Here at London Cheapo, we’re proud to be part of one of the most diverse and exciting cities in the world. Food connects people, and experiencing other cultures builds understanding. That said, the only thing bigger than a flight's carbon footprint is its price tag - so here’s our resident food writer, Amanda David, on how to eat your way around the world without leaving London. A is for Afghan: Afghan Kitchen Family-run (like most places on this list), with the decor and menu both tending towards minimalist, this is a great place to try home-cooked Afghan dishes at very reasonable prices. The tiny restaurant gets a bit cramped when full, so I like to grab an early table. Islington Green Website: none B is for Bolivian: Jenecheru A favourite with Latin American locals, don’t miss their famed salteñas - Bolivian hand pies (think a large empanada) filled with chicken stew. One word of warning; these are the soup dumplings of the pastry world, so treat with caution to avoid spillage. The best approach is to hold it with the narrow end upright, bite into it cautiously and then slurp out the stew as you go. Walworth Website: none C is for Cambodian: Mamapen Soho pub The Sun & 13 Cantons has done it again as far as glittering food residencies goes; this time it’s Cambodian-born chef Kaneda Pen with Mamapen. While I am planning to eat my way through the rest of the menu I can recommend the addictive Khmer BBQ chicken, and the burnt chilli and pineapple dip that comes with the prawn crackers which is insanely good. Oh, and if you want an example of how organic fusion food works, the chef’s girlfriend (Jo Garner, pastry chef at Michelin-starred Mountain) is Scottish, hence the creation of cult dish Tattie Mince Noodles. Book ahead, as this one gets extremely busy. Soho, The Sun & 13 Cantons Website D is for Danish: KöD Steakhouse KöD means ‘meat’ in Danish and this swish steakhouse certainly does what it says on the tin. Quality is high, and matched by the prices. For a treat, go for the all-day set menu which will get you three courses: Köd steak tartare or smoked salmon and avocado, fillet steak with tomato & basil salad, fries and your choice of four sauces, plus crème brûlée with raspberry sorbet. Soho, City Website E is for Ethiopian: Andu Ethiopian Vegan Cafe This simple, welcoming restaurant serves up some of the best-value plates of food in town. There are six dishes available, which are all vegan; for the full experience go for the ‘Traditional’ set meal, which includes generous portions of all six dishes served on a tray with injera, a sour fermented flatbread with a pancake-like texture, for scooping. Hackney Website F is for Filipino: Lutong Pinoy I still miss chef Budgie Montoya’s Apoy which closed at the end of 2024, but you can get your Filipino food fix at traditional family-run restaurant Lutong Pinoy in Little Manila, Earl’s Court. Service is always friendly but can be a bit slow during busy periods, so adjust expectations accordingly; it’s worth it for the delicious home-style cooking. Earls Court Website G is for Georgian: Little Georgia There’s a larger site in Islington with its own wine list but I love the little sister in Hackney, which has the added plus of being BYO. Stay on brand by nipping over the road to the corner shop, which sells Georgian wine. If you’re not familiar with Georgian food, a good selection from the menu would be borscht (beetroot soup), khachapuri (freshly-baked bread with cheese), khinkali (large pork and beef dumplings) and lobio (a traditional bean dish). Hackney, Islington Website H is for Haitian Grill Shack & Tiki Bar Their Instagram feed is a series of celebrity cameos so they must be doing something right. Spoiler alert: it’s the food. My perfect lunch is the spicy, meltingly soft curry goat which just falls off the bone, the crisp-skinned jerk chicken and the Diri Djon Djon (mushroom rice with a slap of umami) but it's also worth trying traditional Haitian dishes like griot (fried pork) and tasso (marinated goat) as you're unlikely to find them anywhere else. Oh, and the cocktails are seriously punchy. Acton Website: none I is for Indonesian Pino's Warung Head over to Camden Market and street food stall Pino's Warung for authentic Indonesian flavours. Pino is the real deal; a native Indonesian, he has a gift for respectfully elevating classic dishes so they are the best versions of themselves. I recommend the chicken satay, bakso (Indonesian meatballs) and beef rendang, which are all excellent. If you want a sit-down restaurant experience, Pino also owns the very lovely Toba in St James's Market. Camden, St James's Website J is for Jamaican: Peppers & Spice It's a question that all foodies ask themselves, particularly when travelling, as they look through an unfamiliar