London is perhaps the world’s greatest food city. It is somewhere with everything: wander down any high street in any part of town and there might be a long-standing chain, a snack bar, a fast-food joint, a stylish bistro. Legacy restaurants and newcomers jostle side by side. But increasingly, it is becoming typical to see a restaurant serving a menu few can hope to afford.
Where once a meal out for two might cost £100, now it is easy to spend twice that without it feeling like a blowout.
But that isn’t to say this is a city without its bargains. Below are some of the city’s very best bites, all under £15.
CENTRAL
1. Marinara at 50 Kalò di Ciro Salvo - £10.95
50 Kalo di Ciro Salvo opened in London in 2017 with surprisingly little fanfare for somewhere selling some of London’s best pizza. The Napoli-hailing restaurant serves up a super thin, soft base, perfectly charred underneath and boasting a gloriously authentic tomato sauce on top. The marinara adds just olive oil, garlic and oregano, while the margherita sporting gooey mozzarella, flown in from Campania especially for this perfect pizza moment.
Want one even cheaper? Icco does a marinara for £3.95. It’s not classic Neapolitan, but it’s one of the most affordable dishes in town, and more than a decent option. There are sites in Soho, Camden and Fitzrovia; icco.co.uk.
7 Northumberland Avenue, WC2N 5BY, 50kalo.it
2. Veg, pig or chicken bun at Bun House - £3.80 or three for £11
Bun House has moved on from its Soho corner spot to bigger digs in Chinatown, but still sells these Cantonese buns for just £3.80 each. All fillings are great, but vegetarians (and vegans) can get very excited over the three mushroom, water chestnut and kow choi choices.
WC2, bun.house
3. Risotto nero at Bocca di Lupo - £14
Bocca di Lupo has been living la dolce vita for more than 10 years now, satisfying pre- and post-theatre appetites with perfect bowls of pasta and more. The menu changes almost weekly, but you can usually get a smaller portion of one of their pasta options for around £14 or so. There’s usually something worthwhile easily found, including this, the risotto nero, with cuttlefish cooked in its own ink and gremolata. The pre-theatre menu offers a starter and a main for £15, too.
12 Archer Street, W1D 7BB, boccadilupo.com
4. Classic banh mi at Keu - £12.50
Banh mi shouldn’t work, but it does. Specialising in the French-Vietnamese fusion food, sandwich bar Keu stuffs fluffy white baguettes with a variety of largely meaty fillings spiced with Asian flavours. Carnivores should make a beeline for the classic, which is stuffed with mortadella sausage, chicken liver pate, spicy pork belly, ham terrine and pork floss.
W1, EC2, EC1, SE1, banhmikeu.co.uk
5. Crepes at Chinese Tapas House - from £5
China Town heaves with secrets, but this, though it’s been here years, may be among its best. It specialises in street food, serving freshly fried Chinese crepes ( jianbing) from £5. Toppings — maybe sausage, pork belly, enoki mushrooms — will each add on a little cost; in the end you’ll pay somewhere around £8-11. They’re generous with the spicy chilli oil, too, and the barbecue sauce. This is a messy thing to adore, crisp and crunchy and spicy and sticky. All the good stuff.
6. Xiao long bao at Dumplings’ Legend - from £12
Another Chinatown favourite, Dumplings’ Legend is one of the area’s most popular spots for a dim sum lunch, and it offers a whole basket of eight xiao long bao for well within budget (most are £12, though the fresh crab offering creeps up to £14.50). These much-lauded dumplings are filled with minced pork and delicious brothy soup that leaks out on bite – a delicious wallet-friendly option.
15-16 Gerrard Street, W1D 6JE
7. Muu hong at Plaza Khao Gaeng - £14
Since it set fire to Londoners taste buds on opening in 2022, Luke Farrell’s Thai restaurant has gone from blazing strength to blazing strength. There are salads, stir-frys and a few curries to choose from, all under £15, but our pick of the bunch is the muu hong, a braised pork belly spiced and soaked with dark soy sauce, still £14. That said, hard to resist the khua kling muu (dry wok fried pork with chillies, long pepper and wild galangal) at £13.
