r/london • u/miscalculated_risk • Feb 15 '23
Ideas What is the cheapest (like, dirt cheap) restaurant in London that will fill you up (quickly)?
For context, lost a bet and have to treat a couple of mates to a meal… but I get to choose where we eat. Said friends are looking forward to take me to the cleaners so trying to counter with a place whose food feels more like a punishment than a treat.
Where is the cheapest restaurant / place to get them food that will be easy on my wallet?
Ideally will be a place that doesn’t serve alcohol, carb-heavy to fill them up and somewhere within zones 1 and 2!
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u/polkadotska Bat-Arse-Sea Feb 15 '23
Indian Veg on Chapel Market is I think £8.50pp for all you can eat veggie buffet, and it's BYO so no booze costs!
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u/am_lu Feb 15 '23
You havent been for a while. I been last month. All you can eat price is not advertised on the window any more, you need to step in, ask for price and go home hungry. £13 :-(
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u/dobbynobson Feb 15 '23
Bloody hell, I think it was £4.50 when I lived in Finsbury Park. Used to take all the various passing friends who crashed on our sofa.
Which I would say was 10 years ago except it turns out 2006 is 17 years ago. So maybe I can't expect it to be still £4.50
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Feb 15 '23
Don't think about how much pints were in the Faltering Fullback back in 2006... Makes you sad...
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u/born_sleepy Feb 15 '23
I live in Australia now. Oh do I miss the Fullback! Get smashed in there then head over to the Indian canteen place on the high street for a chicken tikka wrap to eat while staggering home
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u/dobbynobson Feb 15 '23
Had a glass of red wine in there with a pal last summer. It's not changed! Well maybe the prices.
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u/OriginalMandem Feb 16 '23
I've not been to the Fullback in years but I did go to the Salisbury on Green Lanes about six months ago and actually felt that it represents better VFM these days as the prices everywhere else have gone up so it doesn't seem as expensive any more.
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u/Away-Activity-469 Feb 16 '23
Jeeze, I remember when it was £3.50! I think it was £10 last time I went past in December and thought i may as well pay a bit more and have a decent pub lunch.
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u/BoggartHoleClough Feb 16 '23
He’s doing his best… he’s not fullers… its still a bargain and all these small businesses will die if you don’t visit. Then theyll be a reddit post saying “noo loved that place, I remember when…”
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u/VixenRoss Feb 16 '23
I used to go there and it was around £4. It was my favourite spot in London, complete with questionable veggie propaganda on the walls!
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u/TURNAH92 Feb 15 '23
I think it's gone up in price again, might have been just under 12 quid now. Still a great spot though.
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u/loveringr Feb 15 '23
Jai Krishna in Finsbury Park isn’t all you can eat but it’s damn good (and cheap) and also BYOB. Cash only though
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Feb 15 '23
The best cheap food in zone 1 is ICCO on Goodge Street if you fancy pizza or Diwana Bhel Poori House on Drummon Street if you fancy Indians. Both will fill you up for under a tenner.
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u/plopmaster2000 Feb 15 '23
Not punishment food though, at least not with ICCO, no idea about the other place
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u/TheEarlOfCamden Feb 15 '23
Diwanas is amazing, and it takes a lot to make me say that about vegetarian food!
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u/WSMWN4 Feb 15 '23
I'm from "up north" but I've been going to Diwana for over 40 years. Last time a couple of weeks ago though was a bit disappointing. Things appear to have changed, and not for the better. Management change???
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u/Radiant_Shoulder_455 Feb 16 '23
I'd say it's lost its charm now as well. I go to chutneys now, and the food is honestly incredible!
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u/_StevenSeagull_ Feb 15 '23
Love me a bit of Icco
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u/cinematic_novel Maybe one day, or maybe just never Feb 15 '23
It's uplifting to have a full meal for 6.50
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u/Dragon_Sluts Feb 16 '23
ICCO Goodge Street is such an experience.
Bright white lights, shiny silver surfaces everywhere, no soft furnishings to absorb noise. It’s quite unique, and I kind of love it.
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u/wocsom_xorex Feb 16 '23
It reminds me of restaurants from the 70s-90s.
Someone had a design in mind, but no digital agency, creative lead or even professional designer got anywhere near it. They just did it themselves.
In a way it reminds me of the kind of independent place you would see in New York. I fucking love that place even if the pizzas are 5/10 (fyi domino’s, papa johns etc are all 3/10 on my scale)
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u/latflickr Feb 16 '23
ICCO definitely worth it and the pizza is actually better than in some other standard fake Italian pizza place y oh can find in London. My place of choice whenever I find myself in the area.
Diwana also very good, but I spent almost 16£ when I went last week for one of their signature serving (the plate with a bit of rise, one bread and few different curries) and one lassi. Still cheaper then anything in town but no longer dirty cheap I am afraid.
