London’s Best Cheap Eats: 14 Budget-Friendly Restaurants from just £2.50
When you think of London, you might think fish and chips, steak and kidney pie, but have you heard of London’s oldest fast food snack—pie, mash, and eels?
Did you know that the oldest pub in London dates back to 1538 (and yup, you can still visit it)? That there’s a thing called a ‘wallet pizza’ from Naples that you can buy in the heart of London for just £5? Plus, there’s a bagel shop you can visit 24/7 in London! Plus, it was the people from Cornwall who brought the humble pasty, aka empanada, to Colombia. I learned this all and more on my recent foodie-themed adventure to London in collaboration with Devour Food Tours.
The aim was to discover some of London’s best value eats, to showcase the different pockets of local culture you can discover through each dish, and ultimately prove to you all that London is the world’s greatest food city. To help my case, Sabrina shot and edited a beautiful video of all the places we visited and ate at in London, which you can click and see below. The lovely people at Devour Tours, which are my favourite food tour company in the world, aided us on this quest by hosting us on two of their food tours in London:
🍜 Brixton Food Tour: https://devourtours.co/3ZFjoap
🍻 Tastes, Tales & Traditional Ales Tour: https://devourtours.co/449Lo7s
For more London inspiration, checkout my older guide to London’s best budget places to stay and the 52 best free things to do in London guide.
1. Roti King London
Malaysian comfort food done right
From its humble beginnings on a quiet street tucked beside London Euston station, I have been a huge fan of Roti King, especially the classic Roti Canai, which is a staple of Tamil Malaysian food. Part of the fun is seeing the chef preparing the roti dough and grilling it on a hot griddle in front of your eyes. The result—the roti is flaky and crispy, a bit reminiscent of parathas in India, and it goes so well with their aromatic, rich chicken curry. Besides the Roti Canai, their beef rendang is rich and tender, plus their Laksa is fabulous and full of flavor—this place is a true taste of Malaysia.
2. Beigel Bake, Brick Lane
Open 24 hours, thank God
Morning, noon, or 3am, Beigel Bake is a London institution where the specialty of the house is their delicious bagels. Producing 20,000 bagels a day and in existence since 1974, the bagels here come in a range of delicious fillings; the most popular is the salt beef bagel, and I also recommend the cream cheese with salmon. From as little as £1 for a butter bagel to £2.50 for a hummus or peanut butter bagel or £4.50 for the cream cheese salmon bagel, this is probably THE best value London eat.
3. Sud Italia, Spitalfields
A slice of Naples in East London
Serving authentic Neapolitan-style pizzas from their distinctive blue van in the heart of Spitalfields Market, Sud Italia is famous for its Pizza Portafoglio, which translates to “wallet pizza,” thanks to its incredible price of just £5! Basically a Margherita pizza folded twice, this is a great-tasting, well-made slice of pizza heaven which you can pair with one of their sauces for extra flavor.
4. Maureen’s Backyard, Brixton
Caribbean cooking with love
Maureen’s Backyard is literally a home kitchen where for the last 20 years she has been serving the best Jamaican food in London. The moment we walked onto the street, upon smelling the rich flavor of the char-grilled chicken, I knew we were in for a treat, and the food was just amazing. Her rich curry goat just melts in your mouth, and I loved the jerk chicken—I will be dreaming of that sauce for years to come. The rice was also cooked to perfection—fluffy. It felt like eating at someone’s home. A small portion starts from £7 and goes up to £15 for a large portion.
5. House of Jollof, Brixton
Gambian food that doesn’t mess around
In the heart of the lively Pop Brixton is the House of Jollof Kitchen, a smoky, spicy, and authentic taste of Gambian cuisine run by the charismatic Ebs. The signature dish here is the jollof rice and his succulent grilled chicken, plus classic West African dishes like akara and plantains.
6. Cantinho Mineiro, Brixton
Proper Brazilian food
If you are looking for authentic Brazilian food at great prices, this is the place to come to. The feijoada here is serious business, served with rice and greens. There is a great range of traditional Brazilian snacks like coxinhas and risoles (£2.50 each), and they also serve delicious cheesy Pão de Queijo. Also, definitely sample their brigadeiros, golf ball-sized balls of happiness that contain cocoa, condensed milk, and butter covered with chocolate sprinkles.
