Cheap London Restaurants

Owned by Tony Kitous – the man behind Levant, Pasha and Kenza – Comptoir Libanais canteens and delicatessens focus on home-style Lebanese cooking. You can pick from a menu of reasonably priced dips, meze, flatbreads, tagines, wraps, salads and cakes. Drinks include mint tea served in small tea glasses and a range of homemade lemonades.

Vegetarian eatery Diwana is renowned for its bhel poori – a puffed rice dish served with small plates of samosas, dhals and chutneys. If you're feeling hungry, you can order bhel poori as a starter and then go for one of the more substantial vegetable curries and thalis as a main course.

Located in the heart of Covent Garden, Food For Thought offers a daily changing menu of simple, nourishing vegetarian food, with vegan and gluten-free options. Since the restaurant opened in 1974, the menu has evolved to reflect the popularity of Asian, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavours.

Franco Manca in Brixton, Chiswick or Westfield London is the place to go for good value pizza – simple varieties start from £4.50. The pizzas are made from slow-rising sourdough and baked in a wood burning brick oven made by artisans from Naples. This locks in the flour's natural aroma and moisture, resulting in a nice soft crust.

The great American hamburger has acquired some cool of late. Posh hamburger joints are popping up all over town. With burgers starting at £6.55, Gourmet Burger Kitchen offers great value. As well as the usual beef, chicken and veggie choices, there are more unusual varieties like the buffalo burger.

At Masala Zone's colourful restaurants, you can experience tastes from all over India. The chain champions Indian street food, serving an array of small plates that can be eaten either as a starter or as grazing food. Thalis, served on a metal platter covered in different dishes, are another speciality.

At Mestizo Restaurant and Tequila Bar you can choose from grazing dishes like guacamole and quesadillas, as well as a huge range of tasty tacos, with fillings including cactus leaf with tomato, chopped roast pork, beef marinated in beer, and strips of poblano pepper in cream. Main dishes include chicken or duck in a spicy mole sauce.

Italian eatery Stringray Café in Highbury is a local favourite, where you can get pizza or pasta for around £6 and lunch with a soft drink for £6.50. Its sister branch in Tufnell Park does a three-course meal with a glass of wine for a very reasonable £12. There's also a branch in Columbia Road.

You'll find branches of Tas dotted across London, each offering an affordable array of Turkish Anatolian cuisine. Think meze, sizzling grills, warming casseroles and fresh fish. Look out for special deals such as the two-course meal for £9.95, or share dishes from the well-priced group set menu.

Kingsland Road in Shoreditch is home to a string of authentic and inexpensive Vietnamese cafés. One of the area's hotspots is Viet Hoa, a tasty all-rounder that's always busy. Try the delicious Viet Hoa noodles topped with hot and sour peanut sauce and lemon leaves, or the drunken fish cooked with white wine and cloud ear mushrooms.

Vijay's Chawalla is a popular vegetarian restaurant in East London's Green Street, which serves a range of South Indian, Gujerati and Punjabi food. Chana masala (chick peas in a spicy sauce, served with pooris and salad) costs just £4.50 and thalis are around £7. Vijay's is also known for its masala tea with ginger and spices.

With around 30 branches in London, it won't be hard to find a Wagamama. Slurp your way through a healthy range of noodle dishes, soups and rice-based meals that won't break the bank. This noisy, bustling canteen is perfect for all occasions, from a Friday night out to a weekend lunch with the kids.