20 budget eating worth the trip across United Kingdom, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All United Kingdom guides.
L'Alba D'Oro ★ 4.7 · Edinburgh
new-town · 7 Henderson Row, Edinburgh EH3 5DH
L'Alba D'Oro on Henderson Row in Edinburgh New Town, opened 1975 and named UK's best fish and chip shop by The Times, a takeaway chippy chipping its own daily.
Tip: Evening-only: opens at 16:00. Arrive at opening to avoid the post-work queue that builds from 17:30.
Beigel Bake ★ 4.7 · London
shoreditch-spitalfields · 159 Brick Lane, London E1 6SB
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.
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.
Oink ★ 4.6 · Edinburgh
old-town · 34 Victoria Street, Edinburgh EH1 2JW
Oink hog roast counter on Victoria Street in Edinburgh Old Town, carving a whole suckling pig from 11:00 daily, the city's best GBP 8 lunch in a roll.
Tip: Closes when the pig runs out, often before 15:00 on busy days. The haggis-stuffed version is the authentic Edinburgh choice.
Blacklock Soho Pre-Theatre ★ 4.6 · London
soho · 24 Great Windmill Street, London W1D 7LG
Blacklock's pre-theatre chops menu in their Soho London basement, opened 2015, runs the all-chops platter at half price between 17:00 and 18:30 most weeknights for £10 a head.
Tip: Walk-up only for pre-theatre. Last orders 18:30 sharp; the chops platter at the early sitting is the same kitchen as 19:30 service.
Regency Cafe ★ 4.5 · London
westminster · 17-19 Regency Street, London SW1P 4BY
The 1946 white-tiled greasy spoon on Regency Street in Westminster London, runs the canonical full English breakfast for £8.50, a working-class set-piece preserved unchanged.
Tip: Cash and contactless. Closed Sundays and from 14:30 weekdays. The mug of tea is £1.50; classic mug-of-tea-and-fry-up is the £10 menu.
Padella ★ 4.5 · London
borough · 6 Southwark Street, London SE1 1TQ
Padella's hand-rolled pasta counter at Borough Market in London, opened 2016, runs the city's best-value fresh pasta at £8 a bowl, the cheap-counter destination on the South Bank.
Tip: Use the Padella app at 12:00 sharp for first lunch slots. Mid-week dinner queues clear by 19:30 most weeks.
Franco Manca Brixton ★ 4.5 · London
brixton-tooting · 4 Market Row, Brixton, London SW9 8LD
Franco Manca's first counter inside Brixton Village London, opened 2008, runs slow-fermented Neapolitan-style sourdough pizza at £6-10 per pie, the city's chain-priced gold standard.
Tip: Walk-up only at the Brixton original. Lunch on weekdays walks in without waiting. The Soho and Stratford siblings have shorter queues.
Tayyabs ★ 4.5 · London
whitechapel · 83-89 Fieldgate Street, London E1 1JU
Tayyabs Punjabi grill on Fieldgate Street in Whitechapel London, opened 1972, runs charcoal-grilled lamb chops at £12 and karahi gosht at £15, BYOB and cash-friendly.
Tip: BYOB; bring beer or wine from the off-licence on Whitechapel Road, no corkage. Closed Mondays. Queue runs 30-60 minutes on weekend evenings.
E Pellicci ★ 4.5 · London
shoreditch-spitalfields · 332 Bethnal Green Road, London E2 0AG
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.
Tip: Closed Sundays. Cash and card. The famed lasagna is £8; the bacon-and-egg roll is £6. Saturday queue runs 30 minutes.
Bao Soho ★ 4.5 · London
soho · 53 Lexington Street, London W1F 9AS
Bao Soho counter on Lexington Street in central London, opened 2015, runs the classic Taiwanese bao at £6 each, the city's best-value Asian counter eats.
Tip: Three bao plus a side runs £20-25; budget visit is two bao for £12. Walk-up only with the chalkboard waiting list outside.
