Last updated: August 2026 · Prices were checked in 2026 and are shown in US dollars with the British pound in brackets, because the pound is what you actually pay at the counter. Prices move, so treat them as a guide and check before you order.
The short answer: you can eat brilliantly in London for very little if you know where to look. The cheapest options are supermarket meal deals at about 5 dollars, then bakeries, street food markets, and the multicultural neighbourhoods where locals actually eat, Whitechapel, Brick Lane, Chinatown and Camden. Most of the picks below cost under 16 dollars a head, many under 10. The trick is simple: eat where Londoners eat, not next to the landmarks.
London has a reputation for being pricey, and dinner beside a famous sight can certainly sting. But this is one of the most delicious cheap-eat cities on earth, if you step two streets away from the tourist crowd. This guide is written for visitors flying in on a budget, students, families and anyone who would rather spend on experiences than on an overpriced sandwich. Every price was checked in 2026, in US dollars with the pound in brackets.
London 4 dummies: how to eat cheap without the rookie mistakes
- Grab a "meal deal". Every supermarket sells a sandwich, snack and drink combo for about 5 dollars (£3.85 at Tesco with a free Clubcard). It is the single cheapest lunch in the city.
- Tap water is free and safe. Ask for "still tap water" anywhere. Never pay for bottled unless you want to.
- Lunch is cheaper than dinner. Many restaurants run set lunch menus at half the evening price.
- Watch the service charge. Sit-down restaurants often add 12.5 percent to the bill. It is optional, and you can ask for it to be removed. Counters and markets do not add it.
- Walk away from the landmark. The cafe touching Big Ben charges triple. Two streets back, prices halve.
How much does food cost in London?
Here is a realistic budget, in US dollars with the pound in brackets. A pound is worth a little over a dollar, so the two numbers are close.
| Budget | What you get | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Under $7 (£5) | Snacks and grab-and-go | Supermarket meal deal, Greggs, a bakery doughnut, a Chinatown bun |
| $7 to $16 (£5 to £12) | A proper street food or counter meal | Market boxes, a salt beef beigel, pie and mash, a curry, roti canai |
| $16 to $26 (£12 to £20) | A sit-down restaurant meal | Franco Manca pizza, Padella pasta, Chinatown roast duck, a burger and fries |
The 20 best cheap eats in London at a glance
Average spend is per person, in US dollars with the pound in brackets. The "$" band is under 7 dollars, "$$" is 7 to 16, and "$$$" is 16 to 26.
| Where | Area | Signature cheap eat | Spend | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supermarket meal deal | Everywhere | Sandwich, snack and drink, $5 (£3.85) | $ | Students |
| Greggs | Everywhere | Sausage roll, $1.65 (£1.30) | $ | Snacks on the go |
| Bread Ahead | Borough Market | Custard doughnut, $5 (£4) | $ | A sweet treat |
| Beigel Bake | Brick Lane | Salt beef beigel, about $9 (£7) | $$ | 24-hour cravings |
| Kappacasein, Borough | Southwark | Toasted cheese, about $10 (£8) | $$ | Market grazing |
| Camden Market | Camden | Street food box, $10 to $15 (£8 to £12) | $$ | Casual meals |
| Maltby Street / Mercato | Bermondsey | Street food plate, $12 to $18 (£9 to £14) | $$ | Weekend grazing |
| Aladin, Brick Lane | East London | Chicken curry, about $12 (£9) | $$ | Curry lovers |
| Tayyabs | Whitechapel | Lamb chops and karahi, $16 to $22 (£13 to £17) | $$$ | Groups, halal |
| Ranoush Juice | Edgware Road | Chicken shawarma wrap, about $8 (£6) | $$ | Late-night, halal |
| Four Seasons | Chinatown | Roast duck on rice, about $15 (£12) | $$ | A famous plate |
| Chinatown bakeries | Chinatown | Pork or custard bun, about $3 (£2) | $ | Cheapest central snack |
| Roti King | Euston | Roti canai set, about $13 (£10) | $$ | Cult favourite |
| Regency Cafe | Westminster | Full English breakfast, $13 (£9.99) | $$ | A proper fry-up |
| M. Manze | Bermondsey | Pie and mash, about $8 (£6) | $$ | A London classic |
| Masters Super Fish | Waterloo | Cod and chips, about $17 (£13) | $$$ | Fish and chips done right |
| Franco Manca | Multiple | Sourdough pizza, from $11 (£8.95) | $$ | Families |
| Nando's | Multiple | Quarter chicken, from $7 (£5.50) | $$ | Families |
| Bleecker Burger | Multiple | Cheeseburger, $13 (£10.50) | $$ | Burger lovers |
| BAO Soho | Soho | Bao bun, $6.50 each (£5) | $$$ | Something special |
The cheapest eats of all
If you are counting every penny, start here. These will keep you fed for the price of a coffee.
