Dining
The 6 Best Late Night Food in London
Six London kitchens that keep the lights on after midnight, from a 40th-floor dining room to a Brick Lane bagel counter that never shuts.
In short: our top picks are Beigel Bake Brick Lane, Duck & Waffle and Polo Bar. 6 places in total, chosen on merit, with the full reasoning below.
London after midnight is a city worth being hungry in. The places below trade in different kinds of late: a salt beef beigel handed over a counter at 3am, a duck leg eaten forty floors up with the lights of the City below, a plate of eggs in a Chelsea booth when nowhere else will have you. We have eaten at all of them and kept the ones that genuinely deliver once the night has gone long.
| Place | Area | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Beigel Bake Brick Lane | Brick Lane | ££ |
| Duck & Waffle | Liverpool Street | £££ |
| Polo Bar | Liverpool Street | ££ |
| Bar Italia | Soho | ££ |
| Balans Soho No. 60 | Soho | £££ |
| VQ Chelsea | Chelsea | ££ |
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Editor’s choice
Beigel Bake Brick Lane
Why we pick itThe salt beef beigel at 3am, carved to order and built for the walk home.
A 24-hour bakery counter trading since 1974, famous for hot salt beef beigels with mustard and pickle, handed over fast to a queue that never quite disappears.
-
Duck & Waffle
Why we pick itThe namesake duck and waffle eaten at dawn, with the sun coming up over the Square Mile.
A round-the-clock dining room on the 40th floor of Heron Tower, serving its signature duck leg confit and waffle with the whole City spread out below.
-
Polo Bar
Why we pick itA proper full English and a pint at any hour, a few steps from the station.
A three-floor British cafe and bar opposite Liverpool Street that has run 24 hours for decades, so committed to staying open it famously has no door to close.
-
Bar Italia
Why we pick itA late espresso and a toasted panini at a pavement table, watching Soho wind down.
A Soho institution since 1949, all chrome, espresso and football on the screen, open until the small hours for coffee, panini and a slice of the old neighbourhood.
-
Balans Soho No. 60
Why we pick itEggs Benedict and a glass of something cold at 4am, with the room still buzzing.
A Soho all-day, all-night fixture on Old Compton Street, serving modern European plates and brunch classics well into the early hours at the weekend.
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VQ Chelsea
Why we pick itA booth, a burger and a chocolate brownie at an hour when nowhere else will have you.
London's original 24-hour restaurant, feeding Fulham Road night owls since 1995 with full Englishes, burgers and comfort food whenever the craving lands.
Before you book
Hours drift on bank holidays and over Christmas, so check before you set off if you are travelling across town. Cash still moves fastest at the bagel counters, and a table at the rooftop is worth booking ahead even at odd hours.
Common questions
What are the top picks in this guide?
Beigel Bake Brick Lane is our editor's choice: The salt beef beigel at 3am, carved to order and built for the walk home. Beigel Bake Brick Lane, Duck & Waffle and Polo Bar 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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