Arcade Food Hall, New Oxford Street, WC1A 1DB, plazakhaogaeng.com
8. Lobster bisque at Randall and Aubin - £10.50
A good lobster bisque in beautiful surroundings is a wonderful thing. Randall and Aubin is something of a Soho institution, a white-tiled seafood palace best used for a date. Its rich, thrilling Brittany lobster bisque, though, makes for a perfect solo lunch dish, taken at the counter with a glass of house wine.
16 Brewer Street, W1F 0SQ, randallandaubin.com
9. Fried chicken at Good Friend Chicken - from £6
This is fried chicken, but not as the Colonel knows it. Chinatown favourite Good Friend Chicken takes the Taiwanese approach to the fast food favourite: it marinades its chicken breast, slices it into super thin schnitzel-style steaks, flattens and tosses it in three flours before frying. The result is super crispy chicken, which is then dusted with your choice of flavoured powder, which ranges from plum to seaweed.
14 Little Newport Street, WC2H 7JJ
10. Shredded duck congee at Tao Tao Ju - £11.50
Congee, the savoury, porridge-like dish, isn't everyone's cup of tea. It can be a jarring thing, something that tastes so meaty with the texture more akin to breakfast. But the duck congee at Tao Tao Ju should put such concerns instantly to bed. Tao Tao Ju is not even close to being Chinatown's cheapest eat, but for a belt-stretching dish for just a nudge over £10, this must be one of the best around.
15 Lisle Street, WC2H 7BE, taotaoju.co.uk
11. Fish buttie and chips at Golden Union - £12.95
Really, Golden Union is all about the stonkingly good chips, but you can get your fish fix for under £15 too. If you can’t face an entire fish, then a fish buttie is a good place to start, with a sizeable portion of deep fried cod and haddock goujons sandwiched between sliced doorstop bread.
38 Poland Street, Soho, W1F 7LY, goldenunion.co.uk
12. Noodles with pork mince and vegetables at Master Wei - £11.80
Hand-pulled noodles. Few things rouse the senses like those three words. They imply care and attention and craft and in all likeliness, deliciousness. The pork mince with vegetables might be a humble offering but it's elevated by those rich, slippery noodles. At under a tenner, it's a genuine bargain.
13 Cosmo Place, WC1N 3AP, master-wei.com
13. Falafal open wrap at Yalla Yalla - £14.75
Reliable, Yalla Yalla, a Lebanese grill that quietly just gets things right. Prices have somewhat shot up over the past few years, but the falafel open wrap is still under budget, and its some of the finest falafal in town.
1 Green’s Court, Soho, W1F 0HA, yalla-yalla.co.uk
14. Traditional laksa at Laxsa - £13.80
It would be easy to walk past this dinky Malaysian restaurant halfway along Old Compton Street — which would be a big mistake, as it offers some of the best-value cooking in Soho. Make life easy for yourself and go straight for the namesake laksa noodle soup, bobbing with chicken, king prawns, fishcakes and fish balls.
37 Old Compton Street, W1D 5JY, @laxsa_soho
15. Beef rendang at Rasa Sayang - £14.95
Slow cooked for six hours, this beef rendang is tender, gently spiced and fragrant. In fact much of the Malaysian and Singaporean menu falls (just) under the £15 budget, but when the big hitters are this pleasing, it's hard to look elsewhere.
5 Macclesfield Street, W1D 6AY, rasasayangfood.com
16. Jackfruit kari at Hoppers - £11.50
If naan is a non-negotiable order with your curry, allow Hoppers to broaden your horizons. The Sri Lankan restaurant (which boasts spots in Soho, Marylebone and Kings Cross) champions the hopper, a bowl-shaped south Asian pancake, to mop up your meal. The accompaniment, which is often served with a runny egg yolk at its centre, is a superb friend to the even better curries (or karis).
Three locations in W1 and WC1, hopperslondon.com
17. Pork belly bun at Yum Bun - £5.50
Swap your sesame seed brioche for a steamed rice bun at bao experts Yum Bun. A graduate of Hackney’s Broadway market, this street food stall serves fabulously fluffy buns filled with an array of ingredients, from crispy tofu to fried chicken. Top of the bill, however, is the filling of slow-roasted pork belly which comes with a fresh and sweet mixture of cucumber, spring onions and hoisin sauce. Buns are £5.50 each or two for £10.
