40 editor picks in London.
40 cheap eats places in London, editor-picked. the best low-budget spots in London: the places editors actually return to. All London food.
Olly Gold's laminated-pastry counter in Hackney London, opened 2016 on Richmond Road, runs the city's most-photographed viennoiserie and a Pophams Pizza.
TipBacon and maple Danish sells out by 10:00 on a Saturday. The Islington site at 36 Prebend Street has identical bake but quieter queues.
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.
OrderSalt beef bagel
TipOrder at the counter, pay at the till. Salt beef is the canonical order; cream cheese-and-tomato is the budget version at £3.50.
Ben Mackinnon's railway-arch bakery beside London Fields station in Hackney London, opened 2010, mills its own organic flour and ships Hackney Wild sourdough.
TipThe Sunday morning canal-side queue runs 30 minutes; weekday opening at 07:30 walks in. Cinnamon buns sell out by 11:00.
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.
OrderSalt beef bagel
TipOrder 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.
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.
OrderSkinny chops at half price
TipWalk-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.
Nichola Gensler and Martin Hardiman's railway-arch bakery in Bermondsey London, opened 2010, runs organic sourdough, viennoiserie and panettone delivered.
TipAlmond croissants come out at 09:00; arrive early on Saturdays. The Primrose Hill, Pimlico and Waterloo shops sell same-day bake but quieter queues.
Lori De Mori and Laura Jackson's Regent's Canal cafe between De Beauvoir and Haggerston Park in east London, opened 2010, an outdoor-only seasonal cafe.
TipOpen March to October only, daytime only, outdoor seats by the towpath. No bookings, cash and card.
Monmouth's Borough Market cafe in London, opened in this site in 2002 and trading as a coffee roaster since 1978, runs single-origin espresso at a standing.
TipCounter-and-bench seating only. Closed Sundays. The Covent Garden original on Monmouth Street is more laptop-tolerant.
Kappacasein's grilled cheese counter inside Borough Market in London, trading since 2002, runs the city's most-photographed cheese toastie made.
OrderAged cheddar grilled cheese
TipCounter only. The 09:00 Saturday queue runs 45 minutes. Order the raclette plate if the cheese toastie line is too long.
Dishoom's bacon naan roll counter on Boundary Street in Shoreditch London, served from breakfast service since 2012, the morning Bombay-cafe sandwich.
OrderBacon naan roll
TipWalk-in only for the breakfast rolls before 10:00. £6.50 a roll; chai £3. Faster than the dinner queue all week.
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.
OrderFull English breakfast
TipCash 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.
Matthew Jones's bakery counter inside Borough Market in London, opened in 2013, runs hand-rolled doughnuts and a bakery school in the railway arches just.
TipThe vanilla cream doughnut is the marquee bake. Their bakery school runs day classes for £150; book through their website three weeks ahead.
Erchen Chang and Shing Tat Chung's Taiwanese bao counter on Lexington Street in Soho London, opened 2015, runs the classic pork bao that defined the British.
OrderTaiwanese steamed bao
TipWalk-up only at the counter; queue 30-60 minutes on weekend nights. £6 per bao; pair with peanut-milk shaved ice for dessert.
Padella's hand-rolled pasta counter at Borough Market in London, opened 2016 by Tim Siadatan and Jordan Frieda, the budget-priced (£8-15) fresh pasta.
OrderHand-rolled fresh pasta
TipUse the Padella app for the virtual queue at 12:00 sharp; otherwise 60 minutes on Saturday. The Shoreditch sibling has same kitchen.
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.
OrderFresh pasta
TipUse the Padella app at 12:00 sharp for first lunch slots. Mid-week dinner queues clear by 19:30 most weeks.
The 1946 Westminster greasy spoon on Regency Street in London, white-tiled formica-tabled cafe, runs the canonical London full English at the counter.
OrderThe full English with white bloomer toast, plus a mug of strong tea.
TipCash and contactless. Closed Sundays and Saturday afternoons. The 09:00 queue is film-crew familiar.
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.
OrderThe full English with extra fried bread, and a slice of their housemade lasagna.
TipCash and card; closed Sundays. Queue runs out the door on Saturday morning. The interior is the listed treasure.
Dan's 48-hour-fermented sourdough pizza counter on Upper Clapton Road in east London, opened 2013, runs a six-site Sodo group focused on seasonal toppings.
OrderMargherita on the 48-hour base, plus a chalkboard daily special with whichever in-season vegetable.
TipWalk-up only at Clapton; the Bethnal Green, Hoxton, Walthamstow, Hammersmith and Deptford siblings take Resy bookings.
Max Tobias's social-enterprise bakery in a Dalston car park in east London, opened 2014, runs sourdough sandwiches, pastry and a youth training program.
TipSalt beef sandwich is the marquee fill. Sunday roast bread loaf sells out by 13:00. Outdoor seating only in summer.
Jeremie Cometto-Lingenheim and David Gingell's bakery-cafe on Newington Green in north London, opened 2019, runs sourdough, simple pasta lunches.
TipThe Brixton arch sibling on Atlantic Road is the south-London twin. Both close by 16:00 on weekends.
Peter Dore-Smith's Australian-style coffee bar on Great Titchfield Street in Fitzrovia London, opened 2009, runs Square Mile beans and a serious daytime food.
TipThe two-floor Eastcastle Street sibling around the corner is the quieter remote-work bet.
