Image by Peter Hoffer

To enjoy top quality pizza, I find that one needs to look beyond the pizza chains and all-you-can-eat buffets that litter central London. And don’t even get me started on those places that hold overpriced stale pizzas with rubbery cheese under the heating lamps – it’s a pizza travesty!

When I have a pizza craving, I hop on the London Underground and travel to the west London neighbourhood of Chiswick. Making a 40-minute journey solely for a pizza may sound odd to some, but once you experience the sourdough pizzas of Franco Manca, you’ll make the journey as well.

What makes the pizza so tasty is the focus on quality ingredients. While other pizzerias may smother their pizzas’ crusts with a mountain of ingredients, Franco Manca has enough confidence to gives its soft sourdough crust the starring role. The cheese, mozzarella and ham toppings are all locally sourced, and they never overwhelm each other – each bite is a perfect harmony of Italian flavours.

An added bonus to any visit to Franco Manca is the price. Pizzas start at only £4.50 – less than half of what you would pay at most of the pizza chain restaurants. It’s quite possible to have a pizza, a glass of wine and an espresso without breaking a ten pound note. 

There are also branches of Franco Manca in Brixton Market and in the new Westfield Shopping Centre in Stratford, but this will always be my local (albeit a 40 minute journey).

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Franco Manca | Restaurants (Pizza) | Pizza £ 4.50
144 Chiswick High Road, W4 1PU | South-West | +442087474822
12:00 – 23:00 daily

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Image by Phoebe Ferris-Rotman

During the day people bring their laptops or books and work, read and drink coffee sprawled over one of the many mismatched sofas or lounge chairs. At night tea candles are lit and hot drinks are swapped for alcoholic drinks as people unwind and meet friends in what was once the Old Truman Brewery in Brick Lane (check the Brick Lane article). In summertime, people swamp to the outside picnic benches and the alleyway, though there is always a lovely cosy feel inside.

The boho and versatile venue opens at a very early 06:00 for breakfast and soups, jacket potatoes and sandwiches are on offer for lunch and dinner. Live music attracts a younger crowd with indie bands on Tuesday and jazz on Wednesday. Bands play in the smaller room at the back on Sunday and a dj spins tunes on Friday and Saturday.

Cocktails made with fresh fruit are available on the weekend and all year round you can grab a burger or corn on the cob from the grill stand outside. Tables and benches outside in front are great for people watching or smoking.

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Café 1001 | Bars, Coffee & tea, Music, Snacks, Restaurants (intern.)
1 Dray walk, 91 Brick Lane | East | +442072479679
Mon – Sat 06:00 – 00:00, Sun 06:00 – 23:30

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Image by Phoebe Ferris-Rotman

Abeno Too is a fantastic find in the centre of London next to Leicester Square tube station. The small restaurant has a few tables but the best seat is at the large circular bar. While most people associate Japanese food with sushi, Abeno Too serves the other side of the cuisine. You won’t have heard of many dishes, but that’s part of what makes this sweet simply decorated restaurant so intriguing.

Their specialty is the delicious ‘Okonomi-yaki’, a savoury pancake made of cabbage, egg, dough, spring onions, ginger and a ‘tempura’ batter. You can choose extra ingredients such as tofu or prawn, and it’s fried right in front of you on metal hot grills.

They also have a great selection of hot and cold sake which is served in a ‘masu’, a traditional wooden box. The staff are very friendly and welcoming, and eager to advise on food choices and answer questions.

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Abeno Too | Snacks, Restaurants (Japanese) | Prawn Okonomi-yaki £ 9.80
17-18 Great Newport Street | Central | +442073791160
Mon – Sat 12:00 – 23:00, Sun 12:00 – 22:00

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Image by Phoebe Ferris-Rotman

Little Bay calls itself a bistro, which fits well with the cosy tavern-like setting. The décor is faux royal – gold painted banisters and ornate picture frames are ubiquitous. But there is no pretension. Red dripping candles in wine bottles adorn every table and copies of centuries’ old masterpieces have been lacquered on to the tabletops.

