Colombo Shopping Guide
My sister-in-law called London “disgustingly expensive” in our recent conversation and I could not find a better description if I tried. This wouldn’t be the only adjective I’d choose to describe London. It is grand, cinematic, loud, fast-paced, delicious, energetic, and possessing a certain magnetism that draws me back again and again, even though I can mostly afford only free attractions and cheap eats in London.
I thought I was long past the times when I had to travel on a budget, consider hostels, and think twice before ordering an appetizer. Enter: London. A modest meal for one at a casual cafe comes to £30. A taxi to the airport is £100. A ticket to Buckingham Palace is £37.
I obviously am in a different tax bracket now than I was in my early 20s, and a restaurant bill is not going to disrupt my monthly budget. But I did find myself taking a second before ordering an extra dish at dinner and considering whether it would be worth it.
When I was on the plane from Hamburg to London, I overheard one of the passengers say that London is one rich city with four poor countries attached to it. I found it funny. Then I landed in London. A good indicator of how expensive this city is is that most lists of cheap eats in London are targeting places where a meal costs under £20 ($27). In which world is a $27 meal cheap?
So I decided to challenge myself a little further and find cheap eats in London for under £15. Keep in mind that under £15 is the price of the main dish. If you order a drink and leave a tip, it will come to £20 anyway.
I love good food and I would never sacrifice quality only to pay a little less. Cheap food in London doesn’t have to be subpar or a compromise. Luckily, big cosmopolitan cities like London have a great range of restaurants for every budget. Rest assured, the food on this list is top-notch.
Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links which means if you buy something by clicking the link I will earn a small commission at absolutely no extra cost to you.
Let’s start with a traditional English breakfast at this iconic spot. Regency Cafe has been around since 1946 on Regency Street (hence the name). It’s an unpretentious place serving British classics like steak pie and steak and kidney pudding, but they are most popular for their breakfast.
Pictured above is the Full English I tried there, which cost me £17, but for £9.99 you can get a set breakfast that includes 1 egg, 2 bacon strips, a sausage, beans or tomatoes, bread or toast, and tea or coffee. I would add 2 hash browns for £1.75 because they were divine and my favorite part of the whole plate. I didn’t love the sausage, but otherwise this is a satisfying meal at a down-to-earth, reasonably priced place.
Cost: £9.99
What to see nearby: Tate Museum, Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace are located within walking distance.
Regency Cafe — 17-19 Regency St
I won’t narrow this down to one pastry and one bakery, because London has so many options! The point is, you can try some of the most exceptional croissants, pain au chocolate, swirls, and doughnuts in London.
The pastries cost around £4-7, plus a cup of coffee for £4-5, and you might actually have an incredible meal for under £10. If you are not into sweet breakfast, worry not, many bakeries have a choice of savoury croissants and sandwiches made with freshly baked bread. Sandwiches can also make a great lunch later in the day.
So far, I tried Bread Ahead and Kuro Bakery, but here’s a comprehensive list of other great bakeries in London.
Cost: £10-13
What to see nearby: depends on the bakery you choose. Kuro bakery is in Notting Hill, for example. There’s a Chestnut bakery on Piccadilly, steps away from Buckingham palace. St John Bakery is in Covent Garden.
This is a prime example of having an affordable meal at a fancy place. On my first trip to London, I skipped the Wolseley altogether. Located right on Piccadilly, it seemed intimidating. On my second trip, as I was searching for traditional British foods to have in London, I came across a suggestion to try eggs and soldiers at the Wolseley.
For £10.50, you can have eggs served in the cutest little holder with perfectly fried slices of bread. I’ll be upfront, this is not an enormous breakfast. It will be perfect for someone who doesn’t like to eat much in the morning. But it did sustain me through several hours of exploring the V&A museum later.
You can also get a classic porridge for £7.50 or a creamed porridge with fruit compote for £10.50. Coffee is, unfortunately, pretty expensive, at £6.50 for a cappuccino. My total was £19.26 with tip.
Cost: £10.50
What to see nearby: Buckingham Palace is 10 minutes away. Fortnum & Mason and Hatchards book shop are right next door. Piccadilly Circus and Regent Street with its many shops are within walking distance.
The Wolseley — 160 Piccadilly
Bao is one of the most popular restaurants in London for those seeking delicious Asian food in casual setting. You will also find it on most lists of cheap eats in London. What started as a small stand at a car park in East London grew into a chain of 7 restaurants.
Bao specializes in Taiwanese-style folded steamed buns, filled with all kinds of fillings. I tried the most traditional variation with braised pork and one with beef short rib. A bao costs between £5 and £7, depending on the filling.
