Kappacasein's grilled cheese counter inside Borough Market in London, trading since 2002, runs the city's most-photographed cheese toastie made from Montgomery cheddar and Ogleshield.
Tip: Counter only. The 09:00 Saturday queue runs 45 minutes. Order the raclette plate if the cheese toastie line is too long.
Address: Borough Market, 8 Southwark Street, London SE1 1TL
Giuseppe Mascoli's first sourdough-pizza counter inside Brixton Village in London, opened 2008, runs slow-fermented Neapolitan pies at counter prices (£6-9 per pie).
Try: Sourdough Neapolitan pizza
Tip: Walk-up only at the Brixton original. The wood-fired oven runs 6 to 8 minutes per pie; queues move fast.
Dishoom's bacon naan roll counter on Boundary Street in Shoreditch London, served from breakfast service since 2012, the morning Bombay-cafe sandwich that built the chain.
Try: Bacon naan roll
Tip: Walk-in only for the breakfast rolls before 10:00. £6.50 a roll; chai £3. Faster than the dinner queue all week.
Mathew Carver's all-cheese counter inside Camden Stables Market in London, opened 2017, runs British cheese-led plates from a small kitchen including the trolley raclette night.
Try: Grilled cheese
Tip: Walk-up at the counter for grilled cheese; the £30 tasting menu at the back runs full evenings only with a booking.
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.
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) from a takeaway window with picnic seats.
Try: Egyptian koshari (rice, lentils, pasta, tomato sauce)
Tip: Box 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 in the Dalston Turkish grill cluster.
Try: Turkish ocakbasi grill (lamb adana, doner)
Tip: BYOB; £3 corkage. Open until midnight Mon-Sun. The artist Gilbert and George are regulars; their original Mangal is across the street.