Mosque Kitchen ★ 4.4 · Edinburgh
southside · 31-33 Nicolson Square, Edinburgh EH8 9BX
Mosque Kitchen on Nicolson Square in Edinburgh, serving halal Pakistani and Indian curry, rice and naan at prices barely changed since the 1980s, cash only.
Tip: Peak lunchtime queue moves fast. Order the lamb curry with a naan and bring cash for speed.
Koshari Street ★ 4.4 · London
covent-garden · 56 St Martin's Lane, London WC2N 4EA
Koshari Street's Egyptian street-food counter on St Martin's Lane in Covent Garden London, opened 2014, runs the canonical Cairo bus-station dish at £8 a box.
Tip: Single-size £8 box comes with all the toppings (caramelised onion, chickpea, tomato-chili). Closed Sundays.
Chez Jules ★ 4.3 · Edinburgh
new-town · 109 Hanover Street, Edinburgh EH2 1DJ
Chez Jules on Hanover Street in Edinburgh New Town, a basement French bistro serving a two- or three-course set lunch every day until 16:00, the best-value.
Tip: The set lunch runs every day of the week, not just weekdays. The croque monsieur and the steak frites are the reliable anchors.
Stockbridge Market Food Stalls ★ 4.3 · Edinburgh
stockbridge · Saunders Street, Stockbridge, Edinburgh EH3 6TQ
Stockbridge Market's food stalls on Saunders Street in Edinburgh, every Sunday from 10:00, with 15 or more hot-food vendors rotating weekly through bao buns.
Tip: The vendor list rotates; check the website the night before to see what is on. Arrive at 10:30 for first choice before queues build.
Union of Genius ★ 4.2 · Edinburgh
old-town · 8 Forrest Road, Edinburgh EH1 2QN
Union of Genius on Forrest Road in Edinburgh Old Town, Scotland's first dedicated soup cafe serving six freshly made soups daily with flavour-matched artisan.
Tip: Six soups rotate daily; the chilli is always on. Closes at 16:00 on weekdays and 15:00 Saturday, no Sunday service.
Honest Burgers Brixton ★ 4.2 · London
brixton-tooting · Unit 12, Brixton Village, London SW9 8PS
Honest Burgers' first counter inside Brixton Village London, opened 2011, runs dry-aged Ginger Pig beef burgers at £12 with their famous rosemary-salt chips included.
Tip: Walk-up only at the Brixton original. Online queue system shows wait times. The Plant burger is the £12 vegan option.
Kebab Mahal ★ 4.1 · Edinburgh
southside · 7 Nicolson Square, Edinburgh EH8 9BH
Kebab Mahal on Nicolson Square in Edinburgh, a halal Punjabi curry house open since 1979, serving tandoori grills and biryanis until 02:00 on weekends.
Tip: Later is better here: after midnight on a Friday the atmosphere is distinct. The lamb tikka is the order.
Civerinos Slice ★ 4.0 · Edinburgh
old-town · 5 Hunter Square, Edinburgh EH1 1QW
Civerinos Slice on Hunter Square in Edinburgh Old Town, the counter arm of the Civerinos restaurant, selling New York-style pizza slices from GBP 4 each.
Tip: Slices rotate through the day; pepperoni and margherita are always on. Fold it in half New York-style and eat standing.
Bertie's Proper Fish and Chips ★ 4.0 · Edinburgh
old-town · 9 Victoria Street, Edinburgh EH1 2HE
Bertie's Proper Fish and Chips on Victoria Street in Edinburgh Old Town, a sit-down and takeaway chippy cooking fresh Scottish haddock battered to order.
Tip: Takeaway counter at the front is faster than the sit-down section. Order at the counter and eat on the Grassmarket steps.
Bonnie Burrito ★ 3.8 · Edinburgh
southside · 82 South Clerk Street, Edinburgh EH8 9PT
Bonnie Burrito on South Clerk Street in Edinburgh, a student-area Mexican counter building burritos and bowls with fresh-cooked fillings for under GBP 10.
Tip: The Clerk Street branch is the original and busiest. Go at 12:30 rather than 13:00 to skip the university lunch wave.