They also have a secret Bao15 menu, a set lunch menu with a bao, an appetizer, and a rice dish for £15, which is incredible value for London. You can only get it on weekdays from 12.00 to 15.00.
Cost: a single bao is £5-7, a set lunch is £15.
What to see nearby: depends on the location you choose, but most restaurants are located in neighborhoods with lots to do nearby, like King’s Cross, Borough Market, Soho.
Bao — 7 restaurants across London. Check Google Maps to find one closest to you.
While we are on the topic of bao buns, may I suggest yet another great place — Bun House in Chinatown? The bao buns here are of a different variety than at Bao: Cantonese-style enclosed steamed buns.
The fillings include chicken thigh with lemongrass and coconut curry; BBQ pork belly with yam; and lamb with cumin and chili. I tried the pork and lamb buns, both of which were sensational. The contrast of sweet pillowy dough and the spicy fatty filling makes all your senses wake up.
One of their most popular buns is a custard bun with salted egg yolk, coconut, and carrot juice. The buns are priced at £4.20. You can also get dim sum at £5.80 for 3 pieces, or wontons for £9.
There are two lines outside: to dine in and take away. Both move rather fast.
Cost: £4.20 for a single bun, £9 for wontons.
What to see nearby: Bun House is located in Chinatown, which in itself is a great area to explore. Soho is right nearby. Cecil Street with its many bookshops is within walking distance. National Portrait Gallery is 5 minutes away. Covent Garden is 7 minutes away.
Bun House — 26-27 Lisle St.
When I researched what to see at the Victoria and Albert Museum, not one article mentioned that the cafe inside the museum looks like a royal palace. I accidentally stumbled upon it while wandering around the courtyard. And if I tell you my jaw dropped when I walked in — this is no exaggeration. It is also the world’s oldest museum restaurant.
They have a little patisserie with coffee and pastries and a food counter where you can have 3 vegetarian salads for £10. On the day I visited, they offered roasted zucchini salad, cannelloni bean salad, and beetroot gnocchi salad. The vegetables are genuinely good, fresh and well dressed. This meal will not blow your mind, but it is enjoyable and, given the price and the setting, it might be the highest value for your money on this list.
You can also go for one of the mains that are a little more expensive at £15-18. For example, a katsu roast cauliflower wrap or truffled egg mayo brioche roll that come with a choice of two salads on the side. Also, excellent value, in my opinion.
The Victoria and Albert museum is free to enter, so you can visit the cafe even if you are not planning to explore the exhibition.
Cost: £10
What to see nearby: Victoria & Albert Museum itself is wonderful. Hyde Park and Kensington Palace are nearby. Harrods shopping mall is 13 minutes away. Saatchi Gallery is 20 minutes away on foot. Reemies Cakes is also not too far and offers great cakes, including traditional Victoria sponge cake.
Victoria and Albert Museum Cafe — Cromwell Rd.
I know this dish doesn’t look like much — at best. My mom outright called it unappetizing. But trust me, this is a properly done cacio e pepe, made with a pasta shape that you don’t find on the menu too often: pici.
This is a simple hand-rolled pasta made with flour, water, and a touch of olive oil. I first learned about pici from Emiko Davis:
“In my opinion, pici should always be handmade; there is nothing like the charmingly imperfect quality of proper pici, painstakingly rolled one by one. It results in an almost primitive pasta with bite and a good chew that reminds me, nostalgically, of udon noodles.”
As I was researching the restaurants before my trip, I learned that cacio e pepe from Padella is considered one of the most iconic dishes in London, according to Conde Nast Traveller. Elegant in its simplicity, cacio e pepe is made with only pecorino cheese and black pepper, as well as some cooking water to create the sauce. It costs £13.50. Most pasta and ravioli dishes on the Padella menu are under £15.
Cost: £13.50
What to see nearby: depends on the location you choose.
Padella — 3 locations. Check Google Maps to find the one closest to you.
Kottu from Adoh! is the only dish on this list of cheap eats in London priced over £15, but this is such great value for money that £1 should not stop me from adding it and you from enjoying some incredible Sri Lankan food.
If you are not familiar with Sri Lankan cuisine, let me introduce you to kottu roti, a dish usually eaten late at night on the island. At Adoh! you can get it anytime of the day, though. It is made of godamba roti (oily flat bread) cut into strips and mixed on a grill with vegetables, meat, spices, and gravy. I always say you hear kottu being made before you see it, because two large blades are used to cut and mix the ingredients on the grill. The sound of metal on metal is a distinct sign that a good plate of kottu is steps away.
