East London Cheap Eats
Published: 3/2/2024
London has always been expensive, but recently it feels impossibly so. Are there any cheap eats left in this city? The good news is yes, if you look hard enough. Read on to find a range of London cheap eats across the east end.
London cheap eats for £5 or less
Dal Fiorentino, Hoxton and Shoreditch
Genuinely one of the nicest sandwiches you will ever eat. A taste of Florence in East London. Everything is prepared fresh on the premises including the homemade schiacciata bread, which is essentially a slightly thinner version of focaccia. Heavenly. There are heaps of regular-sized meaty, veggie and vegan options coming in at £5 or under. Our favourite is the Purgatorio if you're thinking meaty, Medici if you're not.
Lunch takeaway, open seven days a week.
2. Detroit Pizza, Spitalfields
This pizza is a warm pillowy hug. It will remind you of the Chicago Town deep dish pizzas you got in the 90s, only it is much, much better. A glorious pizza pie covered in a mountain of homemade sauce, pepperoni and crunchy melted cheese. £5 for the slice and enough to keep your hunger at bay for hours.
Dine in or takeaway.
3. OKN1, Hoxton
We chanced upon OKN1 Hoxton one rainy lunchtime when the queue for Dal Fiorentino was too long and couldn't get over the quality of food for the price. It's an award-winning training kitchen and restaurant for the next-generation of chefs, and many dishes are just £5. At the time of writing this includes the fish finger sandwich, slow roasted pork and OKN1 fish and chips. OKN1 don't charge a service charge, but if you can leave a tip it's appreciated.
Dine in. Lunch and dinner. Check the website for exact opening times. 
4. Falafel King, Petticoat Lane Market
There are currently two vendors offering gigantic falafel wraps for £5 on Petticoat Lane Market: Eye Falafel and Falafel King. Although Eye Falafel always has a huge queue, We've tried them both and prefer Falafel King. The latter serves the wraps with a peanut tahini sauce which edges it.
Weekday lunch takeaway.
5. Sud Italia, Spitalfields Market
£5 for an entire pizza folded up into a little pocket sandwich? Yes siree. It's easy to see why Sud Italia has gone viral on Instagram since its inception. Bringing a taste of traditional Naples to London, be sure to try the 'pizza portafoglio' next time you're in the area which is essentially a margherita pizza folded into a parcel.
Dine in (Spitalfields Market) or takeaway.London cheap eats for £10 or less
6. Sonora Taqueria, Stoke Newington
Since Sonora began life as a street food stall in London Fields, it's been drawing crowds far and wide for its authentic Mexican tacos at brilliant prices. It recently opened up a permanent spot on Stoke Newington high street. You'll probably have to queue and there aren't many places to sit so be prepared to take your food away, but these tacos are insanely good. At the time of writing you can get two tacos and a sauce for £10.
Limited seating and take out.
7. Marugame Udon, Spitalfields
This place pitches itself as the 'best value lunch in London' and although we wouldn't go that far, it is pretty good. The nice thing about Marugame Udon is you can dine in and the Liverpool Street location has plenty of room, plus you can help yourself to a variety of tasty toppings for no extra charge. Veggie noodle dishes start from £5.95, while meaty dishes start at £8.45. If you're on a shoestring, the tempura menu is worth checking out with options starting from £1.
Dine in or takeaway.
8. Troy Grocery, Dalston Kingsland Road
If you've been reading this line-up of carbilicious options and fancy none of them, you might enjoy a gigantic veggie salad box from Troy Grocery, laden with healthy ingredients. Choose a regular (£4.80) or large (£6.60) container and fill your boots with an array of five-a-day heroes, mezze-style items, plus pitta bread and fruit. We couldn't get a decent picture of the food at Troy, so you'll have to trust us that it's well worth a visit or check out their reviews.
Takeaway only.
9. F. Cooke, Hoxton
Pie, mash and liquor is an east end tradition that anyone living here should try at least once. F Cooke has been slinging pies since 1862 and sampling its hearty food won't break the bank. Enjoy a pie, with mash and 'liquor' (parsely sauce) and a soft drink for £10. Meaty, veggie and vegan options. Located right on Hoxton high street, watch the world go by as you eat.
Dine in or takeaway.
10. Papos Bagels, Dalston
To be completely honest, you can get more affordable bagels from Beigel Bake on Brick Lane. There, the bagels go for about £3.50-4. But if it's taste and craftmanship you're after then the quality of Papos is unmatched. Papos is run by two ex-New Yorkers, and these guys know how to make a seriously good bagel that dances between crispy and crunchy on the outside, and soft and chewy on the inside . All bagels are handmade on the premises and loaded with toppings such as cream cheese, capers and pickles, smoked salmon, cold cuts and all that good stuff. Priced between £5-9 depending on which bagel you opt for, Takeaway.London cheap eats for £15 and less
11. Nativa, Broadway Market
It's not the healthiest option, but if you love steak and chips then you have to try the Argentinian food stall 'Nativa' on Broadway Market in London Fields. They don't have an online presence but they're always at the market on Saturday's (sometimes Sunday's too) and £12 gets you a really decent portion of steak, chips, salad and chimichurri. The quality is exceptional for the price.
Takeaway.
12. The Crown and Shuttle, Shoreditch
This popular Shoreditch pub is probably better known for after work pints than food, but their lunch offer is something of an unsung hero. On Thursdays and Fridays, you can enjoy any big plate, plus a glass of wine, pint or soft drink for just £12.50. The deal is also on between 12-6 on Sunday. It's a dine in affair so grab a co-worker, mate or date who also loves a bargain and make the most of it.
13. Sager and Wilde, Bethnal Green
Sager and Wilde isn't somewhere you'd typically associate with a bargain but from Sunday to Friday between 5pm-6:30pm this restaurant offers a plate of homemade pasta with a glass of wine for just £12. We were super impressed with the quality of the pasta. S&G is best known for an amazing wine selection which didn't disappoint, either.
Dine in.
14. The Marksman, Hackney Road
Another place that doesn't automatically scream 'affordable' is The Marksman. Having just recently visited for a three course meal at £52, this Michelin star pub is definitely usually on the pricier side, which makes their Friday Worker's Lunch all the more sweeter. Every Friday, from 12-3ish they offer their dish of the day and a glass of wine, a pint or soft drink for £15. Last time I visited, I was served a huge helping of mussels in white wine, a portion of chips and a glass of white wine. Cracking value and really, really great food.
Dine in.
15. The Hoxton Hotel, Shoreditch
You can spend hours undisturbed at the The Hoxton Hotel which is both a blessing and a curse. On the upside it's a spacious and buzzy place to work with great WiFi, but the downside is getting served can be virtually impossible. If you can manage to flag someone down, enjoy sandwiches, toasties and grain bowls for £7. £15 will get you a club sandwich, fries and a drink, although note that service will be added on top.
Dine in.Thanks for reading!
If you liked this, check out our 💰 budget guide to Hackney.