1. Supermarket meal deals
The great British lunch hack. Every supermarket sells a "meal deal", a sandwich or wrap, a snack, and a drink, for a fixed low price. Tesco is the cheapest at about 5 dollars with a free Clubcard, which you can sign up for on the spot. There is one on almost every corner. It is not glamorous, but it is unbeatable value between sights.
2. Greggs
A national institution. Greggs is the bakery chain that fuels Britain, and its flaky sausage roll costs almost nothing. Add a sweet bake or a coffee and you are still under 5 dollars. Perfect for a warm, cheap bite on a cold day of sightseeing.
3. Bread Ahead, Borough Market
The most famous doughnut in London, filled to order with vanilla custard until it is almost too heavy to hold. One is a proper treat and a genuine Borough Market rite of passage, for about 5 dollars. Cheaper and more memorable than any dessert menu.
Best cheap street food markets
Markets are the budget traveller's best friend: huge variety, competitive prices, and the freedom to graze a few small things instead of one big bill.
4. Borough Market
London's most famous food market, and a budget goldmine if you skip the sit-down stalls and graze. The Kappacasein toasted cheese sandwich is a cult classic, a Bread Ahead doughnut is dessert, and countless stalls hand out samples. You can eat like a king for under 20 dollars.
5. Camden Market
A sprawling, buzzy market where dozens of stalls dish up food from every corner of the world, noodles, curries, mac and cheese, halloumi wraps, all in generous boxes. It is casual, fun and easy on the wallet, right by Camden Lock and the canal.
6. Maltby Street Market and Mercato Metropolitano
For a more grown-up market crawl, Maltby Street runs under the railway arches in Bermondsey on weekends, packed with artisan traders. Mercato Metropolitano near Elephant and Castle is a huge indoor food hall open most days. Both are a notch pricier than Camden, but the quality is high.
Best cheap world food
London's multicultural neighbourhoods are where the best-value cooking lives. This is where locals eat, and where your money goes furthest.
7. Aladin, Brick Lane
Brick Lane is London's historic curry street, and Aladin is one of its most reliable, generous names. Big, richly spiced curries, warm naan and a lively room, all at prices that feel like a throwback. Many houses here are bring-your-own-bottle, which keeps the bill down further.
8. Tayyabs, Whitechapel
A legendary Pakistani grill where the sizzling lamb chops arrive spitting on a hot plate. Split a few dishes across the table and it is a feast for the price of a modest main elsewhere. Loud, busy and brilliant, and fully halal, with no alcohol sold so bring your own.
9. Ranoush Juice, Edgware Road
On London's Middle Eastern high street, Ranoush turns out some of the best shawarma wraps and fresh juices in the city, open late and easy on the wallet. Grab a chicken shawarma and a mango juice, lean on the counter, and refuel for under 10 dollars. Fully halal.
10. Four Seasons, Chinatown
Chinatown is a cheap-eat treasure, and Four Seasons is famous city-wide for its glossy, tender roast duck. A plate of duck on rice is a proper meal for about 15 dollars, fast and satisfying, right in the heart of the West End.
11. Chinatown bakeries and bubble tea
For the cheapest genuine bite in central London, duck into a Chinatown bakery. Steamed pork buns, custard buns and egg tarts cost a couple of dollars each and are a meal in themselves. Add a bubble tea for the full experience. Unbeatable when you are hungry near the West End.
