Heads up Cheapos, we’ve got something you’ll want to see – our pick of the best set lunch menus in Soho and Covent Garden.
In a world where prices seem to be increasing daily, going out to eat can be a conundrum. One one hand, you don’t want to shut yourself away in your flat and never do anything fun; on the other hand, costs can spiral quickly when your date wants a three-course lunch, or that one mate orders steak when everyone else has gone for pasta.
The solution? A good quality, great value set menu. You can budget in advance, then sit back and let everyone order whatever they like (just get to the wine list first). Our picks give you change from £30.00 (and sometimes even from £20.00) for a 3-course lunch.
Soho
Noble Rot
Fabulous restaurant on Greek Street on the former site of the Gay Hussar pub, a old favourite of left-wing politicians and prime ministers. With the kitchen now headed up by ex-Perilla Dining chef Áron Stigmon, expect accomplished seasonal British cooking with a twist.
It’s much-loved by foodies and wine buffs alike, as is the Lamb’s Conduit Street venue and the new Mayfair site; check out the Noble Rot book and latest magazine over the set lunch, which is ridiculously good value. Dishes change regularly but think salt hake salad to start, then sausages, lentils & mustard followed by apple tarte fine. Heavenly.
Price: 2 courses for £24.00, 3 courses for £28.00Available: Monday-Saturday 12-2:30pm
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Manzi’s
Known for its seafood dishes, Manzi’s also has a very attractively-priced set menu that runs all day and includes both meat and vegetarian options, so there’s something for everyone. Start with a Greek salad or veal polpette, then maybe an old-school chicken Milanese with pasta pomodoro or Levantine spiced aubergine with chargrilled broccoli, almonds & labneh. At this price you can afford to treat yourself to something sweet as well; perhaps a salted caramel delice or pannacotta with strawberries.
Price: 2 courses for £15.25, 3 courses for £19.50Available: Tuesday-Saturday all day
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The Devonshire
Possibly the most talked-about pub and restaurant this year, partly for what could well be the best pint of Guinness in London and the amazing vibe courtesy of landlord/co-founder Oisín Rogers and partly for the excellent dining rooms, overseen by ex Fat Duck executive chef and Devonshire co-founder Ashley Palmer-Watts.
Their bargain set lunch is a list of British classics done exceptionally well; prawn and langoustine cocktail, steak and chips then sticky toffee pudding. You’ll be hard put to find cooking of this quality anywhere at this price; the only problem will be getting a booking. They do take walk-ins though, so if it’s a sunny day and the roof terrace is open or you turn up closer to 2pm, you might get lucky.
Available: Monday-Saturday 12-2:30pm
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Maresco
If a Spanish restaurant serving Scottish seafood owned by a Glaswegian popstar and ex-record producer who left Hollywood to open a restaurant in Crouch End isn’t enough to tempt you, let me tell you about the food.
The set lunch gets you three tapas dishes – we like the crab croquetas with salsa rosa, chipirones (fried baby squid) and a classic pan con tomate. If you are dining with a friend, these are slightly smaller portions but you also get a main to share, such as fideua with Hebridean langoustine or halibut with black rice.
Price: Set lunch selection £23.00Available: Daily 12-3pm
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Kettner’s
Now part of the Soho House private members’ club but open to the public, Kettner’s has a glamorous history, from its opening by Napoleon’s ex-chef in 1867 to being frequented by Oscar Wilde, the Prince of Wales (later to become King Edward VII) and his mistress Lillie Langtry, and Winston Churchill – although not all on the same night.
Going back to its French Brasserie roots, the menu fixe offers a starter of, say, onion tart or duck liver pâté, followed by coq au vin or tuna niçoise then either their indulgent chocolate mousse or the cheese of the day. Ooh la la.
Price: 2 courses for £24.00, 3 courses for £29.00Available: All day
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The Palomar
Grab a seat at the counter for a dash of chef theatre with your lunch at this much-loved Middle Eastern restaurant in Soho. Start with labneh, tirshi & baba ganoush served with your choice of kubaneh or baharat, baby cucumbers with soy, tahini, fennel and candied almonds then chicken labanieh with yoghurt sauce, chilli butter and burnt onion. You can even add a mini martini for £5.00.