The layout of the restaurant is very unique. There are semi-hidden tables, some which are suspended in the air with their own staircase. You can find very intimate seating and romantic coves, but also open wooden booths. There are two other larger rooms attached next door so the restaurant can accommodate large groups.

While the atmosphere is great – the place was packed on a Thursday night – the food is even better. Or perhaps the price of the food is. If you dine before 7pm a two-course meal only sets you back a measly £7.50. Dishes range from pan-fried fillet of salmon with crashed new potatoes and avocado coriander salsa to char-grilled lamb steak with honey-glazed vegetables and green peppercorn sauce. There are plenty of vegetarian options too.

There are four Little Bay restaurants in London. Check out their website for more information.

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Little Bay Kilburn | Restaurants (European) | Pan-fried fillet of salmon £ 5.25
228 Belsize Rd | North-West | +442073724699
Mon – Sat 12:00 – 00:00, Sun 12:00 – 23:00

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Image by Phoebe Ferris-Rotman

If visiting Queen’s Park and need a big breakfast to cure your hangover, Jack’s is the perfect spot. It’s a small café in the style of an American diner which serves all-day breakfasts, sandwiches, burgers, soups and salads. What makes Jack’s stand out from most cafes is the bottomless cups of coffee and tea; only a handful of places across London offer it.

Thick ice-cream milkshakes, pancakes made from imported batter mix and real maple syrup make it distinctively Yankee and it’s no wonder, as the owner’s wife is half American. At night candles are lit, alcohol is served and burgers, salads and daily specials are served. It has recently expanded to include a back room and also currently has a patio which is one of the area’s highlights in the summer.

The prices are reasonable and the location, just down the road from Queen’s Park means you can walk off your fry-up in a picturesque setting.

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Jack’s | Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Breakfast) | English breakfast £ 4.95
101 Salusbury Road | North-West | +442076248925
Mon – Fri 07:00 – late, Sat 08:00 – late, Sun 09:00 – late

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Image by Phoebe Ferris-Rotman

On a street in Kensal Rise where there are four Indian restaurants practically next to each other, Bawarchi stands out as the top quality contender. Recently reopened after being redesigned into a sleeker and seemingly more upmarket restaurant, but the prices hardly reflect it. I ate here with another person and we each had a drink and the total was only £24. We ate vegetarian, but still, the prices are very low for the quality of the food.

I recommend the Begun Fry, whole baby aubergine cooked whole in a spicy tomato and onion sauce. Their Bhindi Jeera, stir-fried okra with cumin seeds and onions is the greenest okra I’ve seen in an Indian restaurant. Usually you can’t distinguish the vegetable due to overcooking and excess sauce. Their side rice dishes are delicious. The garlic rice has fresh and cooked pieces of garlic with onions and spices.

The service is fast and mains range from a reasonable £4 to £10. No wonder they were a winner of the Archant London Food & Drink awards in 2008 for best restaurant.

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Bawarchi | Restaurants (Indian) | Begun Fry – vegetable side £ 2.50
68 Chamberlayne Road | North-West | +442089609608
Sun – Thu 12:00 – 14:30 & 18:00 – 00:00, Fri – Sat 12:00 – 14:30 & 18:00 – 00:30

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Image by Kake

Just off the bustling Oxford Street is Hari Krishna run Govinda, a delicious and healthy vegetarian Indian cafe. While there are posters everywhere inviting you to “join the party”, luckily there is no other type of religious propositioning, and the focus is just on delicate flavours and fresh food.

Aside from the salad bar, food ranges from veggie or paneer (Indian cheese) burgers to onion bhajis, mango lassis and sesame covered spinach rolls. The best deal is the Thali though. Thalis are a selection of little dishes on a tray. For £7.50 you can choose two curries, a rice, bread roll or popadoms and sweet chutney.