WC2, EC2, yumbun.com
18. Tacos at Club Mexicana - one for £5, three for £13.50
One of the best in the vegan business is Club Mexicana, which cooks up seriously good Mexican food without a meat or dairy product in sight. Any one of Club Mexicana’s tacos could be on this list, so it’s a good job you can get three for £13.50. Get your chops round their surprisingly meaty jackfruit tacos and marvel at the baja tofish manages to be tofu and not fish. The group may have been battered over the past couple of years, but there are still branches in Kingly Court, and Mayfair’s Mercato.
Two in W1, clubmexicana.com
NORTH
19. Adobada taco at Sonora Taqueria - £4
The new permanent site for Sonora's feted corn tacos was an instant hit, and one of the best new openings of 2023. Even in 2025, it happens to be one of the best value spots in town. The succulent tacos start at £3.50 and the menu never really gets above £5. Ideal for a taster of a few different tacos and guisados.
208 Stoke Newington High Street, N16 7HU, sonorataqueria.com
20. Thanjavur chicken curry at the Tamil Prince - £13.50
Punctuated with fragrant fennel, the Thanjavur chicken curry at newish hit Tamil Prince is a wholesome, only slightly hot option to spend most of the £15 budget. Sides like rice will naturally be extra, but for the main event, this one is excellent value.
115 Hemingford Road, N1 1BZ, thetamilprince.com
21. Hot roast pork bap or cheese and chutney bap at The Southampton Arms - £5.95
Just because a pub doesn’t self-identify as a gastropub doesn’t mean it’s not worth eating there. The emphasis at this Kentish Town boozer is very much on drinking the 18 ales and ciders on tap, but stomach lining comes no finer than the roast pork bap with trimmings of crackling and apple sauce, or a cheese and chutney bap for veggies. Still hungry? There’s a pork pie for £4.50.
139 Highgate Road, NW5 1LE, thesouthamptonarms.co.uk
22. Seafood chowder at SeaShell of Lisson Grove - £9.50
Finding a full fish dinner for under £15 seems elusive (as the cod and chips here are over budget at £17) but there’s a much-loved alternative in seafood chowder, which is rich, hearty and satisfying. It features lots of cod and potatoes all snug in a creamy soup.
49-51 Lisson Grove, NW1 6UH, seashellrestaurant.co.uk
23. Classic bao at Bao - £6.50
The queues may have died down, but the reasons that brought them there haven’t. Bao boasts the fluffiest bun in London and they fill them with all sorts of delights, all for £7 and under. The Classic bao comes out on top with braised pork, pickled veg and crushed peanuts and with the walk-in only policy across most restaurants, the bookable Kings Cross outpost is our pick.
N1 and across London, baolondon.com
24. Roti canai at Roti King - from £9.50
This Malaysian restaurant is as unassuming as it gets, being in a basement down a side road, with a sign at roughly ankle level, but down in Roti King is one of the best value dishes in London. The roti canai serves two slices of the restaurant’s famed fluffy, flaky roti with a bowl of flavourful curry dhal for £9.50. For an extra £1.50 you can swap dhal for curried chicken, fish or lamb.
40 Doric Way, Euston, NW1 1LH, rotiking.info
25. Two piece at Temple of Seitan - £9.75
Vegans need junk food too. Hackney favourites Temple of Seitan, who now have a second spot in Camden, provide some of the most fervently lauded fried chicken alternatives in the capital. Made of seitan (the meat substitute made of wheat) their two piece will set you back just £9.75 for two fillets of animal-product-free pleasure.
N1 and E9, templeofseitan.co.uk
26. Pabellon beef arepa at Arepa & Co - £12.50
If you don’t know your arepas from your cachapas, this restaurant has a thing or two to teach you. Arepa & Co specialises in the eponymous cornbread that is a staple in Venezuelan cooking. Crunchy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, it’s served as a pocket, ripe for stuffing with a selection of fillings, including reina chicken thighs with avocado, or pabellon beef with black beans. If you love the beef, you can also try it as the pabellon crillollo, a traditional dish serving the shredded meat in a bowl of beans, rice, plantain and grated cheese.
N1 and E2, arepaandco.com
27. The greasy spoon at The Breakfast Club - £12.50
When it comes to simple pleasures, a good fry up has few rivals in the food world. The Breakfast Club know the power of a bountiful breakfast is strong, so they serve it until 5pm everyday. Most dishes here are under £15, and are all generously portioned, but sometimes you can’t beat a good bacon, egg, sausage, beans, chips and toast affair. Strictly no substitutions, but what more could you want?