Price: 3 courses £28.00Available: Monday-Thursday 12-5:15pm; Friday 12-2:30pm
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Bocca di Lupo
The monthly-changing set menu at this Soho stalwart runs right through to pre-theatre, making it perfect for a later lunch.
The menu doesn’t offer choices but expect accomplished Italian cooking including regional specialities from across the country, like ricotta with house apple mostarda and this delicious Venetian risi e bisi. Add an affogato (hazelnut gelato & espresso) for dessert, remembering that they have their own excellent gelataria across the street.
Price: 2 courses for £18.00, 3 courses for £25.00Available: Monday-Friday 12-6:30pm
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Blanchette
This lovely old-school, shabby chic French restaurant is run by three French brothers and named after their mother. It is every bit as homely and welcoming as that sounds, with a resolutely classic menu to boot.
Their great value set lunch (and pre-theatre) menu starts with pork rillettes, pickles and mustard mayo or oeufs mayo, frisée salad and pickled mustard; for main, choose between French onion soup, Emmental and garlic bread or moules marinière, then a classically French mousse au chocolat.
Cheapo Top Tip: If you want to head back another time, the restaurant does an unusual but delicious cheese and honey pairing.
Price: 2 courses for £19.50, 3 courses for £23.00Available: Monday-Saturday 12-11pm
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Kolamba
This small independent, family-run Sri Lankan restaurant serves up a light and affordable rice and curry lunch to see you through the day. Start with a fish cutlet or vegetarian banana blossom pattie then a delicious rice and curry bowl with Ceylon chicken curry, jaggery beef, kalu pol pork or pineapple fry.
Price: 2 courses for £17.50Available: Monday-Friday 12-4pm
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Brasserie Zedel
Not quite the London icon it was before the recent change of ownership, Brasserie Zedel is still a lovely space and undeniable value for the centre of town.
The basic prix-fixe options include a starter of pea soup with mint crème fraîche, then the classic chopped steak Americain served with peppercorn sauce and fries, followed by chocolate & caramel tart. Alternatively, splash out on the formule menu and get a celeriac salad, either coq au vin or fillet of sea bream as a main and then lemon meringue tart to finish – plus a glass of house wine, beer or soft drink for £27.95.
Price: 2 courses for £16.95, 3 courses for £19.75Available: All day
WebsiteTime for a treat? These are a little over our benchmark of under £30.00 for three courses – but oh so worth it.
Berenjak
This lovely, laid-back Persian restaurant is inspired by the street cafes of Tehran and features flavour-packed sharing plates.
Your set meal features a clay tanoor-baked sourdough seeded flatbread, plus one of six mazeh options – coal cooked aubergine, garlic, tomato and cacklebean eggs perhaps, or corn fed chicken mayo salad with potato, egg, salted cucumbers and black truffle – then either a minced lamb or boneless chicken breast kabab, with house rice or a chopped salad.
(Oh, and if you’re feeling stressed, just click onto their website and move your cursor around. You’re welcome.)
Price: Set lunch selection £34.00Available: Tuesday-Saturday 12-3pm
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Lina Stores
This is a slightly more luxurious menu, hence the price. Think Black Angus beef carpaccio with lemon, rocket and Grana Padano to start, followed by pappardelle with lamb sausage ragù and chilli or the Tagliolini al Tartufo e Parmigiano: 30-egg yolk tagliolini, black truffle, butter and Parmigiano Reggiano. Dessert is their rich and creamy house-made tiramisu. They also have a deli on nearby Brewer Street, so you can stock up on all you need to recreate your lunch at home.
Price: 3 courses for £35.00, minimum 2 peopleAvailable: Monday-Thursday 12-2:30pm, Friday-Sunday 12pm until close
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Covent Garden
Balthazar
This Parisian-style French brasserie is the perfect balance of informal and stylish – and with a set menu deal that stretches from lunchtime into pre-theatre, you can have an equally traditional long lunch. If you are dining between 11am–3:45pm you get a complimentary 125ml glass of Côtes De Gascogne red or white wine to really set the mood.
