Incredible and Affordable Places to Eat in London

The Giant Croissant at Phillippe Conticini in London

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Ah, London Town! A marvelous place with absolutely endless things to do, see, and experience!

London is hard to do in one trip so when you are planning a trip, please don't put a ton of pressure on yourself to get to absolutely everything! Despite it's relatively manageable city size and great public transit - it's not a city that should be underestimated for how much time is required to do everything.

SO let's start off talking about food. I like to splurge a little, save a little and overall enjoy my food when I am in a foreign city. The U.K. (as far as I know) is not super famous for one specific type of food - but they do have good food! I've never had a terrible dish in London, so we're off to a good start.

Types of food I have been recommended by other travelers and locals:

• Indian Curry (or any type of Indian, there are excellent offerings here)

• Sunday Roast - a traditional dish most households and pubs have on Sunday evenings

• Croissants & sweet pastries - you are across from France so the goodness is available here too

• Sausage Rolls - I love them, some places there are meat pies available too

• Traditional English Breakfast - not my favorite but most visitors do like to try it

• Tea & Scones - an absolute must if you haven't tried scones and clotted cream before

  • Note: there is typically 3 types of sit down proper tea offerings

    • Cream Tea - tea and scones. A very casual and much more affordable option.

    • Afternoon Tea - tea, scones, finger sandwiches, and sweet treats. Reservations are usually required and there is often a semi-nice dress code.

    • High Tea - not the same thing as afternoon tea and often used interchangeably by Americans mistakenly

• Fish and chips - they are just really good at making this dish!

There are so many more foods to try and you will discover so many while on your trip so keep your eyes open when you browse menus!

For restaurants and cafes I have gone and LOVED in London:

1. Jacuzzi - An absolutely beautiful, fun lunch and dinner Italian restaurant. You can get one of those pasta dishes made in a wheel of cheese here. And it's probably one of the most maximalist decorated restaurants I've ever been in - it's very fun!

2. Sheila's - Breakfast in this tiny nook of a restaurant is an experience that should not be missed. The staff are so sweet and the food is authentic, hearty and good.

3. Philippe Conticini - Giant Croissants. This is where you get them, or watch other people attempt to eat them. Their little croissants are wonderfully flaky and tasty as well.

4. Burrough Market - Sangria, fruit, cheese, everything. It's a full market so there are stands for grocery shopping and there are restaurants built in as well. The food here is good and you can walk by and see what the dishes look like before you decide! It's VERY busy on weekends so don't show up hangry.

5. Cafe Concerto - Afternoon Tea at an affordable price. They offer traditional afternoon tea with the scone/sandwich/treats tower or we did see another table with a seafood tower. It's a chain so there are a ton of locations in London and reservations are not required.

6. Masala Zone - Butter Chicken! I am spoiled by fantastic Indian food in my hometown of Toronto but I was very impressed with the curries here. And there's a location on Carnaby St. near the main theaters, so it's a great pre-show place to eat if you are headed to a night at the theater.

7. Venci - Gelato and Chocolate! This is actually a gelato place that has a location in Venice, which is where I first tried it. It's great gelato and there's a wall of liquid chocolate inside the store near Carnaby. An experience not to be missed especially if you haven't had a chance to travel to Italy for gelato yet.

8. Leinster Arms Pub - Roast! Great pub food in a very traditional style pub with cozy chairs and tables inside. It's also in Kensington so you might run into a famous chap or two around here.

Plug any of these names into Google Maps once you are zoomed into London and they will pop up! Many of them take reservations straight through the Google Maps app as well.

None of these places are expensive - all within a $20-30USD budget per meal or person with the exception of afternoon tea that comes at a variable rate depending on the day you go.

For the very budget conscious I recommend finding an M&S (Marks & Spencer) Grocery store (there's a lot of them and one inside Paddington Train Station). They have an incredible selection of freshly prepared foods: salads, sandwiches, baked goods, snacks etc. Really great lunch options or late night dinners to eat in the park or at your hotel. This is how I usually save money on lunches so I can spend more on dinners or get some vegetables into my day!

Happy eating, snacking and sipping!