12. Roti King, Euston
A basement legend near Euston with a permanent queue, serving flaky, buttery Malaysian roti canai with rich curry sauce, plus laksa and rice plates, at prices that feel like a mistake for central London. Filling, delicious and famously cheap.
Best cheap British classics
Want to eat like a proper Londoner without the tourist markup? These classics are cheap, filling and full of history.
13. Regency Cafe, Westminster
An iconic 1940s art-deco "caff" a short walk from Big Ben, serving the classic full English, egg, bacon, sausage, beans, toast and tea, for about 13 dollars. Brisk, cheap and full of character, it is a slice of old London and a brilliant fuel-up before sightseeing.
14. M. Manze, Bermondsey
London's oldest surviving pie and mash shop, open since 1902, still serving the East End classic: a minced-beef pie, a scoop of mash and green "liquor" sauce, for around 8 dollars. It is cheap, historic and utterly London, right by Tower Bridge Road. Vegan pies and jellied eels for the brave.
15. Masters Super Fish, Waterloo
A no-frills chippy near Waterloo, long loved by cab drivers for huge portions of properly fresh fish and chips at a fair price. It is a short walk from the London Eye and the South Bank, which makes it a rare piece of good value in a pricey tourist zone.
Cheap chains done right
Not all chains are bad value. These three are genuinely good, and reliable when you just want a solid, affordable meal.
16. Franco Manca
A cut above the usual chain, Franco Manca does proper Neapolitan sourdough pizza at prices that stay reasonable. A margherita is about 15 dollars, the simplest marinara is cheaper, and the quality genuinely punches above the price. Great for a relaxed, filling family meal.
17. Nando's
A British institution that visitors quickly fall for. Flame-grilled peri-peri chicken, ordered how spicy you dare, with bottomless soft drinks. Stick to a quarter chicken and a side and it stays cheap, while feeling like a proper sit-down meal. Reliable, tasty and everywhere.
18. Bleecker Burger
Regularly called one of the best burgers in the world, and still fair value for the quality. A single cheeseburger is smashed, juicy and deeply satisfying. Add fries and you are still well under 20 dollars, for a burger that beats places charging double.
19. BAO, Soho
A Michelin-recognised Taiwanese spot where the pillowy bao buns start at about 6.50 dollars each. Order two or three with a small side and you get a memorable, design-led meal for the price of a chain dinner. A clever way to eat somewhere special on a budget.
20. Beigel Bake, Brick Lane
Open 24 hours a day, this Brick Lane institution has been stuffing chewy beigels with hot salt beef and mustard for decades. It is a rite of passage, a cheap, delicious bite at any hour, and a magnet for everyone from clubbers to cabbies at 3am.
Cheap eats near the big sights
Eating right beside a landmark is the classic budget trap. Here is where to go instead, a couple of streets away.
Near Big Ben and Westminster: walk to Regency Cafe in Pimlico for a fry-up, or grab a meal deal. Avoid the cafes on Parliament Square.
Near the London Eye and South Bank: the South Bank food stalls are decent, but for value walk to Masters Super Fish in Waterloo, or on to Borough Market.
Near Oxford Street: step into Soho or Chinatown, minutes away, where a Chinatown bun, a BAO bun or a market bite costs a fraction of Oxford Street prices.
Near the Tower of London: head to Whitechapel and Brick Lane, a short ride east, for the city's best-value curry and grills.
Wrongly called "cheap": skip these
A quick honesty note, because a few names show up on every budget list but no longer deserve it. Poppies Fish and Chips is a lovely retro experience, but at over 25 dollars for cod and chips it is now a tourist treat, not a budget meal. Wagamama is fine, but its London katsu curry is around 20 dollars, firmly mid-priced. And Gaby's Deli, the beloved Charing Cross Road falafel spot, has sadly closed, so ignore the old blog posts that still list it. We would rather send you somewhere that is actually cheap today.
More money-saving food tips
Eat your big meal at lunch. Set lunch menus at good restaurants can be half the dinner price for the same kitchen.
Book a room with a kitchen. A cheap breakfast and the odd home-cooked meal from a local supermarket adds up to real savings over a week.
