The Best Affordable Meals in London

If you’ve ever known someone who has lived in London, New York, Paris, San Francisco, or Hong Kong, you have likely heard numerous complaints about the cost of living. When we moved from Philadelphia (a very reasonably priced city) to London, we had to make a lot of adjustments. Not only were we moving from two incomes to one while my partner studied, our rent more than doubled. Fortunately, we’ve found ways to still go out and enjoy amazing food without breaking the bank.

Eventually, I want to write a post about Michelin star restaurants vs. those rated highly by people on Yelp, Foursquare, etc., but that post is still ruminating.

After living here for three years, here are my favourite cheap-ish places to eat in London. I’m by no means a professional food critic, but I like to think I have good taste in what’s good. Good? Good. Great.

Let’s get the classic and cliché bits out of the way first.

Golden Union – This is our go-to place for fish and chips in central London. I don’t even eat fish and chips, but our American visitors need to be fed! We came across this place after a long evening of drinks with friends and am so grateful for it. It feels like an old school chippy that has been modernized and made less gross, if that makes sense. Several types of fish to choose from, or just get a giant plate of chips! You can even get chips on a bun. Atkins friendly! Just kidding. You won’t pay a fortune and it’s not trying to be gourmet or ridiculous. It’s just damn good fried food in a convenient location.

Pig & Butcher – For the first year and a half we lived in London, our go-to British pub food for out-of-towners was served up at the Only Running Footman. This place is good and is well located near Green Park and Buckingham Palace, but hidden on a quiet residential street to keep it from getting too crazy or filled with tourists. It’s an adorable pub and I’d still recommend it if you’re looking in that area. However, I cannot recommend a pub with better food than Pig & Butcher. This place opened near our neighborhood and we’ve never looked back. They do all of their own butchering on site, and everything is prepared with great care. You can taste the freshness of every single bite of food. I took a snobby New Yorker here not too long ago, and it ended up being his favorite meal of his trip (among a list that included some pretty heavy hitters). The beer selection is excellent, too. If you’re on a super tight budget, their bar snacks are cheap, amazing, and pretty filling.

So the fish + chips and pub food are out of the way. Here are some other great options.

Borough Market - This isn't a restaurant, but it might be one of the best meals you can have in London. Open Thurs-Sat, I recommend you take a wander around before deciding what you want to eat. Something is destined to call to you from the range of amazing smells in this market. You can keep it simple with bread and cheese, make your own sandwich, or order any of the amazing hot prepared food. The market is very particular about its vendors, so you can trust that anything you order will be divine. 

MeatLiquor – I expected to hate this place. I am a burger snob for starters, and this place is designed to Be A Scene at all times. You can’t book a table and the queue is always around the building – strike 1. The music is turned up to deafening volume and the décor is trying way too hard to be edgy and ROCK – strike 2. But alas, strike 3 never came because the cocktails are phenom and the food is pretty spectacular. Burgers start at £6.50, which is not bad at all when you compare it to McDonald’s overpriced crap nearby. The fried pickles are magical. I’d recommend getting there early or going at an off-time. Arriving after 6:30pm means you’ll have to wait a while, but it is really worth it if you want a good and simple burger.

Le Mercury – French food done simply and well. There are no frills at Le Mercury, but you’ll have a delicious dinner in a cozy atmosphere. Thurs – Saturday, book ahead as the tables will be full. This place is also open until midnight, making it a great late night food option. They have two locations on Upper Street in Islington. It probably won't be the best French meal of your life, but it is solidly good, unpretentious, and enjoyable.

St John Bread & Wine – If you are passionate about food at all, you have probably heard of the St John franchise and chef Fergus Henderson. While the original St John restaurant is a little fancier, you can have a relaxed and affordable lunch at the Bread & Wine location. This shop still packs in creativity and high-quality ingredients in St John’s stripped down, classic atmosphere. Go with a friend and split three dishes. You’ll leave satisfied and it will cost you each under £15. Choose something weird that you never thought you’d eat. Last time I had ox heart. I don’t know how they managed to make that taste good.

Ottolenghi – This one is kind of cheating, because Ottolenghi is not cheap. However, you can sort of get around that and still try recipes from one of the world’s most popular chefs. Dinner for two at Ottolenghi will run you at least £70, but breakfast/brunch is way more affordable. It’s such a relaxing place to eat and the breakfast food is really done well. Another option is to stop in and buy a couple of Ottolenghi’s salads on offer for the day. You’ll end up with larger portions than if you were sitting at a table, and you can enjoy them in a park or at home.

So, that’s it for now. I’m sure there are many that I’m forgetting and I’ll revisit this topic from time to time. You’ll notice that I haven’t included any Indian food. Most curry houses in London will be pretty tasty and on par with each other. Try Dishoom for a more polished experience, or Mooli’s for a grab-and-go situation that’s akin to an Indian burrito. It works somehow.