Arguably one of the nation’s favourite cuisines is Asian, and rightly so. Bursting with unique flavours from a vast variety of cultures and colourful dishes that will tingle your tastebuds, what’s not to love? London in particular has a growing number of cheap Asian restaurants dotted across the capital to enjoy.

• Mien Tay has restaurants in Battersea, Fulham, Shoreditch and Wood Green, and offers really good value (and really well cooked!) Vietnamese dishes. Most of these come in at less than £10, and you get sizeable portions. The Shoreditch branch is also only a 20-minute journey from easyHotel London City Shoreditch via public transport.
• Sagar offers really delicious vegetarian and vegan South Indian food, and has several restaurants dotted across the capital (in Hammersmith, Covent Garden, the West End – just off of Tottenham Court Road – and Harrow). You get sizable portions; main dishes and speciality curries are less than £10 (sides like rice aren’t included, but these come in at less than £5).  
• Hoppers have three restaurants in the capital – in Soho, Marylebone and King’s Cross. They specialize in Sri Lankan hoppers and dosas (both a type of rice pancake), which start from just £4. They also serve a whole range of other Sri Lankan dishes, including curries (‘karis’), which range from £8.50-£12.50 in price.

Take yourself over to London’s trendy East and visit Brick Lane for some incredible eats. The area is known for vibrant curry houses that are big on flavour and are excellent value for money. For authentic Indian flavours, visit City Spice and Brick Lane Brasserie.

Cheap Street Food in London

Unsurprisingly, London is also known for its amazingly affordable cheap eats. You can pretty much find cheap street food from almost any type of cuisine from around the world.

• In the Shoreditch area? BOXPARK is a great destination for discovering affordable street food, with locations also in Croydon and Wembley. You can easily get to BOXPARK Croydon from easyHotel Croydon Town Centre and BOXPARK Shoreditch from easyHotel London City Shoreditch.
• Known for its colourful markets and alternative scene, Camden Market is another affordable foodie destination, with a huge choice of food and drink outlets selling some tasty hidden gems and Instagrammable eats. Plan your visit to Camden Town with our handy guide here.
• Filled with aisles upon aisles of speciality food stalls (and clothing ones too!), Old Spitalfields Market is a must for tasty food on the go. It’s currently home to 42 food stalls and restaurants.
• Borough Market – one of London’s largest and oldest (and most famous!) food markets – is home to an array of food vendors. Whilst it’s not always known for being that cheap, there are some really affordable places to eat here, including the aforementioned Padella, as well as Porteña – an Argentinean street food outlet serving steak sandwiches and empanadas for less than £10. For those who want to try traditional Indian, visit Gujarati Rasoi, where you can also pick up main meals and dhal for less than £10! To find out more about London’s famous market, check out our guide to Borough Market.

Did you know London also has some affordable street food outside of central?

• Koshari Street serves up Egyptian street food, with house bowls starting from just £7.50 (the most expensive bowl is only £11.95); they also offer wraps, which cost just £6.99. This cute little restaurant is centrally located in Covent Garden; it’s a 2-minute walk from Leicester Square station or 4-minute walk from Covent Garden station.
• Pleasant Lady Trading (Instagram @pleasantladytrading) serves Cantonese crepes – called Jian Bing – from a little hatch on Greek Street in Soho. Jian Bing’s start at £7.50.

Budget British Food in London

As much as we love food from around the world, we can’t not complete this guide without dedicating our top recommendations for cheap eats in London to classic British food. From pub grub to fish and chips, here are our favourites:

• Don’t let Sweeney Todd put you off a traditional British pie! Head over to Epic Pies who are a much-loved pie shop located close to St. Paul’s Cathedral – just a 5-minute walk from St. Paul’s station. It serves up traditional English pie and mash (no dodgy ingredients here!), with most meals coming in at under £10. It also serves traditional fish and chips and full English breakfasts. It’s got unanimously positive reviews on Trip Advisor.
• After launching in Bristol back in 2003, Pieminster has grown to become a much-loved chain of gourmet pie makers with restaurants dotted across the UK. Its London restaurant, located in Farringdon, offers pies for £5; alternatively, you can order the ‘mothership’ option for £9, which comes with mash and minty mushy peas. Veggie and vegan-friendly options are also available.
• You can’t beat a classic fish and chips when visiting London. For the taste of tradition, visit Kerbisher and Malt which is an award-winning fish and chip shop known for using sustainably sourced produce. It operates from a stall in Market Hall Victoria – a 9-minute walk from easyHotel London Victoria. Everything on the menu comes in at less than £10, and they have a fairly wide range of options for a chippie!

It’s safe to say you won’t run out of options across the capital when it comes to finding affordable eats. Best of all, our hotels in London are located close to all of the favourites. Happy eating!