Various locations, thebreakfastclubcafes.com
28. Steak frites at The Beefsteaks - £9.50
Can steak get any cheaper than £10? It can indeed, as street market master The Beefsteaks is on a mission to “democratise steak” with its £8 steak and frites offering. Juicy strips of grass fed beef are served over triple cooked chips at their numerous docking points – find them at KERB N1 or Maltby Street Market, depending on the day.
N1, SE1, @thebeefsteaks
29. Arroz negro at Camino - £9.25
It might not be a full meal but diving into the arroz negro at Camino tapas bar is a pretty good way to start. The sharing dish is a signature one at the mini-chain and consists of a silky bowl of cuttlefish-dotted rice, blackened with squid ink and topped with aioli.
N1, EC2, EC3, SE1, camino.uk.com
EAST
30. Pork pan fried soup dumplings at Dumpling Shack - six for £9.50
Dumpling Shack are one of the stars of Old Spitalfields Market’s transformation into a street food haven. They serve up a variety of boiled and pan fried dumplings and noodles. For a satisfying shengjianbao, pick up a bowl of these pan fried soup dumplings and add lashings of peppery Sichuan chilli oil.
Old Spitalfields Market, Brushfield Street, E1 6BG, dumplingshack.co.uk
31. Lamb chops at Tayyabs - £13.00
Sometimes there’s an argument for quantity over quality. The lamb chops at Tayyabs might not be the fleshiest specimens around but at just shy of a tenner for four, they’re a sixth cheaper than Gymkhana for twice as much, meaning you can order as many as your budget allows. It’s BYO, too.
83-89 Fieldgate Street, E1 1JU, tayyabs.co.uk
32. Brisket bun at Smokestak - From £12.50
This BBQ joint has gone from street cart to Shoreditch sensation in its time and this is arguably the dish that did it all. Propping up the butter-varnished bun of this immensely popular dish stacked slices of smoked, treacly beef brisket, garnished with pickled red chillies.
35 Sclater Street, E1 6LB, smokestak.co.uk
33. Tom yum pollock noodles - £12.50
Thai noodles are always spicy, elegant and refined. This one is packed full of flavour, with juicy pollock — a fish we should all be eating more of — coriander and red chilli. Smoking Goat has been serving some of London’s best Thai food for some time now, and this dish a clear sign.
64 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JJ, smokinggoatbar.com
34. Red stripe at Detroit Pizza - £13.99
Pizza is pretty much a no-brainer when it comes to cheap eats in the capital (although have you seen the prices at PizzaExpress these days? £16.95 for an American Hot!). This Motor City-inspired Spitalfields joint, however, is a name to know. The Red Stripe, which refers to the marina sauce laid in straight lines on the thick pie, is delicious. Seems pricey? These are thick, gooey pizzas, deep dish and a monster to get through. A good one to share.
75 Commercial Street, E1 6BD, detroitpizzalondon.com
35. Grilled pork and spring roll vermicelli at Sông Quê Café - £15
Can one bowl of noodles contain pretty much everything any sensible person might wish to eat in one sitting, whatever the time of year? This deep-piled combi of porky goodness at the best Vietnamese on Kingsland Road comes festooned with herbs, lettuce, cucumber and pickled veg — warming in winter, cooling in summer.
134 Kingsland Road, E2 8DY, songque.co.uk
36. Injera Box at Andu Cafe - £12.29
The Injera Box is a combination of six Ethiopian wot dishes, plus it comes with half of an injera. The larger version, which comes with one whole injera, is just £1 extra.
528 Kingsland Road, E8 4AH, anduvegancafe.com
37. Chicarrones at Morito - £15
It may be the little sister of Exmouth Market legend Moro, but Morito can hold its own with the big kids. Cretan chef Marianna Leivaditaki is at the helm, creating beautiful dishes packed with aromatic herbs and perfectly pitched spices for her mezze menu. All dishes across the menu come in at £15 and under (bar one), but you might need a couple. Find a particular favourite in the succulent chicarrones, a dish of slow roasted pork belly with lemon and cumin.
