For more London restaurant guides, check out our guides to the best pizza places in London, best London wine bars and best London pubs with great food.
10 delicious London bites under £10
Kati Roll Company, Soho
For many years, this unassuming eatery – located just off Oxford Street – was a secret spot for diasporic Indians in London who were in the know. It’s decked out in a fiesta of bright orange paint and faded Bollywood posters, with rustic wooden benches and a silver serving counter at the very end. They specialise in kati rolls – the iconic Bengali street food from Kolkata – which consists of vibrantly spiced fillings, wrapped up in your choice of either buttery fried paratha or iron-griddled roti. Their ‘Achaari Panner Roll’ marinated in spicy pickle is especially tasty. Order extra chutney on the side if you like it especially saucy. tkrc.co.uk
Porteña Empanadas, Borough Market
There’s something eternally charming about the hot empanada counter (traditional Argentinian pasties) at this Borough Market institution, partly thanks to the way the word ‘Porteña’ is stamped into the crimped crust of the freshly baked pastry. Their ‘Chorizo Empanada’ is the most delicious – with a delicious slick of spicy porky oil that drips onto your hands. Their ‘provolone and onion’ is also very good – almost jammy sweet and very, very cheesy. Order extra chimichurri sauce to smother on top for an extra kick of flavour. portena.co.uk
Ambala Sweets, Euston and Tooting
Drummond Street, just behind Euston station, has a historic connection with London’s South Asian community. The first grocers to open there were Patak’s in the 1958 – who went on to become a household brand. Ambala Sweet centre was another of the pioneers, now boasting outposts around the city in places like Tooting and Southhall. Their ‘samosa chaat with tamarind ilmi chutney’ is a festival of flavours and textures. Save space for a piece of classic pistachio burfi (Indian milk fudge) with your change. ambalafoods.com/ambalasweets/
Bao, Borough Market
The take-away kiosk outside Bao in Borough Market almost always has a line – and for good reason! Everything on their takeaway menu is astonishingly tasty, and a bargain price at that. The Fried Chicken Bao with golden kimchi and hot sauce – served in a playful sesame ‘burger bao’ – is a wonderful combination of crunchy, tender, pillowy, tangy and spicy tastes. Or try the ‘Fried Horlick Ice-Cream’ for a deliciously nostalgic treat. You can also click and collect if you want to avoid the queues. baolondon.com
MyPixxa and Malletti, Farringdon
These two Roman square ‘al taglio’ pizza institutions are located minutes from each other in Clerkenwell and both cook up some of the best slices in the city. MyPixxa’s potato and truffle, sausage and scarmorza, and mortadella and mozzarella pizza sandwich are especially delicious. Whilst at Malletti the Salciccia Cipolla is the pizza slice to go for – Italian pork sausage, onions and mozzarella, or try their roasted aubergine and courgette focaccia. mypixxa.com, instagram.com/pizzeriamalletti/
Bun House, Chinatown and Brick Lane
This Chinatown institution now also has an outpost at the very end of Brick Lane. The sight of their giant bamboo baskets – overspilling with clouds of hot white steam – is always a joy to behold. Their fluffy bao are deeply filled with lamb, pig, veg or beef; the hau gau prawn and bamboo shoot dumplings are morsels of folded perfection; their mala waffle fries are smothered in addictive numbing-salt; and their squirty egg custard bun is a fun sweet treat to end with. The lemongrassy yellow chicken-curry bun is a real highlight. bun.house
Old Chang Kee, Covent Garden and Goodge Street
The Singaporean curry puffs at Old Chang Kee are some of the most flavourful savoury pastries anywhere in the city. The signature chicken curry puff is the one to go for. It’s filled with spiced chicken, potatoes and boiled egg – made to a secret recipe, so coveted that it’s locked away in a bank vault! There’s also a spicy ‘mala’ version which has the additional of mouth-tingling Szechuan pepper sauce. For a sweet treat, try their new Kaya Puffs – filled with fragrant pandan coconut jam. oldchangkee.co.uk
Ta’mini Lebanese Bakery, Russell Square and Fulham
This family-run Lebanese bakery – with outposts in Russell Square and Fulham – is centred around freshly baked breads, wraps and cookies. Everything they make is packed with flavour using mainly Lebanese ingredients. Try the za’atar manakish flatbreads, the herby bulgar tabbouleh or the mini halloumi-feta cheese bites. The highlight is the baked to order kafta wrap – with minced beef and lamb, onion, parsley and Arabic spices. taminilebanesebakery.com
Dumpling Shack, Spitalfields
The crispy bottomed shengjianbaos – pan fried soup dumplings with pork – at Dumpling Shack’s shiny Spitalfields kiosk are as tasty today as they were when they first launched years ago in a rickety tent on Broadway Market. The menu now includes wonton noodles, spicy dan dan noodles and crispy spring onion pancakes, but those dumplings remain a highlight. Always order extra chilli oil and remember to pierce them first with a chop-stick to let the steam escape – the insides are piping hot! dumplingshack.co.uk
Japan Centre, Piccadilly
The sushi fridges at Japan Centre – in a back street right behind Piccadilly – are a brilliantly overwhelming place to browse; complete with abundantly filled fridges of freshly prepared sushi rolls, sashimi and perfectly triangular onigiri. However, the hot deli counters are even more exciting – with things like karaage chicken, tonkatsu udon noodles, katsu curries and donburi rice bowls all available for very reasonable prices, to dine in on their communal benches or to takeaway. The okonomiyaki stick is a perfect bite – a pancake stick with octopus, tangy brown sauce, nori seaweed dust and umami rich bonito flakes sprinkled all over the top. Ask them to warm it up, it’s even tastier hot! japancentre.com
Check out more London restaurant guides here:
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Best restaurants in Mayfair
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Best restaurants in Brixton
Best restaurants in Notting Hill
Best restaurants in Battersea
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