Cheap food, restaurants and eats in London: Best dishes under £10

Living in London adds up and it’s all too easy to spend oodles on the capital’s foodie fodder.

Still, tightening the purse strings doesn’t mean you can’t treat yourself to a tasty little something every now and then.

For those who've already munched their way through the city's best dishes under £5, below are more fantastic dishes you can get for less than a tenner, listed in no particular order.

If you’re eating on the cheap, here’s where to spend it wisely.

Lamb Offal Flatbread at Black Axe Mangal – £7.50

Black Axe Mangal has quite the USP. This restaurant dedicates itself to two things: cooking Turkish-influenced food in a traditional mangal oven and the delights of heavy metal music, which can frequently be heard over the sound system. Regardless of your musical tastes, you should keep your eye out for the offal flatbread; a spicy, citrusy herby ode to nose-to-tail eating, this dish is so good it’s the only one to be on the menu everyday.

156 Canonbury Road, Highbury, N1 2UP, blackaxemangal.com

Bacon Naan at Dishoom – £5.60

A contender for the best breakfast in London, this is a bacon sandwich to be reckoned with. Dishoom’s Indian-style take on the hangover classic sports Ginger Pig bacon wrapped in a freshly baked naan and smothered with just the right amount of cream cheese and chilli chutney. Mornings really don’t get much better.

Across London, dishoom.com

Miso Aubergine at Chicama – £9

A vegetarian treat that packs an indulgent punch, this seriously delicious dish from Chelsea’s Peruvian outpost Chicama is a must-try. It’s part of a sharing menu, so not quite a full meal, but is quite the addition to any selection from Chicama's roster. Stacked layers of silky aubergine are slathered in a rich and almost creamy miso sauce. Complete with sweet pecans on top, you'd happily eat this for starter, main and dessert.

383 King's Road, Chelsea, SW10 0LP, chicamalondon.com

Lardo, Anchovies and Picos at Sabor – £7

Former Barrafina chef Nieves Barragan Mochacho struck out on her own earlier this year, opening Spanish restaurant Sabor to some significant acclaim. Tapas is top notch here, naturally, and those looking to enjoy it Spanish-style up at the bar should choose this as a snack. Opt for salty anchovies with strips of silky lardo – seriously good.

35-37 Heddon Street, Mayfair, W1B 4BR, saborrestaurants.co.uk

Steak at Flat Iron – £10

For those in the know, Flat Iron is a hero of the cheap eats scene, selling its house steak for just £10, salad included. At this price, you expect offal, but in fact, the meat is reliably tender and juicy and certainly worth every penny of a tenner. The even better news? You can now pick it up at any one of their five locations across the capital. Look out for their gorgeous burger, too, which is a special but usually the same price.

Across London, flatironsteak.co.uk

Steak Frites at The Beefsteaks – £8

Can steak get any cheaper than £10? It can indeed, as street market master The Beefsteaks is on a mission to “democratise steak” with its £8 steak and frites offering. Juicy strips of grass fed beef are served over triple cooked chips at their numerous docking points – find them at KERB Gherkin, KERB West India Quay or Maltby Street Market, depending on the day.

Across London, @thebeefsteaks

Beef Brisket at Smokestak – £5.50 or £9

​Smokestak know how to handle a fire. These giants of the London barbeque scene do some seriously good things to meat, including producing slab of their mouthwatering, slow-smoked, treacly beef brisket, which comes towered up in a roll with fresh chilllies. Pick up a small portion for £5.50 or go all out for only £9.

35 Sclater Street, Shoreditch, E1 6LB, smokestak.co.uk

Cacio e Pepe at Padella – £6.50

Unless you fork out for smoked eel, everything at Padella is under £10. It’s part of the reason why there is always a queue for this tiny London Bridge eatery, but mainly, Londoners come for the superb pasta. This obscenely simple dish comes with a sauce made largely of butter, parmesan and lots and lots of pepper. The secret is all in its silkiness – bellissima.