Served at EC1 location, morito.co.uk
38. Salt beef bagel at Beigel Bake - £7.50
The 24-hour bagel shops of Brick Lane are legend among foodies and night owls alike, providing sustenance sans nonsense and all at a very affordable price. Believe it or not, this £7.50 bagel is one of the most expensive items on the menu but the combination of unctuous meat, pickles and American mustard in a fluffy, yielding bagel is worth every penny.
159 Brick Lane, E1 6SB, beigelbake.co.uk
39. On the bibimbap at On the Bab - from £12.50
Get on it at On the Bab, where this Korean restaurant serves up street food designed to be enjoyed with a drink or two. You can choose whether to have your meat or veg on buns, babs (rice), rolls or noodle soup, or you can go for their signature kimchi and fried egg-topped bibimbap rice dish for prices from £12.50.
EC1, EC4, onthebab.com
40. Daddy D burrito at Daddy Donkey - from £9.50
It’s all about lunchtime on Leather Lane, where a procession of street food stalls make plentiful pickings. A graduate who has gone from stall to shop on the very same street is Daddy Donkey, a burrito doyenne whose “kick-ass” Mexican wraps often court queues out the door. Go for the black bean-filled Daddy D burrito with hand pulled carnitas, that have been slow-cooked in coca cola and guajillo chilli. Guac is extra, but still within your budget.
50b Leather Lane, EC1N 7TP, daddydonkey.co.uk
SOUTH
41. En Root platter at En Root - £15
This comes with a range of the now famous En Root creations. Golden rice, shroom rogan josh, chana dhal, saag aloo, rainbow salad and raita.
Coldharbour Lane, SW2 1JG, enrootldn.co.uk
42. Cod fritters at Danclair's - £10
Danclair's, the follow up to Fish Wings and Tings, has become a deserving institution in Brixton, with the signature cod fish fritters remaining an essential order. They arrive with a hot little ginger and lime aioli.
67-68, Granville Arcade, Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8PS, danclairskitchenbrixton.co.uk
43. Grilled cheese sandwich at Kappacasein - £8
At this Borough Market outlet, they don’t just grill the cheese, but make it themselves on site. Kappacasein is actually a dairy, where owner William Oglethorpe produces an Ogleshield cheese which boasts the ideal melt for a toastie. It’s then mixed with Montgomery cheddar, leeks, garlic and onion, all set up to ooze between two slices of Poilâne.
Borough Market, 1 Stoney Street, SE1 9AA, kappacasein.com
44. Pork belly tacos at Santo Remedio - £13.50
Shoreditch-originating Santo Remedio moved house in 2017 to a new spot on Tooley Street. Fans of the Mexican restaurant will find that little has changed, including the beef barbacoa tacos’ spot on the menu. Succulent and earthy, the barbecued meat is served with pasilla chilli and topped with striking slices of watermelon radish (which gets its name from its bright pink centre), two at a time.
152 Tooley Street, SE1 2TU, santoremedio.co.uk
45. Tagliatelle primavera at Ciullosteria - £12.90
Finding a filling, hearty main dish that doesn't require a few sides or a sharing something for the budget is still easier said than done, but Ciullosteria does this with ease. Most pasta mains come in at £15 or less and with the pizza starting at £6.40 too, there's a lot to like here.
31 Balham High Road, SW12 9AL, ciullosteria.com
46. Spaniard crepe at Sarava- £9.80
This restaurant is already a Franco-Brazilian mash-up, so what’s the harm in inviting a Spaniard to the party? The menu of crepes and galettes at this small Brixton Village cafe is extensive, filling them with almost everything you can think of. This Iberian option puts a kick into your breakfast with spicy chorizo sausage and scrambled eggs topped with fresh spinach and red onion.
Coldharbour Lane, SW9, instagram.com
47. Bank's vegetable and tofu massaman curry at kin + deum - £14.30
A headily spiced massaman curry is a fine thing and the version from kin + deum is highly pleasing. Named after the head chef (just dubbed "Bank") the slow-simmered curry features fragrant cinnamon, star anise, bay leaves, potatoes and cashew nuts.
2 Crucifix Lane, SE1 3JW, kindeum.com
48. Carbonara at Flour and Grape - £15
Flour and Grape seems to have nailed the carbonara and simplicity, as with most Italian restaurants, is the byword. Proper guanciale, heady parmesan and a rich confit egg yolk all mark this pleasing plate as a standout. Cheaper pastas are available, too, for those after something lighter.
