Fans of queuing wait till 1pm, but those with sense in their heads grab lunch at midday. It’s a banality to write that London has an almost infinite choice of places to eat. And long gone are the days when a sandwich was your only lunchtime option. Anyone who invested in salmon farms or edamame plantations must surely be a millionaire by now, given the rapid growth of the sushi and salad sectors.
Meanwhile, hot food is also on the rise as a lunchtime option: countless soup shops, chickenmeisters, Thai kitchens and rebooted Italian takeaways now do a roaring trade. The biggest trend of all has seen parades of street-food vans clustering into market areas, selling everything from gourmet burgers to artisan cupcakes.
A final trend has seen a rise in novelty gimmick eateries. In the past couple of years, Londoners have enjoyed two cat cafés, a rat café, a cereal café and one offering brunch for dogs. At the time of writing, there’s talk of an owl bar in Soho, where diners share their tables with birds of prey. Such places might raise a smile, but they also tend towards the ephemeral, so are not listed here.
Whitecross Street Food Market
Whitecross Street, EC1Y (Old Street)
Whitecross Street is among the largest and best established of the street-food markets. Every weekday, 30–40 stalls open up to serve hot food to the hungry workers. You really have to get here at noon unless you’re prepared to queue. Vendors tend to stick around, with everything on offer from venison burgers (Wild Game Co.) to burritos (Luardos). The early time slot will also bag you a table in The Two Brewers pub, mid-way along the street, which lets market customers take their food inside as long as they buy a drink. The Barbican’s lakeside terrace is also a short walk away, and always has free tables.
Scandinavian Kitchen
61 Great Titchfield Street, W1W 7PP (Oxford Street)
Is it a shop? Is it a deli? Is it a café? No, it’s all three. This permanently trendy Scandi outlet can get a little crowded, but that’s all part of the fun. Our north European brethren know how to do breads and cheeses, and the rye bread is especially delish.
Nincomsoup
7–8 St Agnes Well, EC1Y 1BE (Old Street)
St Agnes Well is the official name for that slightly awkward set of cafés and shops beneath the Old Street roundabout. Businesses come and go here, but Nincomsoup has been trading for years – a pioneer in the resurgent soup scene, and the best named by far. It serves up six different concoctions every day, with veggie, meat, fish and exotic options.
Café in the Crypt
St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, WC2N 4JJ
(Charing Cross)
A number of London churches have found a new source of income by converting their crypts into dining rooms or cafés. Even St Paul’s Cathedral is in on the act. Such spaces are always atmospheric and convivial, so long as your appetite is not troubled by the proximity to human remains. St Martin-in-the-Fields is the best of the lot, with its illuminated groin vaults and tombstone paving. I once read the whole of Dracula down here. The food is canteen-style with reasonable (for the West End) prices. Appetite sated, you can head into an adjoining room and try your hand at brass rubbing.
Gallipoli
102 Upper Street, N1 1QP (Angel)
I don’t have this as a confirmed fact, but I’d wager that Upper Street in Islington contains more restaurants than any other road in London. They change hands faster than anyone can keep track of, but this lovely Turkish café-restaurant has been around as long as I can remember. It can get very busy of an evening (a popularity that has now spawned two spin-off venues), so lunch is perhaps the best time to see it. I’d recommend the liver wrap for those who would, or the halloumi version for veggies.
MADE Bar and Kitchen
Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8EH (Chalk Farm)
The Roundhouse’s much-loved restaurant-bar is a classy but relaxed affair – it was no surprise to be seated at a table beside newsreader Jon Snow on one visit. Because it’s attached to one of London’s premier live performance spaces, things can get busy in the evening, pre-show. So slink by for a spot of lunch and enjoy the space at its quietest. The all-day fare is modern British, but I’d recommend the ‘Quick lunch’ options, which are a steal at £6.50. In the summer, head upstairs to visit the popular ‘Camden Beach’, a sand-topped roof with a cocktail bar.
M. Manze
87 Tower Bridge Road, SE1 4TW (Borough)
If you’re looking for a traditional Cockney lunch, then anything with Manze in the name is a good bet. At least five of these family caffs still enrich the streets of London. The Borough version is the oldest, and still looks the part with Edwardian tiling and original recipes. If I might be allowed a moment of mild iconoclasm, the traditional pie, mash and parsley liquor might be a little bland to the modern palate, but the experience – both authentic and charming – more than makes up for this. It’s cheap, too.
Brixton Market
Atlantic Road, SW9 (Brixton)
The various covered walkways and colourful streets that make up Brixton Market are gaining a reputation to match even Borough Market. The eastern-most section, known as Brixton Village, seems to win the most plaudits with foodies for its bewildering collection of small cafés and restaurants. I’ve seen people queuing in the snow for a seat at homely Thai café Kaosarn. Franco Manca’s sourdough pizzas on nearby Market Row proved so popular that the business has since expanded into an impressive chain, with 12 London restaurants and counting. I could go on, but the real joy of the market is to wander round and follow your whims.
Fridays are also your chance to catch a free classical concert. The London Symphony Orchestra plays inside the atmospheric old church of St Luke’s (Old Street) most weeks at 12.30pm. You can’t book – just turn up and walk in for a lunchtime musical treat.
Japanika
10 Hanbury Street, E1 6QR (Shoreditch High Street)
Most of the big sushi chains will serve up decent offerings these days, but you’re still better off going to the independents. One of my favourites is Japanika, right next door to Poppie’s Fish and Chips in Spitalfields. The £7.99 variety box is the benchmark by which I judge all other sushi shops.
The Gallery Café
21 Old Ford Road, E2 9PL (Bethnal Green)
It’s impossible not to fall in love with this homely-yet-bustling café. The green paintjob on the outside reflects the eco-friendly, sustainable business running on the inside, where all dishes are vegetarian or vegan and universally delicious. Lunch is the most relaxing time to visit, but pop by in the evening for live events, including quizzes and music. All profits are put back into the parent charity St Margaret’s House, as a final right-on touch.
The Alice House
53–55 Salusbury Road, NW6 6NJ (Queen’s Park)
I like the Alice House – obviously, or I wouldn’t be recommending it. In theory, it’s much like any other smart, modern bar-restaurant, with exposed brickwork and matching wooden tables. And yet it’s somehow more laid-back, lacking any pretension and serving as something of a community hub. You’d feel equally welcome with just a coffee, a full three-course meal or a pint of craft ale. The lunch menu offers various iterations of stuff-on-toast, well presented and well priced. A sister venue in West Hampstead does much the same thing, though suffers from too much popularity.
Electric Diner
191 Portobello Road, W11 2ED (Ladbroke Grove)
An American-style diner next to one of Britain’s oldest cinemas, the Electric is a long-time favourite of locals and those living further afield. Its welcoming booths and gently barrelled roof provide a cosy setting in which to enjoy US classics such as ribs, burgers, hot dogs and the currently ubiquitous pulled pork.
AT THIS HOUR:
Have you ever seen a bridge curl up into a ball? Head to Paddington Basin (Paddington) on Fridays at noon to see this remarkable feat of pontine dexterity. The Rolling Bridge spans a short water channel on the northern side of the basin. Once a week, someone presses a button, and it curls back in upon itself like some kind of steel caterpillar. It was designed by Thomas Heatherwick who is now more famous for the Olympic Cauldron, New Routemaster and Garden Bridge.