WatchHouse Covent Garden between The Strand and Covent Garden Market in London, opened 2022, runs the brand's Modern Coffee menu with custom brew bar.
TipMezzanine seats above the bar are the laptop-friendly half. Weekday after 14:00 walks in without waiting.
Hagen's Berners Street espresso bar in Fitzrovia London, the Danish-rooted brand's Copenhagen-founded outpost just off Oxford Street, runs. Family-friendly.
TipStanding counter at the front is the morning queue. Closed Sundays; weekday after 15:00 has the easiest pour.
Caravan's flagship cafe inside the Granary Building in King's Cross London, opened 2012, runs an in-house coffee roastery and an all-day eclectic Antipodean.
TipPlug sockets along the canal-side window seats. Brunch runs to 16:00; dinner from 17:30 on weekdays.
Bill Granger's Australian breakfast room on Westbourne Grove in Notting Hill London, opened 2011, runs ricotta hotcakes and an all-day brunch menu.
TipNo bookings. The 09:00 queue runs 30 minutes on Saturdays; weekday breakfast walks in by 08:00.
Jeremy Challender and Gwilym Davies's Leather Lane training cafe in Clerkenwell London, opened 2009, runs a focused filter program and weekday-only opening.
TipOpen Mon-Fri only; closed weekends. Davies took the World Barista Champion title in 2009 with a Prufrock cup.
Karim Salama's Egyptian street-food counter on St Martin's Lane in Covent Garden London, opened 2014, runs koshari (the Cairo bus-station dish).
OrderEgyptian koshari (rice, lentils, pasta, tomato sauce)
TipBox of koshari is £8 with all toppings. Counter takeaway or eat in the small upstairs space. Closed Sundays.
Mangal 2 Turkish ocakbasi on Stoke Newington Road in north London, trading since 1994, runs charcoal-grilled lamb adana, doner, lahmacun and pide.
OrderTurkish ocakbasi grill (lamb adana, doner)
TipBYOB; £3 corkage. Open until midnight Mon-Sun. The artist Gilbert and George are regulars; their original Mangal is across the street.
The Nguyen family's Vietnamese counter on Coldharbour Lane in Brixton London, opened 2016, runs bánh mì, pho and small-plates from a Saigon street-food.
OrderBánh mì sandwich and pho
TipBánh mì at £8 is the marquee handheld; pair with a Vietnamese iced coffee. Closed Mondays; weekend lunches walk in without waiting.
Ning Ma's Beijing street-food cafe inside Brixton Village in south London, opened 2011, runs hand-rolled dumplings, hand-pulled noodles and the family.
OrderHand-rolled Beijing dumplings
TipWalk-up only. Five dumplings around a fiver; the chilli oil noodles cost £8. Weekday lunch walks in without queueing.
Tayyabs Punjabi grill on Fieldgate Street in Whitechapel London, opened 1972, runs charcoal-grilled lamb chops at £12 and karahi gosht at £15.
OrderPakistani charcoal grill (lamb chops, karahi)
TipBYOB; bring beer or wine from the off-licence on Whitechapel Road, no corkage. Closed Mondays. Queue runs 30-60 minutes on weekend evenings.
Soho's oldest patisserie, opened on Greek Street in 1871, still laminates croissants, mille-feuille and seasonal fruit tarts by hand above the tearoom.
TipThe narrow tearoom seats around twenty; takeaway counter on the ground floor moves faster. Cash discount on small orders.
The 1890s Victorian public toilet beneath Foley Street in Fitzrovia London, converted in 2013 into a basement coffee bar serving single-origin espresso.
TipThe urinals are the bar counter; the cubicles are dining banquettes. The Clerkenwell branch on Great Eastern Street has more workspace.
Store Street Espresso's Bloomsbury cafe on Store Street in central London, opened 2012, runs Workshop and Origin beans in a long-corridor cafe popular.
TipCommunal long tables are laptop-friendly. Doors open 07:30 weekdays; closed Sundays.
Mathew Carver's all-cheese counter in Camden Market's North Yard, opened 2017 and now trading as Pick and Cheese, runs British cheese plates.
OrderGrilled cheese
TipWalk-up at the counter for grilled cheese; the £30 tasting menu at the back runs full evenings only with a booking.
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.
OrderFull English breakfast
TipClosed Sundays. Cash and card. The famed lasagna is £8; the bacon-and-egg roll is £6. Saturday queue runs 30 minutes.
Erin Wilkins's small-batch bakery on Peckham Road in south London, opened 2021, runs serious natural-leaven sourdough, pastel de nata and a weekend-only.
TipClosed Sunday and Monday. Pastel de nata baked in batches every two hours; arrive at 09:30, 11:30 or 13:30 for hot ones.
Robert Robinson's Notes Coffee on St Martin's Lane in Covent Garden London, opened 2010, runs an in-house roastery, a focused wine list at night.
TipThe downstairs basement is the laptop-friendly room. After 18:00 it pivots to a small-plates wine bar.
Honest Burgers' first counter in Brixton Village in London, opened 2011 by Tom Barton, Phil Eeles and Dorian Waite, runs dry-aged Ginger Pig beef.
OrderBritish burger with rosemary chips
TipThe Brixton Village original is walk-up only. Beer list from Beavertown and The Kernel. Plant-based burger is the vegan option.
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.
OrderTaiwanese steamed bao
TipThree bao plus a side runs £20-25; budget visit is two bao for £12. Walk-up only with the chalkboard waiting list outside.
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