menu: WWBE? Which stands, of course, for What Would Bourdain Eat? Happily here we know exactly, as this much-loved local takeaway spot featured in Parts Unknown, where The Kills guitarist Jamie Hince and Bourdain ordered saltfish callaloo, vegetable patties and mutton curry with rice and peas. Who am I to argue? (Do watch out for bones in the meat dishes though.) Dalston Website: none K is for Kurdish: Baban’s Naan A real Cheapo favourite, Baban's Naan is a tiny hole-in-the-wall takeaway that serves up freshly-baked naan from a tandoor oven; you can either buy them plain for your next curry night (trust me, it's a game-changer) or as a wrap, around a range of generously-sized fillings. The falafel is my top pick, both for flavour and price. Finsbury Park Website: none L is for Laotian: Lao Cafe Saiphin Moore may be best known as the founder of Rosa's Thai restaurants but her family originally came from Luang Prabang in Laos; growing up in a farming community in northern Thailand, she learned to cook at an early age to help feed her family. Originally opened as a pop-up, Lao Cafe has now been a Covent Garden fixture for over a decade. Lao cuisine has four key flavours: salty (fish sauce), sweet (palm sugar), sour (lime juice) and spicy (chillies). Try the Laotian papaya salad (you can dial the spice up or down as you prefer), char-grilled skewers with sticky rice, and a curry, where the familiar Thai coconut milk is replaced with handfuls of fresh herbs. Covent Garden Website M is for Malaysian: Roti King The OG branch in a Euston basement is still my favourite - quirky one-hit order system, perma-queues and all - but you can get exactly the same delicate freshly-made roti and rich, warming curries (mutton and chicken are my favourites) from the other sites. Watching the rotis being spun, stretched and folded is alluringly hypnotic. Euston, Waterloo, Battersea, Spitalfields Website N is for Nepalese: The Laughing Yak Head over to Dalston for momos (dumplings), thukpas (noodle soups) and chatamaris (a rice and lentil pancake topped with tomato chutney and mozzarella - kind of like a Nepalese pizza). The Laughing Yak is founded and run by Nepalese chefs, so is authentic in all the right ways. Hackney Website Note: the only country that begins with O is Oman, and the only Omani restaurant in the UK is in Cardiff, so that sucks for us Londoners. I looked for traditional Omani dishes like shuwa (marinated and slow-cooked meat) or harees (a pounded wheat porridge with chicken or lamb) in London restaurants but couldn't find anything authentic - please do let me know if you have any recommendations. So, with more than a dash of poetic licence . . . O is for Omakase Omakase is a Japanese term which translates as 'I leave it up to you'; in other words, you let the chef choose what you eat - kind of like a personalised set menu. There are some exceptional omakase in London, but they also tend to be eye-wateringly expensive. Happily there are some at the more Cheapo-friendly end of the admittedly pricy scale, including this one at Sushi on Jones at for 12 courses which manages to keep both the intimacy and quality of an omikase without jeopardising your rent. King's Cross Website P is for Peruvian: Tierra Peru Run by two Peruvian brothers, Tierra Peru serves up traditional food; not just ceviche, but some harder-to-find dishes such as lomo saltado (stir-fried beef), aji de Gallina (chicken in a piquant creamy sauce) and picante chalaco (a spicy seafood stew with aji amarillo). Wash it down with a Pisco Sour or a Cusqueña beer brewed in the foothills of Machu Picchu and you could be in Peru. Islington Website Q is for Qatari: Basta Restaurant Qatari food is all about sharing, so take some friends. While the grilled meats, Majbous aboy aloud (a slow-cooked, lamb biriani-like spicy rice dish) and Madrouba (chicken with a spicy rice porridge) are all tempting, I feel I should mention that they also serve classic Qatari breakfasts until a hangover-friendly 2pm. Think shakshuka, foul (mashed fava beans) and a selection of sweet and savoury small plates including fluffy khubz tannour (flatbread), cheese, labna, olives, honey, gaymar (thick cream) and jam. Mayfair Website R is for Russian: Zima Russian is another cuisine that can turn out to be somewhat spenny, what with all the caviar and whatnot. So hooray for Zima's weekday set lunch, which for just will get you a bowl of borsch, some pelmeni sibirskiye (Siberian dumplings) with beef and chicken, and traditional Olivier salad with chicken and salmon roe. Soho, Notting Hill Website S is for Syrian: Imad’s Syrian Kitchen If you get a chance to read about Imad's journey then do, as it's a heartwarming and inspiring one; it is detailed in his cookbook, of which you can get