214 Bermondsey Street, SE1 3TQ, flourandgrape.com
49. King prawn karahi at Lahore Karahi - £13.50
For our money, Lahore Karahi is Tooting's best. More than a mere curry house, the restaurant pans Pakistani and Indian food with ease, with exceptional saucing and sizzling grills. The curries are special and the prawn karahi, within that sacred £15 budget, is a deeply satisfying buy.
1 Tooting High Street, SW17 0SN, lahorekarahi.co.uk
50. Moong dal dosa at Horn OK Please - from £7
Vegetarians, vegans and meat-eaters alike need to get themselves to a Horn OK Please stall on the double. The meat-free Indian street food sensation serves up seriously satisfying fare, including this superlative dosa dish. A crisp but yielding moong bean dosa is freshly cooked to order, and then wrapped around a spiced potato filling. It's served alongside a delicious chana chaat, a spiced chickpea salad topped with yoghurt and sprinklings of pomegranate and sev. The dish can also easily be made vegan on request.
SE1, @Horn_Please
51. Char siu BBQ pork and rice at Three Uncles - £12
Char sui BBQ pork is a staple and the succulent Three Uncles version is reason enough to hop on the Victoria Line to Brixton and tuck in. As you'll have change from a tenner for this hefty main plate, splash out on the special Hainan chilli vinegar for an extra £1 and you'll not be disappointed.
Unit 19 & 20, Brixton Village, SW9 8PR, threeuncles.co.uk
52. Pici cacio e pepe at Padella - £13.50
Since opening in 2016, Padella has garnered fame and acclaim for serving up pretty perfect pasta at piccolo prices. Bowls of pasta here start at around £10 and they’re among some of the best in the capital, made fresh on site everyday. The pici cacio e pepe is made with little more that pasta, parmesan and pepper, and is one of the restaurant’s star dishes.
6 Southwark Street, SE1 1TQ, padella.co
53. 081 Pizza - from £14
There are a few in this list, but the crust at 081 is what sets this Peckham pizzeria apart. It’s a fiendishly hard thing to pull off, a good crust, but here a 72-hour fermentation on the dough and great flour do just the job and the eponymous 081 ‘za is a standout on a menu of hits.
66 Peckham Rye, SE15 4JR, 081pizzeria.com
WEST
54. La Complete at La Petite Bretagne - £10.95
Pancakes aren’t just for Pancake Day – at La Petite Bretagne, they’re for life. The Hammersmith creperie serves buckwheat pancakes in both savoury and sweet form. Fillings range from salmon to feta, but for a taste of a traditional French crepe recipe, go for La Complete: melted emmental and slices of ham are scattered across the pancake, before an egg is cooked in the centre and cooked until the yolk is still runny.
5-7 Beadon Road, W6 0EA, lapetitebretagne.co.uk
55. King prawn nasi goreng at Normah’s - £13.99
Queensway was once known for its Chinese restaurants, none, alas, the cheap-eats of old. Bargain hunters should head instead into Queensway Market, bearing left until they find this tiny Malaysian café, where former stockbroker Normah dishes up home-style cooking, helped by her son. From the roti to the rendang, it’s all excellent, but this spicy jumble of rice, seafood and egg just swings it.
Queensway Market, 23-25 Queensway, W2 4QJ, normahs.co.uk
56. OG chicken burger at Dirty Bones - £14
As the name suggests, Dirty Bones don’t do things neatly. Your face will be as dirty as the burger when you get your chops around this one. The restaurant’s original chicken burger - for which a vegan version is available - comes in at £14.
W8 and across London, dirty-bones.com
57. Keralan fried chicken at Kricket - £15
One of the biggest success stories of Brixton’s street food scene, Kricket is now a doyenne of both Soho and White City. One of the must-trys at all sites is a serving of Keralan-style fried chicken (or KFC, of course) which is covered in a batter with a hint of spiced sourness, and served with pickled mooli and curry leaf mayonnaise.
W12, W1 & SW9, kricket.co.uk
58. Eggs benedict at Balans Soho Society - £14.50
Balans Soho Society loves a brunch, so much so that it offers brunch dishes everyday, and right through lunchtime. The eggs benedict dish comes with a choice of ham, spinach or bacon – which basically means eggs Benedict, Florentine and err, bacon, all clock in at the same £14.50. Our pick of the bunch is the Kensington branch.
