How can I eat inexpensively while in London?

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Scotch Tape

You heard correctly, London is very expensive, however, eating doesn't always have to be. Any supermarket in London (Tesco, Safeway, Marks and Spencer, etc.) has sandwiches ready to go for a small cost (under Â£2). These sandwiches and other materials you can buy for picnics are an inexpensive way to make lunch. You also have the benefit of being able to enjoy it wherever in the city you choose, such as one of the many parks and squares in London.

Another way to spruce up your picnic and sample some local produce is to purchase some inexpensive fruit and veg from one of London's many markets. Portobello Road market in Notting Hill has an excellent selection.

Food in pubs is not usually too expensive, even in London. Pub grub is a great way to experience local cuisine and eat inexpensively. For great meal offers on pub food check out JD Wetherspoons' pub chain. You can find info and pub locations here: http://www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/ There are several throughout London. They have inexpensive meals and 2 for 1 specials if you're traveling with a partner.

For less traditional food London is full of fast food joints, pizza places and delis where you can grab something quick and inexpensive to hold you over. Enjoy your trip! Cheers!

l'etoile

Indian food is delicious and cheaper, try going to Brick Lane and eating anywhere there.
Also, Wagamama's chain has huge bowls of ramen for a decent price.
Plus, there are lots of cheap little Kebab shops you can go to.
Pret a Manger is a sandwich chain which is everywhere and is quite good and cheap; best for lunch since there's nowhere to sit usually.
Lastly, little sandwich shops are the best and are scattered all over the place. You get a huge sandwich to go with your choice of filling and a cup of tea really cheaply. You can walk down the street and eat it. Fantastic.

keith r

The best way to find good, cheap food (or really to just enjoy the local culture anywhere you go) is to venture a couple of streets away from the major tourist areas, which are always really expensive and not authentic, and follow the crowd of locals. If a local place is packed with locals, you know its good. London is full of small pubs and eateries which are relatively inexpensive. Of course, with such a terrible exchange rate right now, even the cheapest places in Europe are expensive for Americans right now, so just pay attention to the small things, like snacks and stuff, and try avoid buying these at tourist traps, go to a grocery or market. And treat yourself to one great meal. After all, you travelled half way around the world. Don't spend a week eating fish and chips!

Ruby B

Not everywhere in London's expensive! Depends just how tight your budget is... if it's really tight (we're talking a meal for under Â£4) then there are the usual fast-food type places like McDonalds, Subway, BurgerKing, KFC... Also lots of coffee shops like Costa Coffee, Starbucks etc costing a bit more.. there will be lots of little cafes around varying in price from cheap-but-slightly-dodgy to overpriced.... But middle of the road resturants where you can get a meal for about Â£15 each include ASK, Prezzo, Pizza Hut (bit cheaper), Nandos, Pizza Express, Frankie & Bennies, Fatty Arbuckles....
I'm sure you'll be fine! There are resturants around every corner.

Paco

I assume you want to eat well and not just fast food.
(1) Traditional meals in pubs can be wonderful, filling and reasonable. If it says gastro-pub it will be more expensive.
(2) Harrod's famous food halls are a good place to eat.
(3) Indian food is usually less expensive, but the price range can be huge.
(4) Eat some of your meals standing up. You can get some excellent fish and chips or jacket potatoes.
(5) Gordon's Wine Bar is the oldest wine bar in London. It's next to the Charing Cross train station in the center of London. They have excellent cheeses and snacks for a good price.
(6) Since it can be very expensive to sit down and eat a good meal in Covent Garden, may I suggest "Sofra" which has wonderful Turkish meals for a lot less than most places. I didn't have any trouble, but there are some people who have complained about their service.I would bring a copy of their website where they promise to replace anything that is not satisfactory. The turkish equivalent to Tapas is called meze or mezze (Arabic, Ù…ÙŽØ²Ø©, Greek mezÃ© (Î¼ÎµÎ¶Î).

BOO.

You could buy sandwiches from mini-supermarkets (tesco express, sainsbury's local etc) that will be cheaper than going to a restaurant or a cafe, and they're all over the place. For bigger meals go to chain pubs like Wetherspoons - they have certain meals that are cheaper on certain days.

Nae

avoid picking food up at train stations or high tourist areas.
Just down the street from the victoria train station is a wonderful little bakery and cafe, eat light and healthy.

cali_goodin

buy food and cook it yourself and don't eat out

brennalaus

I just got back from doing London on the cheap. I ate most of my meals on the go, so I got really familiar with Pret (Ã Manger)- fairly inexpensive, yummy sandwiches and things. I swear, they're everywhere. If you want a sit-down meal, go Indian or eat a chicken shawarma somewhere, they're pretty cheap. Oh, and I had to have some fish and chips--come on, it's practically a requirement--and it was inexpensive.