6 Southwark Street, Borough Market, SE1 1TQ, padella.co

Chilli chicken ramen at Tonkotsu – £10

While it’s tempting to have ramen every day, a big bowl of noodle soup is never needed more than when a tad under the weather. A crystal clear soup (quite different to the eponymous pork broth it also sells) this ramen is simultaneously hearty, fiery and refreshing – the ultimate winter warmer. It’s one of the cheapest options on the menu, but it’s also one of their best.

Across London, tonkotsu.co.uk

House fry at Chick’n’Sours – £9

Yes, there is plenty of fried chicken in London that's less than £9 but few of those options can rival Chick’n’Sours expert offering. Meat comes in their stonkingly crunchy crumb, the succulence is balanced by the zingy, refreshing flavours that pepper Chick'n'Sours' Asian-influenced menu. In the House Fry, a drumstick and thigh is teamed with a dusting of nori (they call it “seaweed crack”) and a portion of watermelon.

WC2, E8, chicknsours.co.uk

Jackfruit carnitas tacos at The Spread Eagle – three for £10

Not only is it getting easier to be vegan in the capital, it’s also getting a lot more fun. Club Mexicana serve up the food at the capital’s first vegan pub, where a host of South American style treats go animal product free. These “carnitas” tacos are made with jackfruit instead of pork but are gloriously hearty, satisfyingly textured and they pack a mean punch in the spice department.

224 Homerton High Street, Homerton, E9 6AS, thespreadeaglelondon.co.uk

Edamame steak tartare at Bistro Mirey – £9

This West London bistro arrived quietly to the capital’s restaurant scene earlier this year but its steak tartare is certainly something to shout about. The summation of chefs Gerald Mirey and Ko Ito French-Japanese mash-up, the dish is a delightful mix of Californian beef bavette, fresh edamame, black sesame, ginger and sriracha chilli sauce.

98 Lillie Road, Hammersmith, SW6 7SR, bistromirey.com

Marinara at L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele – £7.90

If a pizza is good enough for Napoli, it’s good enough for you. The pizza at L’Antica Pizzeria Michele is not just “good enough” back home – the original restaurant is a celebrated institution in its native Italy and has even been described as "the best pizzeria in the world" (Eat, Pray, Love had something to do with that). In its London outpost, you can pick up a large marinara for £7.90. Perfect simplicity.

125 Stoke Newington Church Street, Stoke Newington, N16 0UH, facebook.com

The Ari Gold at Patty & Bun – £8.75

There are many burgers in London, most of which fall easily within budget. Still, if you’re going to make the most of that £10 note then head to Patty & Bun, where the Ari Gold burger offers all your favourite burger trimmings with the just the right amount of ooze. This cheese-topped beef patty comes with pickled red onions, salad, and both ketchup and P&B mayo.

Across London, pattyandbun.co.uk

Braised oxtail canelones at Rambla – £5.00

Rambla received a rave five star review from Fay Maschler when it opened last year, and with good reason. This little corner of Catalonia in Soho serves up Victor Garvey’s superb studies of Spanish cuisine, including a wonderful dish of braised oxtail canelones with cheese cream and caramelised onion for £5. If you’re willing to spend a little more, the lamb chops are gorgeously flavoursome, with a bracing touch of salt, and come in at £9.50.

64 Dean Street, Soho, W1D 4QG, ramblalondon.com

Falafel kebab at Le Bab – £9

You didn’t think we’d leave you without a kebab, did you? Le Bab wrap up the kebab game in stylish fashion at their popular Soho restaurant. They may not be open at 3am, but they do serve up soft grilled meats in fresh-out-the-oven flatbreads, with homemade pickles. Vegetarians are in luck with a very tasty falafel option that comes in at £9.

Top Floor, Kingly Court, Carnaby Street, W1B 5PW, eatlebab.com