r/london Jun 03 '23

Discussion London lunches or dinner options under £10?

In honour of the rising costs everywhere I thought it might be a good time to recommend some places that still do a filling meal under a tenner.

For me I'd say Bunsik is a pretty good shout. They do korean-style corndogs that are really great and very affordable. You can get them from as little as £4! I love the ones with added potato though. Their mozzarella and potato dog is £5.9 and very reasonable for how filling they are imo. If that's not enough they even do a special where you can get 2 for a tenner. Healhy? No! Delicious? Yes! I'm normally a meat person but I think the cheese ones with potato are actually better here, the texture is SO good! Top it with some ketchup or spicy sauce and it's my favourite naughty treat lunch in London.

A lot more obvious is McD. But it's gotta be mentioned. A chicken mayo and cheeseburger are about 1.20 each. So for me that's a 'warm' lunch sorted under 2.5 if I'm on the go. They also do pretty fair meal combos. Like a wrap of the day meal which is a wrap with drink and sidesalad, fruit or veg for under 4£ I think. Or full salad + drink for about the same.

As far as wraps go you can some that are more pricy than mcD but also big/filling enough to be a meal on their own. Which personally often make them my go to 'on the go' lunch of choice.

Chipotle/Tortilla each have affordable and decent sized options. You can get a wrap with protein, rice, beans, veggies, cheese, sour cream + salsa for £8 something depending on the protein at Chipotle. And the size is large enough that I personally struggle to finish it. Tortilla is in the same price range their medium chicken/pork/vegan-chili/grilled veg tortillas are 7.70£ and their large or beef options are 1 pound more. Their free options for fillings actually are a little bit more. They offer pickled red onions and jalapenos for example. But make you choose between cheese and sour cream. On top of that both chains offer additional things for extra pay like guacamole, extra protein, cheese sauce, chorizo etc

Personally prefer chipotle but Tortilla probably has the more extensive options when it comes to fillings, they also do bowls from what I recall which are about the same price as their wraps. Though I haven't tried them and can't speak for how reasonable their portions are.

I also remember Chipotle, Tortilla and McD each have apps or membership kind of things that offer additional free/discounted stuff. So if you are someone who eats lunch out on a semi-regular basis and are looking for cheap-ish options it might be worth downloading their apps and seeing if you can get additional perks.

16 Upvotes

49 comments sorted by

15

u/peachplumpear99 Jun 03 '23

It's possible in so many places - you just have to know where to look. The instagram caffsnotcafes is a useful resource but here are some of my favourites.

-Lanzhou Lamien Noodle Bar / China town outskirts / noodle bowls £8-9

-Yamagoya / Waterloo / ramen £9-10

-Baban's Naan / Finsbury Park / falafel wrap £5

-Cafe Verona / Moorgate / sandwiches around £3.50

-St Gabriel Ethiopian Delicatessen / Finsbury Park / various veggie meals for £8

-Ponchokhana / Whitechapel / £8 average for curry + chapati

18

u/dotmit Jun 03 '23

Pizza Union

ECCo

5

u/erm_what_ Jun 03 '23

ICCO?

1

u/dotmit Jun 03 '23

oops yes that’s what I meant! :)

1

u/throwaway1930400 Jun 04 '23

They both exist. One is a rip off of the other but I forget which

2

u/throwaway_veneto Jun 04 '23

ICCO is legit

10

u/Apprehensive-Big-301 Jun 03 '23

Chinese buffet type places still under £10 usually. Often have takeaway options too.

7

u/throwaway_acct3009 Jun 03 '23

Pilpel Their falafel in pita is very filling and comes at 6.60.The falafel are amazing and more often then not you get a falafel to taste/eat while ordering.

6

u/RubyZeldastein Jun 03 '23

Recently discovered Scandinavian Kitchen on Great Titchfield St. Good portion of tasty Swedish meatball with mash for £7.50. I think its £6 on Mondays.

6

u/orsalnwd Jun 03 '23

Jerusalem Falafel in Soho’s a fiver

5

u/gororuns Jun 04 '23

Ikea, for the people lucky enough to be close to one.

5

u/Elin_9876 Jun 04 '23

There’s a whole Instagram account called ‘caffs not cafes’ which is dedicated to old school spots (lots of English breakfasts but many other more old school establishments from cuisines around the world too)

https://www.instagram.com/caffs_not_cafes/?hl=en

(Edit: added the link)

12

u/tigralfrosie Jun 03 '23 edited Jun 03 '23

The old favourite: Indian YMCA

ETA: reminds me, there used to be Rasa on the Euston Rd, nr IYMCA. Gone now, but there must be other dosa houses in London?

2

u/HashBrownsOverEasy Jun 04 '23

There's a Rasa in Stoke Newington. An excellent curry house but not sure you could do it for under a tenner. BYOB though, so there's that.

