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Must-try affordable eats [London]

What are the must-try affordable (most entrees no more than $20) eateries/restaurants in London? I will be there for 6 months and I want to get the best the city has to offer--from ethni food to signature items...I'd appreciate any and all advice :-)

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  1. Roughly where will you be spending most of your time please? It might be a help for starting some recs.

    1. New Tayyab's behind East London Mosque for the best Pakistani kebabs and curries.

      1. They are not sit-down eateries, but I love trying different buns from the bakeries in Chinatown. You can usually get a couple for 2.50 GBP (under $5.00) and make a meal of them. I can't give you specific names. I usually just walk through Chinatown until I see something that looks good.

        1. I hope people notice you wrote $20 and not £20. We (even me) often misread the amount. That comes to almost £12 by today's exchange rate.

          1. We love Hummus Brothers, on Wardour Street in Soho.

            The greek salad with feta is my absolute favorite, and when they have the asian pork I get that.

            5 Replies
            1. re: dexters

              Also in Soho on Wardour street, Princi the new Italian bakery operated in conjunction with Alan Yau is very good. Try their pizza, simple Italian food or just cake and coffee.

              For cheap Vietnamese food head to Kingsland road in East London.

              I second the Tayyabs suggestion.


              1. re: Gourmet Chick

                Finally tried Princi this week. It was wonderful. I had a mixture of two salads: fennel and orange & farro salad with tomatoes, green beans and onion.
                Also had spinach & ricotta pastries, and a bottle of water for under a tenner.

                I'll be going back to check out the pastries next!

                1. re: dexters

                  I was there about 2 weeks ago and went off my diet a bit to have some delicious hot aubergine dish. I love this place!

                  1. re: zuriga1

                    Princi has great food and drinks agreed. What annoys me is the free for all system they have for getting served. I would go much more if there was a simple ticketing system where you are called up when they are ready to take your order. The current system is stressful and really detracts from the overall experience for me.

                    1. re: Phase_uk

                      I heartedly agree with you Phase uk about the way food is served. I've been lucky and am usually there for an early lunch, and there isn't even a line. It would annoy me greatly to go through the chaos that probably prevails later on.

                      This week I ate at a well-known NYC spot and it was better organized and seemed to work despite many customers and very little waiter service tables. Let's write to Princi and complain!