Dining
The 6 Best Cheap Eats in London
Six London kitchens where a tenner or thereabouts buys something genuinely worth queuing for, from Borough Market pasta to a 4am salt beef beigel.
In short: our top picks are Padella, Franco Manca and Bao Soho. 6 places in total, chosen on merit, with the full reasoning below.
Eating well in London does not have to mean a tasting menu and a three figure bill. The city’s best value is found at counters and hatches where one dish is done properly and the queue moves fast. These are the places we send friends to when they want a memorable meal without the ceremony, the spots that prove careful cooking and a small budget are old companions here.
| Place | Area | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Padella | Borough | ££ |
| Franco Manca | Brixton | ££ |
| Bao Soho | Soho | ££ |
| Hoppers | Soho | ££ |
| Brick Lane Beigel Bake | Shoreditch | ££ |
| Rosa's Thai | Holborn | ££ |
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Editor’s choice
Padella
Why we pick itMost plates of pasta sit in single figures, and you can watch it being rolled by hand in the window while you wait.
Worth knowingNo bookings, ever, and a weekend queue that can eat an hour before you see a menu. The room is narrow, loud and built for turnover rather than lingering.
Fresh hand rolled Italian pasta at a buzzy counter on the edge of Borough Market, where the pici cacio e pepe and the eight hour beef shin ragu have built a near permanent queue.
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Franco Manca
Why we pick itA blistered, properly fermented pizza for the price of a pub starter, with a short list of seasonal specials chalked up alongside the regulars.
Worth knowingConsistent rather than ambitious, with a menu that barely changes year to year, and the busier branches feel closer to a canteen than a restaurant.
The sourdough pizza pioneer that started in Brixton Market, serving slow risen Neapolitan style pies from this lively Soho site on Berwick Street.
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Bao Soho
Why we pick itThe classic braised pork bao is a few pounds of pure joy, and you can build a memorable lunch from a handful of plates without breaking the bank.
The original branch of the cult Taiwanese group, turning out pillowy steamed bao buns and small plates from a snug, walk in only room off Lexington Street.
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Hoppers
Why we pick itA Bib Gourmand kitchen where an egg hopper and a kari still come in gently, so you can eat brilliantly for far less than the cooking suggests.
Sri Lankan roadside cooking from the JKS stable, where bowl shaped rice and coconut hoppers, dosas and fiery karis fill a warm, low lit room on Frith Street.
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Brick Lane Beigel Bake
Why we pick itA towering salt beef beigel for a couple of pounds, served at any hour you fancy, cash in hand and queue out the door.
The legendary 24 hour East End beigel counter, hand rolling and boiling its own beigels and stacking them with hot salt beef and mustard around the clock.
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Rosa's Thai
Why we pick itGenerous, properly spiced bowls at café prices, with a weekday set lunch that is among the better value plates in the East End.
The Spitalfields original of Rosa's, grown from a Brick Lane market stall into a cosy café serving northern Thai curries, papaya salad and chilli heavy stir fries.
Before you book
Most of these are walk in only and form lines at peak times, so aim for an early lunch or an off hour, and bring cash for the Brick Lane beigel counter. Prices sit comfortably in the lower band, with a satisfying plate usually landing around the ten to fifteen mark.
Common questions
What are the top picks in this guide?
Padella is our editor's choice: Most plates of pasta sit in single figures, and you can watch it being rolled by hand in the window while you wait. Padella, Franco Manca and Bao Soho lead the guide, with 6 places in total, all chosen on merit.
How does Lamplit London choose its recommendations?
Every place is chosen on merit, after first-hand visits where possible, with no pay-for-placement. Read our full method at https://www.lamplitlondon.com/how-we-choose/.
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