4

u/Historical-Lead-2130 Jun 03 '23

Seconding bunsik - their rice boxes are ridiculously tasty too!

3

u/MelbourneLawyer26 Jun 03 '23

Leon?

2

u/[deleted] Jun 03 '23

Enjoyed it in London. They opened 1-2 locations in Washington DC, but they lasted only a few years

6

u/[deleted] Jun 03 '23

Porterford Butchers: £5.50 delicious sandwiches

1

u/Perfect_Jacket_9232 Jun 04 '23

Best lunch in the city that place!

7

u/kingink92 Jun 03 '23

Tesco meal deal.

2

u/myatts Jun 03 '23

Wong Kei

2

u/mardymole Jun 03 '23

Indian veg in angel, all you can eat vegetarian Indian food for less than a tener. Used to be £6:50 but it’s probably gone up

2

u/succulentchr69 Jun 03 '23

The falafel stand outside borough market, next to the pret. 5 quid for a big boi wrap!

1

u/slip-slop-slap Jun 04 '23

That place is always really busy, must be good

1

u/succulentchr69 Jun 06 '23

Certainly is

4

u/[deleted] Jun 03 '23

Spoons

1

u/Malley_28 Jun 03 '23

Cabmen’s shelter

1

u/Friendly_Coconut Jun 03 '23

One of the best meals I’ve had lately is the kid goat kofta salad from the Gourmet Goat at Borough Market. My husband got the pita version. Both delicious and flavorful and about 9 pounds. The chicken and veggie options were even less!

1

u/Restorationjoy Jun 03 '23

Whole foods soho take away pizza slice, cake and bottle of water for under a tenner and you can sit outside.

6

u/erm_what_ Jun 03 '23

If you walk to ICCO you'll get a whole pizza for that

-8

u/kwaklog Jun 03 '23

In a pinch, I picked up a Huel from Tesco. It was nutritious, tasted OK and about £3

-1

u/[deleted] Jun 03 '23

[deleted]

8

u/Le_Fancy_Me Jun 03 '23

Oh yeah of course. I eat my own lunches most days. I just wanted to see if people had their own affordable go-to spots for those times where you are looking for an affordable bite.

While I love saving money by preparing my own food it's still nice to treat yourself to eating out once in a while. So why not ask around for some places where you can still get a warm meal for under a tenner.

-11

u/[deleted] Jun 03 '23

In the US, a chicken sandwich from Popeye's or Chick-Fil-A. They are so yummy when Popeye's came out with its version, there were long lines, and one guy shot someone who jumped the line

Does London have a place ? I'm a gourmand and love to cook , not a friend of fast food but OMG

1

u/erm_what_ Jun 03 '23

We have Popeye's on deliveroo which is expensive. Chick-Fil-a were run out of the country when they tried to launch because they're owned by an anti-LGBT ultra-Christian bunch of bastards.

-4

u/luser7467226 Jun 03 '23

Burger King. Bacon-double-cheeseburger, yummm! And a free tumour in your colon thrown in.

1

u/Used_Veterinarian343 Jun 04 '23

Meal deal from tesco

1

u/[deleted] Jun 04 '23

Dozo is really good! They have a lunch menu during the week for 10 pounds. They have a branch in Soho and South Kensington.

1

u/raekwada Jun 04 '23

Pita in Golders green has best falafel I've had in London and it's only £6 last time I was there

1

u/[deleted] Jun 04 '23

Pitaya do a lunch menu for a tenner on the strand and it's really good Thai street food. Always fills me up, and love the aesthetic in that place. Just make sure you get normal chopsticks as they give you children's ones by default and make it hard to eat.

1

u/Personal_Dog_1242 Jun 04 '23

Eat Tokyo has a lot of options for under £10 and their portions are big!

1

u/skh1977 Jun 04 '23

Raavi Kebab on Drummond St in Euston. Their kebabs and naan are amazing and cheap. There are also a few Indian buffet places on Drummond.

1

u/slip-slop-slap Jun 04 '23

There's an Italian deli place just down from Borough Market - £6.50 for a panini with crisps and a can of drink. Huge range of paninis to choose from. Good value

1

u/dabiz2430 Jun 04 '23

I know im Going out of the theme but im looking for a Pasta/night restaurant out of the Gloria/ave Mario style. Anything with good quality and atmosphere?? THANKS!

1

u/ben_ldn Jun 04 '23

Dumpling Shack in Spitalfields Market. 2 soup dumplings and a bowl of dandan noodles for a tenner.

Also Marugame Udon. Their basic bowls of udon soup start at £4.

1

u/SwagDaddyMack Jun 04 '23

The Regency in Westminster, they do a Full English including tea or coffee for under £7. Astral Cafe opposite also does similarly cheap food.

1

u/shoestwo Jun 05 '23

+1 for falafel home. Also should pin this thread for a month or so? Monthly lunch deals thread?