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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Lifestyle
Amira Arasteh

The rise of the luxe meal deal, London’s new lunchtime obsession

While many cling to the financial comforts of meal prep and yellow stickers, others in London are experiencing a lunchtime renaissance. Step out for a midday meal in the city and the queues are everywhere, winding round shopfronts, made up of a mix of City types and WFH escapists.

But the new lunch fixation on Londoners’ minds is not a return to three-martini blowouts, or even lunches that spill into dinner. Instead, there’s a new wave of “meal deal” menus cropping up across the capital faster than the latest Big Mamma opening.

Meal deals, of course, are something of a hot topic this summer: last month, Sainsbury’s quietly hiked the price of its sandwich, snack and drink package by 20p — and it sent the internet into a bit of a tizz. What was once a bargain has slowly crept into pricier territory, offering less value for money.

Now, restaurants have come up with their own riff on the formula. A set menu? Not quite. It’s not three courses for £30, or caviar and champagne as alternatives — it’s a proper lunch, but executed with a little more finesse, and designed for a little more speed. The setup is firmly in proper meal deal territory: a sandwich (or salad/soup/other equivalent), with a snack (often crisps) and a drink, for a rounded sum that comes in at a discount compared to buying it all individually.

£11 buys a sandwich, a packet of crisps and a drink from the fridge. Nostalgia thrown in for free

There’s an unmistakable formula to these places, which are popping up all over London: clean aesthetic, fast-casual service, a grab-and-go setup. The difference is that diners part with anything between £9 and £13 — which, these days, is an easy spend at the likes of Pret or Itsu.

My Favourite Sandwich fits the bill. Newly opened in the heart of Shoreditch, the brand has paired a millennial-pink shopfront with a menu of freshly made sarnies featuring meatballs (plant-based, also very good), coronation chicken, and a take on a banh mi — all priced between £8 and £11. A decent chunk more than one off the fridge shelf in Tesco, but made then and there. And the lunch deal? £11 buys a sandwich, a packet of crisps and a drink from the fridge. Nostalgia thrown in for free. “We wanted to give customers something that feels like a win,” says founder Damien Aiudi. “You’re getting top-quality ingredients, made fresh every day, at a price that’s hard to beat. It’s value without the compromise.”

Just sales speak? Well, put it in context: Shoreditch, lunchtime, freshly made, hot filling, a good range of drinks — it makes a strange kind of sense.

There’s something clever, almost admirable, about the way these businesses have tapped into the Gen Z/millennial lunch psyche. In a city of eye-watering rent costs and unpredictable footfall, it’s a low-risk model with a relatively high chance of reward. No wonder these places keep popping up — and drawing in crowds, too. Just watch out for the “meal deals” that are hardly deals at all, like a burger, fries and drink coming in at £25. Buyer beware.

Still, the luxe meal deal is decidedly now a thing. Recognise the shift, one sandwich at a time.

Eight of the best in London

El Pastor (Tim Atkins)

From newly-opened boutique lunch spots to restaurants getting in on the action, these deals are grab-and-go friendly and promise not to break the bank. Some offer the traditional meal deal trio, while others are examples of newly-opened cafes/delis offering Londoners a refreshing lunchtime choice.

My Favourite Sandwich

You can figure out what this place does. A sandwich, with crisps and a drink is £11.

141 Commercial Street, E1 6BJ, myfavouritesandwich.uk

Mildred’s Soho

The longstanding vegetarian favourite does a salad, snack box and a drink for £12.

45 Lexington Street, W1F 9AN, mildreds.com

El Pastor Battersea

Three quesadillas, papas al árbol or a green salad and an agua del día (bottle of water) is £12 at this Mexican hit.

Battersea Power Station, Unit 21-22, SW11 8EZ, tacoselpastor.co.uk

Assenheims 56

Perhaps not strictly a meal deal, but a small grilled marinated chicken sandwich comes with two sides and a soft drink for £12.50.

Across London, assenheims.co.uk

Troy Groceries

Salad, pitta bread and a piece of fruit? Just £6. Tack on a drink fancied and it's still under a tenner.

124 Kingsland Road, E2 8DP, @troy.groceries

Honest Burger

Look, yes, it’s Honest Burger. But it’s also a burger, chips and a drink for £8.95. Hard to beat, this one.

Tonkotsu

Lunch-sized ramen or hiyashi noodle salad, lunch-sized side and a soft drink is just £12.

Across London, tonkotsu.co.uk

Bibi’s London

The Turkish chain offers a main and two sides for between £10.20-£11.20, and salad bundles from £9.20. Sticking to a sarnie? Sandwiches (and toasts) are from £6.25, with a drink to complete the “deal” for between £2.20-£3.20.

Across London, letsgotobibis.co.uk

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