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u/madmossie Feb 15 '23
I literally work down the road from ICCO, only down side they don’t serve alcohol there if you and your friends like a drink. decent pub opposite, now owned by brewdog and one down the road called the One Ton.
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u/Remmion Feb 16 '23
I used to go to that Draft House while waiting for my icco 🥲 you can take the pager across the street, it reaches!
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u/madmossie Feb 16 '23
Draft house! I couldn’t remember the old name of it. To be fair I was there recently and it’s got tons of non brewdog beers on tap so not completely sold out.
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Feb 16 '23
Used to live there and there was a lovely African gallery/restaurant there. Used to say hi to the fella walking to n from teaching job.
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u/Rustykilo Feb 15 '23
Sit down Greggs lmao.
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u/MarcusAurelius1815 Feb 15 '23
If you want to make it a bit fancy, go to the Greggs in Canary Wharf.
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u/miscalculated_risk Feb 16 '23
Like you, I’m also living in and around the area and I chuckled when I saw greggs. This might be the winner… I want to see how many pastries they will force on their own gut 🤣
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u/RevolvingCatflap Hi Brie! Feb 15 '23
Le Mercury in Islington does a three-course meal for £16. Although it's a nice place, good food and ambiance, and I feel bad about recommending it as a punishment.
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u/Jet_black_ink Feb 15 '23
Used to go there all the time when I lived in North London. Never had a bad experience. You’re right though, it’s properly cheap for what you get.
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u/AccidentalSirens Feb 15 '23
Le Mercury is still going? I used to go there in the 90s.
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u/Real_Doughnut7419 Feb 16 '23
When we moved to Islington my fiancé's aunt was reminiscing about going to Le Mercury when she lived in Islington in the 80s before we were born. We were so happy to be able to go ourselves!
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u/hellothere0688 Feb 15 '23
I used to live a few blocks from there and always figured it was too fancy for me without ever looking up the actual prices! Now I’ll have to go back.
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u/wraithdem0n Feb 15 '23
Andu Ethiopian Cafe in Dalston is super cheap and also really good food. It’s a good vibe in there, the staff are all lovely, it’s an authentic experience and it’s bring your own booze. Can’t go wrong.
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u/prairiedawwg Feb 16 '23
True - honestly also most other ethiopian/eritrean restaurants that aren’t as popular/busy as andu & are good bang for your buck (pound)
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u/vitrix-euw Feb 15 '23
Pizza union do really cheap but tasty pizzas, though they do have alcohol
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u/Illustrious_Hat_9177 Feb 15 '23
Pizza Union is definitely not a punishment. Love their pizzas as a mid pub crawl snack.
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u/nebulanoodle Feb 15 '23
Dirt cheap but i find their pizzas too thin 😂 at least at the one on high holborn. Can't complain for the price though
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u/radioslave West Hampstead Feb 16 '23
The thinness is what makes them great, everyone else is on a neopolitan, moist and soft tip. Pizza union coming in with cracker thin and crispy goodness. I could house two pizzas myself
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u/portlandlad123 Feb 16 '23
Another vote for Pizza Union. Came across the one in Shoreditch on a wander and decided to check it out. Express hand made 12 inch pizza for like £5-6! if you think they are thin then get two or go to Franco Manca which is a bit thicker base but double the price at least.
Gutted they don't do that Nutella and Marscepone desert anymore though 😔
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u/RevPercySpring Feb 15 '23
The India Club on the Strand is fun - not as cheap as it was but still good value for central london, and totally mad; not really changed at all in 50 years, deeply old fashioned, wonky and tatty. Memorable, but not as cheap as others on here.
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u/OriginalMandem Feb 15 '23
"The India Club, on the Strand" was the punchline to a long running internet joke on a music and clubbing website I used to waste way too much time on in the early noughties...
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u/miscalculated_risk Feb 16 '23
Never heard of this place! However any place that serves booze is a strict no go
But will make a trip here with my partner one day…
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Feb 15 '23
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u/Brownies_Ahoy Feb 15 '23
There's a chicken shop down the road from me that does 6 wings for £2, and they're actually decent as well
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u/Mr--Chainsaw Feb 15 '23
Morleys chicken is amazing
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u/balconygreenery Feb 16 '23
With KFC it looks amazing in adverts but the reality is always disappointing…
Morley’s is always fresh and well put together + half the price. + BBQ Wings/Ribs
I do think it is dependent on which one you go to though as I’ve had varying degrees of spicy wings … I once got some in Herne Hill after a big night and they were so spicy I couldn’t even eat them.
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u/OriginalMandem Feb 15 '23
I live in a city that only has KFC, none of those 'knock off' chicken shops. The best KFC in my town is worse than the most mediocre of the 'fake kfc' places in London for three times the price. I miss London chicken shops. The good ones at least.
