The Pellicci family's 1900 east-London cafe on Bethnal Green Road, Grade-II listed for the 1946 marquetry interior, runs a daily Italian-British greasy spoon menu.
Signature: Full English breakfast, Pasta lasagna
Order: The full English with extra fried bread, and a slice of their housemade lasagna.
Tip: Cash and card; closed Sundays. Queue runs out the door on Saturday morning. The interior is the listed treasure.
Harneet Baweja's family-recipe Indian small-plates kitchen on White's Row in Spitalfields London, opened 2015, plates regional Indian home cooking, no buffet, no naan basket.
Signature: Spicy venison doughnut, Chettinad pulled lamb shoulder
Order: Spicy venison doughnut, then Chettinad pulled lamb shoulder for two.
Tip: Tiny room. Bookings open six weeks ahead and burn fast. Counter seats released as walk-ins from 17:30.
Daniel Bovey's east-London cocktail bar on Cambridge Heath Road in Bethnal Green London, opened 2014, runs a daily-changing menu of classic and modern cocktails printed at 17:00.
Signature drink: The daily-changing menu (printed at 17:00)
Food: Snacks only
Tip: Walk-up only. Tuesday-Thursday from 17:00 is the easy slot. The daily menu turns over fully; favourites change weekly.
Justyna Kosinska's basement cocktail bar in a former 1900s tailor's storeroom on Wentworth Street in Spitalfields London, opened 2013, runs a focused house-mix cocktail menu.
Signature drink: House Old Fashioned
Food: Snacks only
Tip: Walk-up only. Doors open 18:00 weekdays; weekend queues run 30 minutes. Cash and card; tiny capacity below ground.
Chris Moore's French-influenced cocktail bar on Bethnal Green Road in east London, opened 2018, runs a Calvados-heavy menu and ranks regularly on the World's 50 Best Bars list.
Signature drink: Calvados-based drinks (the bar's house ingredient)
Food: Snacks only
Tip: Counter seats walk in any night. Booking a fortnight ahead through their site secures a table. The cocktail flight is the easy ask.
The Brick Lane Beigel Bake bakery in east London, trading since 1974, runs hand-rolled bagels and salt beef sandwiches from a 24-hour counter, the city's defining late-night cheap eat.
Try: Salt beef bagel
Tip: Order at the counter, pay at the till. Salt beef bagel with mustard is the orthodox order. £6 cash-or-card, queue runs 15 minutes after midnight.
Old Spitalfields Market in east London, trading from a 1880s Grade-II-listed market hall on Horner Square, runs daily food halls, antiques, fashion and a Sunday upmarket.
Tip: Thursday antiques day and Friday fashion are the orthodox slots. The southern annex food court is the canonical lunch counter.
London Coffee Festival at the Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane in east London, trading since 2011, runs four days of specialty coffee tasting, barista competitions and roaster stalls.
Tip: The Sunday tickets are cheapest and the smallest crowds. The Lab Stage runs demonstration and tasting workshops throughout the festival.
Brick Lane's 24-hour bagel counter in east London, trading since 1974, runs salt beef bagels for £6 and cream cheese bagels for £2.50, the city's defining cheap-eat.
Try: Salt beef bagel
Tip: Order at the counter, pay at the till. Salt beef is the canonical order; cream cheese-and-tomato is the budget version at £3.50.
E Pellicci's 1900 Italian-British family cafe on Bethnal Green Road in east London, Grade-II listed for the 1946 marquetry interior, runs full English breakfast for £9.50.
Try: Full English breakfast
Tip: Closed Sundays. Cash and card. The famed lasagna is £8; the bacon-and-egg roll is £6. Saturday queue runs 30 minutes.
The Brick Lane Beigel Bake bakery in east London, trading since 1974, runs 24-hour hand-rolled bagels and salt beef sandwiches, the city's defining late-night cheap eat.
Try: Salt beef bagel
Tip: After midnight queue runs 15 minutes. Salt beef bagel £6, cream cheese bagel £2.50. Cash or card.