There are three choices per course (plus two additional mains with a small supplemental charge): will it be the roasted celeriac soup with truffle crème frâiche and lemon balm to start, or the Balthazar seafood salad with poached squid, mussels, octopus and shrimp? Then the pan-fried red snapper with crushed new potatoes, green beans, lemon, herb and caper butter, or perhaps merguez sausages with couscous, golden raisins, fresh herbs and chermoula sauce? For dessert, surely the crème brûlée – but then, there’s warm chocolate brownie with Chantilly cream and caramel sauce? Decisions, decisions.
Price: 2 courses for £24.50, 3 courses for £27.50Available: Monday-Friday 11am-7pm
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Busaba
This casual Thai restaurant offers a weekday lunch deal where you can enjoy any rice bowl or Pad Thai from the menu for just £13.50, a saving of up to £4.50 – which means you can add a starter of som tam salad and still not go over £20.00. Rice bowls include Khao red pork, chilli prawn or chilli beef jasmine rice, while the Pad Thai comes with king prawn or chicken. Vegetarian versions available.
Price: 2 courses from £20.00Available: Monday-Friday until 4pm
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Flesh & Buns
Try this versatile Japanese izakaya-inspired restaurant where you can mix ‘n’ match your maki, yaki, buns and treats with their Sunakku menu.
Feast on spicy tuna maki, two robata-grilled chicken skewers with Japanese spices and spring onion and two bao buns (we like the crispy duck leg with plum sauce), then finish with their interactive S’more dessert – strawberry marshmallows, almond chocolate, graham crackers and a mini barbecue.
Price: 3 courses £30.00, 4 courses £35.00Available: Monday-Sunday before 6:45pm
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Cinnamon Bazaar
Inspired by the hustle and bustle of Indian bazaars, this relaxed venue is part of renowned chef Vivek Singh’s group and features pan-Indian, street-food style dishes with a blend of modern and traditional flavours.
Start with stir-fried shrimps, cracked pepper and curry leaf or a tangy vegetable samosa chaat before a main course of creamy paneer butter masala, jungle chicken curry or – our favourite – the lamb Rogan Josh shepherd’s pie. This last one has a £5.00 supplement; personally we’d forgo dessert for it, but you might be more tempted by the carrot and ginger toffee pudding or the pistachio kulfi.
Price: 2 courses £24.00, 3 courses £28.00Available: Daily 12-6:30pm
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Tandooor Chop House
Known for its spectacularly enormous Sunday sharing thali (which will consign 2 or 3 people to the sofa for the rest of the day to sleep it off), you can grab a significantly lighter, quicker weekday version for under twenty quid.
Choose between a chickpea chaat or cauliflower croquettes and then either the black pepper chicken tikka or the tandoor roasted cauliflower thali; both come with black dahl, kachumber salad and butter naan.
Price: 2 course thali £19.00Available: Monday-Friday 12-4pm
WebsiteTime for a treat? These are a little over our budget of £30.00 for three courses, but absolutely worth a look.
Royal Opera House
You don’t have to have a ticket for a performance to access this stylish restaurant and bar, which has a heated terrace overlooking Covent Garden piazza.
Treat yourself to cured salmon with a potato, cucumber and avocado salad and lemon dressing, followed by a chargrilled bavette steak with peppercorn sauce, or perhaps spiced monk fish with slow-cooked red lentils. Desserts include a buttermilk and honey cheesecake with fig compote, roasted rosemary figs and a spiced oat streusel. Classy.
Price: 2 courses £26.00, 3 courses £34.00Available: Monday-Friday until 2:45pm; excluding bank holidays and weekdays with matinee performances.
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Looking for something a bit special but still great value? Check out our list of Michelin-starred lunch deals. Maybe you’d rather eat a little later? How about one of London’s Pre-Theatre bargain set menus?
Finally, if there’s somewhere we’ve missed that you think we should know about, hit us up on Instagram – we always love a new Cheapo find!
This article was original published in November 2022. Last updated October 2024.