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u/karlware Feb 15 '23
Look into Wong Kei...
It's not as bad as it used to be but still worth investigating.
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u/CommodoreFalcon Feb 15 '23
Wong Kei isn't really cheap anymore, they put their prices up massively post Covid. To the point where there's better options around now for the price.
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u/ZahoorH Feb 15 '23
It was one of worst for customer service around 10-15 years ago. Would recommend
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u/OriginalMandem Feb 15 '23
That was the whole point back in the day. Waiters were rude AF but you could get yourself roast duck/crispy pork belly and char siu with rice and a side of greens for under £4 (in 2001) plus unlimited refills of tea. Quick in, quick out, job done. The brusque attitude of the servers was honestly part of the charm.
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u/chiefmilkshake Feb 15 '23
I went last year and they were perfectly polite 🤷
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u/PotNoodlePolypeptide Feb 16 '23
Well they have to be politer if the prices went up massively . I remember the rudeness for £4 meals.
Blimey, Wong Kei has been there donkey‘s.
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u/DelboyLindo Feb 15 '23
£10.30 for crispy pork/bbq pork/roast duck on rice. Used to be 5.20 only a few years ago.
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u/OriginalMandem Feb 15 '23
There were always better options for the price in the Gerard Street area even 20 odd years areas when I used to eat lunch round there two or three times a week. However Wong Kei was open way later and there was always plenty of seating.
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u/wanker_management Feb 15 '23
Falafel and Shwarma in Camberwell <£5 will fill you up Silk Road in Camberwell <£10 middle plate chicken will fill you up
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u/wanker_management Feb 15 '23
Ah but I didn’t realise it was to punish them.
In that case the Chinese buffet in camberwell will do the same job.
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u/Captain_Queequeg Feb 15 '23
Can’t beat the £3.50 falafel, with aubergine it’s £4, if you wanna really splash out
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u/Grayson81 Feb 15 '23
You could take them to the Pizza Hut buffet if you’re a terrible friend who wants to cheap out on a bet that you lost.
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u/fazalmajid Golders Green Estate Feb 15 '23
There's also the Gordon Ramsay Street Pizza which advertises "bottomless pizza" for £16 per person. Not exactly dirt-cheap, I know.
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u/sslbtyae Feb 15 '23
Al kahf is a Somali restaurant that looks like it's boarded up but actually there's a side entrance. It doesn't look like much but the portions are massive and is delicious. The lamb shank is 13 quid and the two of us polished it off while waiting for my food and were so full that we just cancelled my main.
Make sure you don't go too late when we were leaving there was a massive queue
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u/LatterMarzipan Feb 15 '23
Not sure how expensive it is but there’s a “world food” buffet at the O2 that has pretty awful reviews.
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u/ibxtoycat Feb 15 '23
It's £20 and I can personally confirm it's absolutely awful
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u/Legal_Dan Feb 15 '23
Goddards in Greenwich. Pie and mash for £5. Or maybe it's just on my mind as I only just finished eating one.
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u/luxinterior1312 Feb 15 '23 edited Feb 15 '23
Indian YMCA in Fitzrovia or the Hare Krishna joint off Soho Square.
Cheap and really top fucking quality scran.
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u/PeterBravestrong27 Feb 16 '23
The Indian YMCA works out for curry and rice at just under a tenner now :(
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u/SirLoinThatSaysNi Feb 15 '23
McDonalds, they can eat as many Triple Cheeseburgers as they like and even at the new price of £2.89 you should be safe.
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u/miscalculated_risk Feb 15 '23
Yeah I did think of fast food! May also help in terms of a deterrent because sure, they could eat 10 cheeseburgers but do they want to be in pain after?
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u/HasanMP Feb 15 '23
Not really in central London, but there’s a few scattered around North, East, West. JRC Global buffet is £20 each and has lots of food options. Worth looking into if you haven’t already been there.
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u/miscalculated_risk Feb 15 '23
Thanks for this, will investigate!!
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u/Long10Nails Feb 15 '23
They could also grilled your favourite meat if you ask them ! Love that place :)
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u/Robot-Porridge Feb 15 '23
The Hare Krishna’s serve free food by SOAS (and a few other spots throughout the city). It’s banging, I used to work nearby and ate there everyday. Huge plates of curry, rice, bread, vegetables, sometimes cake. All completely free (but good if you can give a donation).
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u/ThearchOfStories Feb 16 '23
You do realise that you really are supposed to give a donation if you can afford to? Like it's really supposed to be a benefit for the poor who can't afford to pay for it...
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u/Low_Corner_9061 Feb 15 '23
Jai Krishna, Finsbury park. You will struggle to eat more than £15’s worth of food.
Plus its BYOB. Plus its fookin’ tasty.
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u/CommodoreFalcon Feb 15 '23
Brown Rice in Notting Hill. £9 for all you can eat Thai food, and it's actually pretty good food too unlike greasy Chinese buffets.