Use the markets as a tasting tour. Share several small stall dishes across your group instead of one big restaurant bill.
Follow the local queues. In markets and Chinatown, the busiest stalls with locals in line are almost always the best value.
Want a local to do the finding for you? A guided London food tour of Brick Lane or Camden packs several cheap tastings into one walk, and our halal food guide covers the best budget halal spots in detail.
How we chose these cheap eats
We chose for genuine value, real quality and places that are open and honest about price in 2026. Every price here was checked this year and is shown in US dollars with the pound in brackets, because on a budget trip the exact number matters. Where a spot has quietly stopped being cheap, like Poppies, or has closed, like Gaby's, we say so rather than repeat a stale recommendation.
Prices change constantly, especially at markets and independent counters, so treat every figure as a close guide and check the board before you order. Our picks balance the cheapest options, meal deals and bakeries, with the best-value proper meals in London's most delicious, affordable neighbourhoods.
Frequently asked questions
How can I eat cheaply in London?
Eat where locals eat, not next to the landmarks. Use supermarket meal deals for about 5 dollars, graze at street food markets like Borough and Camden, and head to multicultural areas such as Whitechapel, Brick Lane and Chinatown, where excellent meals cost under 15 dollars. Make lunch your big meal, and ask for free tap water.
What is the cheapest food in London?
The cheapest options are supermarket meal deals at about 5 dollars (£3.85), a Greggs sausage roll at under 2 dollars, and Chinatown bakery buns at a couple of dollars each. These will keep you fed for the price of a coffee.
Where can I get food under 10 dollars in London?
Plenty of places. Try a supermarket meal deal, a salt beef beigel at Beigel Bake, pie and mash at M. Manze, a shawarma at Ranoush, a Nando's quarter chicken, or a street food box at Camden Market, all around or under 10 dollars.
Is London expensive for food?
It can be, especially right beside the tourist attractions, but it does not have to be. Step a couple of streets away and London is one of the best cheap-eat cities in the world, thanks to its markets, bakeries and multicultural neighbourhoods where a great meal costs under 15 dollars.
Where do locals eat cheaply in London?
Locals eat in neighbourhood spots away from the sights: the curry houses of Brick Lane, the grills of Whitechapel, Chinatown's bakeries and roast-meat cafes, the street food markets, and classics like pie and mash shops and greasy-spoon "caffs" such as Regency Cafe.
Which London markets have the cheapest food?
Camden Market is the best for cheap global street food boxes, Borough Market is superb for grazing on smaller bites, and Maltby Street and Mercato Metropolitano are great weekend options. Follow the local queues for the best value.
What is the cheapest area for food in London?
Whitechapel, Brick Lane, Chinatown and parts of Camden and East London offer the best value, with generous, authentic meals well below central tourist prices. Edgware Road is excellent for cheap Middle Eastern food.
Are there cheap halal restaurants in London?
Yes, many. Whitechapel (Tayyabs, Lahore Kebab House, Needoo), Brick Lane's curry houses, and Edgware Road (Ranoush) all offer affordable halal food. See our dedicated halal food in London guide for the full list, and always confirm halal status before ordering.
What British food should I try on a budget?
Try a full English breakfast at a classic caff like Regency Cafe, pie and mash at M. Manze, fish and chips at a local chippy such as Masters Super Fish, and a Greggs sausage roll. All are cheap, filling and authentically British.
Clara writes Welcome2London's food guides for visitors, with a focus on real, current prices and the places Londoners actually eat. Her budget guides are checked each year, so travellers get value that is true today, not a stale list of yesterday's cheap eats.
Sources and verification (August 2026): prices checked in 2026 against menus, official pages and current listings, and shown in US dollars with the pound in brackets. Closures such as Gaby's Deli and price rises at Poppies and Wagamama are reflected. Prices at markets and independent counters change often, so confirm before ordering.
Disclosure: Welcome2London may earn a commission from some partner links, such as food tours, at no extra cost to you. The cheap eats here are editorial and unpaid, chosen on value and quality alone.
Clara Whitby is a London travel specialist and local insider at Welcome to London, passionate about uncovering hidden gems, neighbourhood guides, and the city’s best-kept secrets.
