If you happen to have a spare tenner, hot foot it down to one of these London restaurants, which are taking sympathy and serving up menus for less than £10
1 Lido Café, Brockwell
Every Wednesday, choose between The Lido Café’s signature burger or the healthy low cal burger, both for only £10. The signature dry aged rare beef burger is served in a brioche bun with hand cut, twice cooked chips and your choice of beer or soft drink, while the Beet Burger is a beetroot and feta burger served with a green salad and detox smoothie. The offer is available every Wednesday in January. thelidocafe.com
2 The Bonnington Café, Vauxhall
The Bonnington Café is a co-operatively run vegetarian and vegan restaurant in the Bonnington Square Community Centre in Vauxhall. Better still, it’s extremely affordable, with starters and desserts all £3, and main courses all £8. And as if that wasn’t enough music to your ears, The Bonnington Café is BYO, it does charge a 50p donation per person for glass hire though. bonningtoncafe.co.uk
READ: South London’s best vegetarian restaurants
3 Franco Manca, Brixton, Chiswick, South Kensington, Southfields, Balham & Clapham
The doughy pizza company has spread far and wide since its humble beginnings in Brixton Market just a few years ago. Now you can get your hands on a wood-fired sour dough pizza almost anywhere. Pizzas start from as little as £4.50 for tomato, garlic and oregano and even the fanciest of toppings will only set you back £6.95. Wine is good value too at £3.50 a glass. francomanca.co.uk
4 Silk Road, Camberwell
The average spend at Camberwell Chinese restaurant Silk Road is about £10 a head. But don’t be put off by its cheapness, Silk Road has built up a loyal following of diners who go for the unusual Chinese dishes that branch away from Cantonese staples and into those from north-west frontier province of Xinjiang. Dishes include signature noodle and stew pots, as well as some very spicy options too. 49 Camberwell Church Street London SE5 8TR (No website)
5 Ping Pong, Westbourne Grove, Southbank
If you’re particularly hungry, prices at dim sum and cocktail restaurant Ping Pong can add up, unless you know about the excellent value set menus. Costing £12.50 (ok so a little over budget) for meat-eaters and £9 for vegetarians, the menus feature a mix of steamed and fried dumplings, rice dishes and an iced tea. If you want to push the boat out, work your way through the entire menu on Sundays with Ping Pong’s all-you-can-eat Lazy Sumdays for £21.95 per person. pingpongdimsum.com
6 Sea Cow, East Dulwich
Sea Cow is a great local fish and chips shop that serves up delicious seafood dishes made using sustainable ingredients. Way more than just a chippy, the menu lists the likes of seared tuna rolled in cracked pepper & coriander, with baby salad greens and wasabi mayo, and seared salmon, with baby salad greens, and lemon & soy dressing. Everything can be eaten in or taken away – with prices for the latter starting from £7.50, plus children eat for free on Saturdays and Sundays until 4pm. theseacow.co.uk
8 Bone Daddies, Kensington
The newly-opened Bone Daddies in High Street Kensington’s Wholefoods is an ideal place for a January meal. Steaming bowls of ramen will warm you up and make you feel virtuous, as they’re full of health. Bowls start from £9 and the portions are generous. bonedaddiesramen.com
8 Good Life Diner, Islington
Good Life Diner is all about simple pleasures, particularly, if like the editor of Angel Resident, you like Red Stripe – it comes on tap. Burgers, hot dogs, milkshakes and craft beers are all on the menu here and start from £7. Hangovers are also well catered for; breakfast is served all day, and includes French toast, buttermilk pancakes and the Hungry Man Breakfast (basically a sexist full English), for £9.50. goodlifediner.com
9 Brgr.co, Chelsea
Who’d have thought you could get a meal for less than £10 in the Royal Borough? But it’s true, you can. Hot on the heels of its Soho branch, Brgr.co opened on Chelsea’s King’s Road last year. Burgers, hot dogs and delicious ice cream Sundays are the name of the game and start from £5.45 for the Original Blend – cheese is an extra £0.99 and there is a plethora of sauces and an excellent selection of fries, including chilli, cheese, crunchy and truffle. brgr.co
And the £20 feast…
10 Big Easy Bar.B.Q and Lobstershack King’s Road
Get a whole fresh lobster or 1lb lobster roll served with fries, house salad, free slushie cocktail or ice cold schooner of craft lager or ale for £20. For carnivores, there’s ‘The Big Pig Gig’ on Mondays: limitless barbecue food and a schooner of craft beer for £19, or ‘Limitless Hog Roast’ Wednesdays for £18. If that’s too steep for this time of year, Big Easy also does a £9.95 lunch menu that includes two courses and either a margarita, glass of wine or a beer. bigeasy.co.uk
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