Various locations, balans.co.uk
59. Bacon naan roll at Dishoom - £11.20
A contender for the best breakfast in London, this is a bacon sandwich to be reckoned with. Dishoom’s Indian-style take on the hangover classic sports Ramsay of Carluke's bacon wrapped in a freshly baked naan and smothered with just the right amount of cream cheese and chilli chutney. Mornings really don’t get much better. With queues across London, our advice is to head west to the Kensington branch for a shorter wait time.
Various locations, dishoom.com
60. Cheeseburger at Bleecker - £9.75
Bleecker burgers are to the point – the cheeseburger consists simply of a juicy patty, a slathering of American cheese, a particularly indulgent burger sauce, lettuce and gloriously squishy bun. Other options include bacon or blue cheese, but not much more is needed. If you want to go all out, you can double up your patties for £13.80.
W12 and across London, bleecker.co.uk
61. Dead Hippie at MeatLiquor - £13.95
Carnivores craving a protein punch should try Meat Liquor, where the Dead Hippie will perk you up in no time. You get a lot of bang for your burger with this one, which features two mustard-fried beef patties, Dead Hippie sauce, cheese, pickles and minced onions. In an area not overflowing with restaurants it's a great value pick in Queensway.
Various locations, meatliquor.com
62. Chilli chicken ramen at Tonkotsu - from £14.95
While it’s tempting to have ramen every day, a big bowl of noodle soup is never needed more than when a tad under the weather. A crystal clear soup (quite different to the eponymous pork broth it also sells) this ramen is simultaneously hearty, fiery and refreshing – the ultimate winter warmer. It’s one of the cheapest options on the menu, in the west London branch, but it’s also one of their best.
Various locations, tonkotsu.co.uk
63. Oysters at Wright Brothers - from £11.50
No, this is not a full meal , it is oysters. Wright Brothers is one of the best spots in the capital to find them, and they’ll serve you three for £11.50 (or more, depending on the variety and availablity across all the groups' locations.
Various locations, thewrightbrothers.co.uk
64. Prawn Omusubi at Marugame - from £4.95
The omusubi is a Japanese rice ball with a tempura prawn filling and nori seaweed wrap - yes we can't say this one is a full "dish" but certainly as a delightful snack (perhaps alongside a steaming bowl of £4.95 kake udon) one can't really go wrong. As a grabbable option en route through town, it makes for a real treat.
Multiple locations, marugame.co.uk
65. Paneer makhani at Saravana Bhavan - £7.95
Saravana Bhavan operates seven successful sites across London but feels particularly brilliant in Southall. The paneer makhani is a great little curry, and with around half of the budget still left over, parotta (£2.45) and dosa (£5.45) become budget-friendly yet essential additions too.
97 South Road, Southall UB1 3AG, saravanabhavanlondon.co.uk
66. Pork gyros at The Athenian - £6.95
Succulent nuggets of pork are placed into a grilled flatbread at this Greek street food restaurant, and topped with tomato, red onion and herbs. Tzatziki is your classic souvlaki sauce of choice, but The Athenian mix it up with their must-try signature mustard and honey dressing, made with a secret herb blend. Delivery and click and collect available town.
W12, SE1, SW17, E1, SW1, HA9, E14, theathenian.co.uk
67. Ebi bites at Sticks’n’Sushi - £9.90
This upmarket Japanese restaurant isn’t the cheapest eat in Wimbledon, for a light snack, it’s a superb way to blow your budget. Individual sushi pieces cost around £5 per bite, and you can also get a six-piece plate of the delectable Ebi bites – crunchy bites of tempura shrimp served with a zingy combination of lime, chilli, coriander and miso aioli – for £9.90. Those with meatier cravings can also pick up individual yakitori “sticks” for a similar price to the sushi.
Various locations, sticksnsushi.co.uk
68. Lahem Meshwi, Yasmina Lebanese - £14.38
West London deserves this unassuming, brilliant little Lebanese spot. An authentic, calm space by day which becomes slowly buzzier at night, Yasmina has some of the best value mains in an otherwise pricey postcode. Opting for the succulent Lahem Meshwi means tender lamb, skewered and served with a generous side.
18 Western Avenue, W3 7TZ yasmina-lebaneserestaurant.co.uk