Adoh! offers a chicken kottu and mutton kottu at £16 and a vegetarian version made with string hoppers and jackfruit at £13. They also have a promo right now where if you spend over £15 and sign up for their newsletter, they will give you salted milo soft serve for free.
Cost: £13 for a vegetarian kottu, £16 for chicken or mutton kottu.
What to see nearby: Goodwin’s Court (a historic street that is said to have inspired Diagon Alley in Harry Potter series) and Cecil Street (a street full of book shops) are nearby. Choosing Keeping, a cool stationery shop is within 7 minutes walk. Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery are 6 minutes away, and so is Somerset House.
Adoh! — 36 Maiden Ln
Dishoom must be the most popular Indian restaurant in London, and the bacon naan roll is easily their most talked about dish, when it comes to breakfast. Naan is freshly baked in a tandoor oven to order. It is then smeared with cream cheese and wrapped around streaky bacon “matured in the traditional Ayrshire way and then smoked over applewood and beechwood chips”.
Tomato chili jam is served on the side, and it is one of the best condiments I’ve tried anywhere. Sweet and spicy, it adds just the right amount of zing! to the roll.
The roll is £11.70. For £4.90 you can get a glass of freshly made chai. And, while it doesn’t say so on the menu, chai is refillable. I had 3 with my breakfast, and the waiter was so nice to offer me an extra cup to go, too!
Cost: £11.70
What to see nearby: depends on the location you choose, but they are usually located near popular sites like King’s Cross, in Covent Garden and Battersea.
Dishoom — multiple locations. Check Google Maps to find the one closest to you.
Borough Market has an enormous amount of affordable meals to choose from. It is the perfect spot if you are looking for cheap eats in London without sacrificing the taste. From English food at Maria’s Market Cafe to sausage rolls and pasties at Ginger Pig (more on these below) to incredible doughnuts from Bread Ahead.
One of my favorite cheap meals comes from Tacos Padre that’s been at Borough market since 2019. The tacos are inspired by chef Nicholas Fitzgerald’s travels around Mexico and its regional specialties. They make their salsas in-house and try to utilize every part of an animal.
Cost: a single taco is £5-£6.5, a set of 3 is £11.90.
What to see nearby: explore the rest of Borough Market, take a picture in front of the building where Bridget Jones lived. Walk along the waterfront. Tower Bridge and Tower of London are nearby.
Tacos Padre — Borough Market, 8 Southwark Street
One of the most traditional British foods, a sausage roll is made by wrapping pastry dough around well-spiced sausage meat. Do not expect an actual sausage here (like in a hot dog), rather it’s a big chunk of ground meat you’ll find inside. Not complaining about it, but I was caught off guard.
The most famous sausage roll in London comes from a butchery called The Ginger Pig that has 9 locations in London (including one at the Borough Market). While it doesn’t look too big in the picture, I assure you this roll alone can substitute a full meal. I, for one, couldn’t finish it and had to carry it around London until I got hungry a few hours later.
Cost: £7
What to see nearby: depends on the location you choose. Borough Market might be the easiest one to include into your itinerary.
The Ginger Pig — Borough Market, 8 Southwark Street
One last suggestion on this list of the best cheap eats in London is a traditional Cornish pasty. A pasty is a moon-shaped pie made with short crust, filled with meat, potatoes, and rutabaga, that comes from the Cornwall county in England. The hand-crimped edge is what defines its signature look.
The Cornish pasty has a Protected Geographical Indication status, meaning only pies made in Cornwall according to a specific technique can be named Cornish. There are two famous shops in London where one can get a pasty: West Cornwall Pasty Company and the Pasty Shop.
I tried mine at the West Cornwall Pasty Company at King’s Cross Station. They have multiple options for fillings: from spicy chili beef and chicken to bacon and leek. But the most popular pie is the traditional one made with steak, Cornish potatoes, and rutabaga.
While it looks like a snack, at 800 calories per pie, a pasty can easily serve as a filling meal. Bonus points: the shops are often located at major train stations in London, so it’s a no-brainer when you are traveling.
Cost: £7.59
What to see nearby: depends on the location you choose, the shops are mostly located at major stations, like Waterloo or King’s Cross.
West Cornwall Pasty Company — multiple locations. Check Google Maps to find the one closest to you.
I write stories about food, travel, and my life as a mom of two boys. Home is Russia, but somehow also Sri Lanka and Hamburg, Germany. Go figure.
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