7. Arments Pie and Mash, Bermondsey
London’s original fast food
Pie, mash, and eels are London’s original fast food snack. Originally, there were 300 of them across London. Now, only 40 of these treasured establishments remain, and Arments Pie and Mash in Bermondsey is one of the best and most beloved places to find this snack. The pies have proper shortcrust pastry and a warm minced filling that’s been the same recipe for generations, while the mash is fluffy, creamy, and melts in your mouth. The liquor, aka green parsley sauce, is what binds the whole meal together, but you can also choose gravy, which is very delicious. The jellied eels, which can be ordered on the side, look weird but taste like home to locals from the area and are an acquired taste. This definitely should be part of any proper London food pilgrimage.
8. Richard Haward’s Oysters, Borough Market
The best oysters in London
In the midst of the madness that is Borough Market, you will find Richard Haward’s Oysters. The oysters are huge and taste like the sea. They’re fresh, briny, and perfect. You can have a squeeze of lemon, plus there is also Tabasco there if you want them spicy, but I honestly prefer them au naturel, and definitely wash them down with a glass of sparkling wine. They currently have an offer of 4 huge oysters for a great price.
9. Daawat, Tooting Broadway
Pakistani food that tastes like home
The chicken curry (£10) is the stuff of dreams; the sauce is thick and rich and goes perfectly with their crispy tandoor oven naan or steamed rice. If you are looking for a quick snack, try their signature naan roll—bread wrapped around a seekh kebab and then baked in their tandoor oven. At £2.50, it is the best deal in town.
10. Adchaya, Wimbledon
Great value and tasty Sri Lankan food
Adchaya is a no-nonsense, simple Sri Lankan/South Indian restaurant and takeaway located in South Wimbledon.
I sampled their vegetable thali with plain roti on the side with my friend Ed Kirwan, who lives around the corner and swears by their food. On the thali, you get steamed rice and a choice of five vegetable curries, poppadoms, and rasam, all served together. The thali was simple and very tasty. For the princely sum of £7, the thali remains one of London’s best deals. Order some vegetarian kothu on the side (£2).
11. Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, Fleet Street
Historic London pub with proper food
This pub has been here since 1667, when it was rebuilt after being destroyed in the Great Fire of London. Visiting Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is like a portal into London’s glorious past, with its labyrinthine layout, dark wood paneling, and low ceilings that create a warm, cozy ambience. Dickens drank here, as did Mark Twain and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, so you are drinking in illustrious company. As with all proper watering holes, the bar snacks are fantastic here, with classics like whitebait or pork pies that go well with one of their Samuel Smith ales.
12. Aria Golden Grill, Leather Lane Market
Leather Lane Market is one of London’s best food markets, popular with hungry office workers and with not many tourists in sight. My good friend and passionate foodie Steve Lowy, who works nearby, comes here often thanks to the great mix of international cuisines that you can find here, all at affordable prices. Steve’s pick of the bunch is the Aria Golden Grill, a stall that specializes in Afghan street food. He tried their famous Qabuli Palaw, a pilaf rice and lamb dish. Served with rice, the meat was juicy, tender, and delicious. At a cost of just £8, it is great value. The portion size is huge and can serve two people, or one if, like Steve, you are really hungry 🙂 They also make tasty wraps and mantu (dumplings), which I would love to try next time.
13. Chinatown Bakery, Gerrard Street
Hong Kong-style treats in the heart of Chinatown
The egg tarts here are perfect—wobbly custard in crispy pastry cases. They’re best eaten warm, when the custard is still slightly runny. Their pork buns are fat and happy, filled with sweet barbecued pork. This is proper Cantonese bakery food, not the tourist stuff.
14. Old Chang Kee, Chinatown
Authentic Singaporean snacks in the heart of London
The Singapore curry puff is a golden triangle of pastry filled with spiced potato and chicken curry. It reminded me a lot of a Cornish pasty, but in terms of taste, it is closer to a samosa from India. For just £3, this is great value and also the perfect between-meal snack if you are feeling peckish.