signed copies online and at the restaurant. Imad's is in Kingly Court, a pretty, fairylit courtyard in Carnaby which is also home to the wonderful Darjeeling Express (in fact he took over the original site when Asma and co. moved to Covent Garden; now they both have larger sites in the same square). Expect generous, flavour-packed dishes perfect for sharing and scooping; I haven't made it to the breakfast there yet, but I hear very good things. Carnaby, Soho Website T is for Tunisian: Tunisian Street Kitchen I may not always wholeheartedly welcome advice about having a more healthy lifestyle, but a Mediterranean diet is something I can totally get on board with. The brunch offering here is epic (and served on very Insta-friendly tableware); think Ojja Merguez (eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce with Tunisian lamb sausage), foul (creamy fava beans) and bread with honey, jam and chamia, a sweet tahini spread. Waterloo Website Note: my initial thought for this was Sidi Bou in Ealing Broadway, but now they only do pop-ups and catering; if you are in the area they are still worth a visit for the shop selling all manner of Tunisian goods. U is for Ugandan: Jambo Restaurant Where can you get a meat, fish or vegetarian stew for , two meat or veg samosas for or a huge platter of charcoal-grilled chicken or goat cutlets, lamb or chicken spring rolls, marinated cassava chips and plantain with home-made chilli sauce that generously feeds two people for ? Jambo, that's where. And if you are already a fan of East African food (or you're feeling adventurous), then the Taste of Uganda buffet is a whistle-stop tour of 8-10 favourite local dishes at the ridiculously bargain price of . Tottenham Website V is for Venezuelan: Arepa & Co. A classic Venezuelan street food, arepas are crispy pancake-like cornbread stuffed with a range of fillings including black beans, fried plantains, avoocado, pico de gallo and cheese, along with shredded beef or chicken. Think burrito vibes, but Venezuelan flavours; best eaten with your hands. Haggerston, Bethnal Green, Brixton, Elephant & Castle Website W is for Welsh: There are some outstanding Welsh chefs in the capital - take a bow Tomos Parry, Tom Simmons and Bryn Williams, amongst many others - but I’m not aware of a restaurant serving Welsh food (please let me know if I’m wrong!). So, with a slight swerve, here instead are my top three places to eat Welsh rarebit in London: St John Unapologetically, deeply savoury, the cheese topping is bolstered with the customary Worcestershire sauce, English mustard, butter and beer - in this case, Guinness - and a pinch of cayenne. Iconic. Smithfield Website The Pelican Welsh rarebit is a staple on their bar snacks menu, but all the food here is exceptional. The featured pies are next level while their mince on toast is the ultimate comfort food. The pub has a lovely vibe too. Notting Hill Website Norman’s Cafe Café prices for classic dishes by chefs with Michelin-starred backgrounds, plus a cult Instagram feed. No wonder it's a hipster favourite, but don't let them have the whole place to themselves. It's an Aladdin's cave of simple retro classics done exceptionally well. Tufnell Park Website X is for Xi’an: Xi'an Biang Biang Noodles Yes, I know it’s a Chinese city, not a country, but we’re getting to the pointy end of the alphabet here and there are no countries beginning with X. Also it gives me the perfect excuse to point you in the direction of Xi’an Biang Biang Noodles (and sister restaurant, Xi'an Impression) for which you will be forever grateful. Their hand-pulled belt noodles are thick, chewy and irresistible, whether bright with spicy chilli sauce or mellow with lamb and cumin; add a portion of the liang pi (cold skin noodles) for a real noodle feast. Covent Garden, Spitalfields, London Bridge, Gloucester Road Website Y is for Yemeni Bab Al Yemen Choose between a standard table and chair combo or traditional Arabian-style floor seating at this welcoming culinary oasis in West London. Dishes to try include saltah (a spiced meat stew), mandi (steamed meat with rice, herbs and spices) and masoob (banana and bread pudding). Barons Court Website Z is for Zimbabwean Exceline Whilst I don't think there is a restaurant in London that is exclusively Zimbabwean (please correct me if I'm wrong), curious Londoners and homesick Zimbos can find a couple of classic dishes at Exceline. Go for the mazondo (cow foot stew - absolutely full of collagen btw) with sadza, a cornmeal staple. Leytonstone Website Fancy asking our food writer for recommendations or setting her a challenge? Our Instagram DMs are open for suggestions on what you'd like to see covered next!
A Cheapo's guide to London
A Cheapo's guide to London
A Cheapo's guide to London