How do you make a cheap dinner even cheaper in London? By adding three magic words: Bring Your Own. This refers to drinks—also known as BYOB—but the former is more welcoming to those who don’t want booze. There are a couple of things to note: BYO can sometimes be restricted to specific weekdays, and not all of the places that offer it are cheap. But we’re not interested in the pricey options, read on to find BYO restaurants in London without corkage and for £20 and under.
Persepolis
A tiny cafe inside of a shop in Peckham, serving up Persian veggie food. Their Snackistan menu is designed for sharing from classics like meze with warm bread for £7.50 (for two), daily hotpot with rice and yoghurt for £7.50 and baked sweet potato filled with Persian baked beans and haloumi. While you’re there, peruse items form aubergine corers to Backgammon boards and even evil-eye jewellery. You can buy cheap spices and sauces if you want to cook your own Persian feast at home.
Cost: £7-£10
Tayyabs
This Punjabi restaurant in Whitechapel has been in business since 1972 and is somewhat legendary in London. You can do the Brick Lane curry barter-thon, or just head straight here. Expect things to be busy, (early dins or advance booking is advised) but you’ll be rewarded by cheap, delicious food. Pair your BYO drinks with their signature fiery lamb chops, or veggie curries like tinda masala (baby pumpkin) as well as different types of dhal and rotis.
Cost: £10-£20
Little Georgia Cafe
The Hackney branch of Little Georgia is still corkage-free BYO (alas, none of that at the bigger Islington restaurant). Close to Broadway Market, and decked out in with artefacts and artwork from the former Soviet country. Georgian food has a range of influences from neighboring cuisines; nip in with your swag from the offy for hearty plates like Pelmeni (seasoned meat dumplings) or the excellently named Snazzy Beans.
Cost: £7-£10
Hurwundeki
Not only is this place in Bethnal Green BYO, it’s actually a three-in-one combination of Korean café, restaurant and hairdresser. The hairdresser is next door (side note, you can drop in for a quick haircut for less than £20).
During the day Hurwunkdeki is a café and becomes a restaurant by night. A weird business model yes, but you can’t knock cheap Korean classics like bibimbap and bulgogi, mandu dumplings and jeon pancakes.
Cost: £5-£15