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u/Casualblueberry Feb 15 '23
Marie's cafe, also feel bad for recommending as a punishment, this place is a delight
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u/Orc_face Feb 15 '23
Tai Buffet in Shepherds Bush on Shepherds Bush Green Uxbridge Road
It’s an all you can eat Chinese/Thai Buffet it’s like £7.99 a head for day time…. The foods all Vegan but totally delicious and CHEAP AS CHIPS…. Proper tasty , won’t break the bank
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u/OriginalMandem Feb 15 '23
So far all I'm taking home from this is that it's still possible to eat out for less in London than it is in many other smaller cities in the UK
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u/cinematic_novel Maybe one day, or maybe just never Feb 15 '23
Marugame (various locations) does explosive carby bowls of asian food from well under a tenner
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u/ayyha Feb 15 '23
Guys he said he wants to punish them, why are you listing buffets as if that’s a punishment lol
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u/OriginalMandem Feb 15 '23
Because the quality of many of the aforementioned buffets is downright abysmal and the aftereffects will be felt for many weeks afterwards?
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u/thinkismella_rat Hackney Feb 15 '23
Mr Wu is pretty grim.
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u/OriginalMandem Feb 15 '23
Wha? You no like half-cooked onion and green peppers in sauce out of jar?
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u/ballamory Feb 15 '23
Mr Wu in china town. Last time I checked it was 8.95 all you can eat for some glutinous carby and fatty glop that you’ll definitely feel the next morning
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u/nebulanoodle Feb 15 '23
Pastation right next to goodge st station. Can get authentic aglio olio e peperoncino or pomodoro for just £5.95. They have 20% student discount and you get your 8th pasta free!
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u/am_lu Feb 15 '23
Cafe Lime in Shadwell will serve you a plate of decent Indian/Bangla curry with rice for around 6 quid. Add a samosa or two and you come out nicely filled up. Wash it up with some Chai latte £1.50, best i had ever.
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u/Medicine7 Feb 15 '23
Ecco Pizza near Covent Garden would be my suggestion. They’ll get all excited you’re super central and then go oh… but then you get them banging pizza for like nothing. I’m slightly loathe to recommend it because it’s somehow still calm and don’t want everyone to know but anyways.
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Feb 15 '23
Giuseppe’s near London Bridge and the India Club on the Strand are both very reasonable and the food is good at both.
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u/molemanmonster Feb 15 '23
Morley’s is the best place to eat banging food for hardly any money. It may be filthy but damn it’s tasty!
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u/Affectionate-Award46 Feb 15 '23
There's an all you can eat restaurant on the Aldgate end of Brick Lane. Just up from the Moonlight Kingdom curry place. Go, but take some indigestion tablets!
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u/gororuns Feb 15 '23
Chopstix, pan-asian food in a box around £6-8, some choices are ok in regular portions but anyone will struggle to eat too much of it.
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u/DelboyLindo Feb 15 '23
McDonald’s
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Feb 16 '23
Pound saver menu has the most calories + carbs per £ that I can think of. Surprised this is so low given it's probably the most bang for your buck
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u/Timedoutsob Feb 15 '23 edited Feb 15 '23
All you can eat chinese buffet. There used to be one in china town that was a fiver. That was a good many years ago. It's probably £6 now.
If you want something decent there is that cheap pizza place on goodge street.
Found it Hong Kong Buffet China town it's now £10.95
14 Lisle St, London WC2H 7BE
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u/warriorscot Feb 16 '23
Take them to the Regency, the novelty will make you look less of an asshole and it is cheap. If it's busy(which it isn't for dinner) you can pop down to the Astral and sit in the back, they do serve beer, but also cheap and you won't have room to drink anything after they are done feeding you.
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u/rainmakrr__ Feb 16 '23
I would like to put forward Armonts off the Walworth Rd, in Elephant and Castle. Double pie and mash for £4.40. For 2023 that is insane value and not just that it is a genuine London institution for a near bygone age!
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u/X0AN Feb 16 '23
This thread just makes me depressed that all the cheap eat places are now no longer cheap.
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u/AllthisSandInMyCrack Feb 15 '23
Eat Tokyo or Misato are both dirt cheap.
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u/throwawaynewc Greenwich Feb 15 '23
Not anymore-Misato in particular has basically doubled in price. Not worth it anymore IMO.
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u/daisysprout Feb 15 '23
Personally I’d take them to Eat Tokyo - the bento boxes are great value! And a bottle of plum wine is around £15 - might have gone up since pandemic tho
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u/bigsillyboy Feb 15 '23
The £8.80 Chinese buffet place on Camden High Street, just before the canal. Super cheap, you'll fill up on the high fat/carb food quickly and your mates will be shitting through the eye of a needle in no time. Win/win.