Service is efficient and fast and the place offers a nice respite from the chaotic nature of London’s biggest shopping street.

Picture by Kake Pugh

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Govinda Restaurant | Snacks, Restaurants (Indian) | Thali £ 7.50
9-10 Soho Street | Central | +442074374928
Mon – Sat 12:00 – 20:00

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Image by Phoebe Ferris-Rotman

Finding this hidden delight came down to a turn of the head. Wandering down to the Young Vic theatre from Blackfriars bridge I saw an obscure street on my left and then spotted Mar Terra, a traditional Spanish tapas restaurant and bar, beaming like a beacon of light at the end of an ally. To stick around in such difficult-to-find surroundings is a testament to its success.

There are plenty of Spanish tapas places in London but they can often be overpriced or poor quality. Mar Terra has a delicious range of authentic tapas made with the freshest ingredients. The décor is unpretentious, with just a few images of pretty Spanish destinations, staff are very attentive and prices are reasonable.

If it’s busy, it’s nice to sit at the broad wooden bar and sip on a sangria before being seated. And the building has a past. It was originally called the ‘Hop Pole’, built in the mid 19th century for the Southern Railway Company and was a pub before it became Mar Terra in 2000.

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Mar Terra | Restaurants (Spanish) | Tortilla £ 3.70
14 Gambia Street | Central | +442079287628
Mon – Fri 12:00 – 23:00 (cold food only 15:00 – 18:00), Sat 17:00 – 23:00

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Image by Phoebe Ferris-Rotman

This laid back cafe serves a varied selection of vegetarian and vegan food. The savory selection ranges from sandwiches, soups and deli items such as homemade hummus and pates.

There are also delicious hot mains like vegan lasagna, roast Mediterranean bake and spinach, tofu and spelt tartlet all served with your choice of three hot or cold sides such as edible flower salad, red cabbage or broccoli and kale.

The food is very tasty and filling, yet at the same time super healthy, and it’s no surprise that many of the dishes include super foods like goji berries and guarana.

A selection of fresh juices from the smoothie bar gets you salivating while the desert counter boasts vegan cashew-based homemade vegan ice cream with fruit, muffins, flapjacks, cupcakes and truffles.

In the evening, classic cocktails, wine, beer and cider is served and the location is lovely. The bright and airy space in the heart of Camden, with nearly half its walls in the form of large windows, has a gorgeous view, overlooking the canal. Watch out for live music and DJs in the evenings as well.

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inSpiral Cafe, Bar & Lounge | Bars, Music, Relaxing, Snacks, Restaurants (Veg) | Meal £ 7.45
250 Camden High Street | North-West | +442074196798
Mon – Thu 10:00 – 22:00, Fri – Sat 10:00 – 02:00, Sun 10:00 – 23:30

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Image by Phoebe Ferris-Rotman

‘Pan Asian’ cuisine has come to be the norm in London, with chains like Wagamama, Tampopo and various spin offs the somewhat recent craze has created. While Busaba Eathai calls itself Thai, the menu begs to differ, with items like ‘Chinese broccoli with garlic and shiitake mushrooms’ it definitely spans further than Thailand on the culinary map. Jasmine smoothies and asparagus fried rice are a couple of the unique combinations you can find at this buzzing Soho eatery.

The stylish low-lit restaurant has large square wooden tables that fit 8 people, operating in a shared table policy. The service is quick. If you are alone or with a friend and want a great view people watching, take a seat in the front and watch Soho’s rich demographic walk by.

Located in the centre of Soho on Wardour street, Busaba Eathai celebrates its 12th anniversary this year. Its overwhelming success has also spurred two fellow central locations off Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Street.

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Busaba Eathai | Restaurants (Pan-Asian) | Pad Thai £ 7.20
106-110 Wardour Street | Central | +448712238021
Mon – Thu 12:00 – 23:00, Fri – Sat 12:00 – 23:30, Sun 12:00 – 22:00

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