You may be familiar with our guide to the best set lunches in London. However, we've noticed that the lunch prices have been getting ever higher of late, so here's our companion guide, highlighting the very best deals across town that don't break the £30 barrier.
Central London
Covent Garden
Henri
This Parisian-inspired restaurant inside The Henrietta hotel comes from Jackson Boxer (Brunswick House) and features classic French cooking through a modern lens.
Set menu deal: Two courses £26, three courses £30
Availability: Pre-theatre
Delamina Townhouse
This comes from the Delamina restaurant group (also in Marylebone and Shoreditch) and they're serving up Eastern Mediterranean dishes in a gorgeous old Georgian building just off the Covent Garden piazza.
Set menu deal: Two courses £27.50
Availability: Pre-theatre
Thirty7
Thirty7 comes from the Oystermen team and they see it as a neighbourhood restaurant and bar which goes beyond the seafood focus of before (although you will find oysters on the menu if you want to add on a few extras).
Set menu deal: Two courses £25
Availability: 12-6pm
Spring
Chef Skye Gyngell’s gorgeous restaurant in Somerset House prides itself on its seasonal produce and the set menu is a great entry-level opportunity to try her food.
Set menu deal: Two courses £29 (three courses £33)
Availability: Lunchtime, Tuesday – Friday
Mayfair & St James
Bistrot at Wild Honey
This is a spin-off from Anthony Demetre's Wild Honey (right beside that restaurant inside the Sofitel St James). It's a more casual affair, inspired by French bistros and seasonal ingredients.
Set menu deal: Two courses £24, three courses £29
Availability: 12-6.45pm
Noble Rot Mayfair
The Noble Rot team have another winner in Mayfair with this restaurant on Shepherd Market which also has two bars which are very handy for popping for snacks and a glass or two of wine. The set menu is also available in their other restaurants at the same price.
Set menu deal: Two courses £24, three courses £28
Availability: Every day
Bombay Bustle
This Indian restaurant is inspired by the street food of Mumbai Bombay Bustle, it has a menu that specialises in the city's most loved dishes.
Set menu deal: Two courses £29 (three courses £34)
Availability: Mon - Fri, 12pm - 2:30pm & 5:30pm - 6:30pm
Soho
Artusi Soho
The Soho branch of the popular Peckham restaurant brings a well-regarded Italian restaurant inside the Underbelly Soho building. They describe themselves as "unfussy, seasonal, Italian-inspired dining".
Set menu deal: Two courses £25, three courses £30
Availability: Until 7pm
The Devonshire
This is still the hottest restaurant (and pub) in Soho and it has one of the best set-menu deals too. There's a single set menu which has steak and chips as a main course. Now all you need to do is get an actual table.
Set menu deal: Two courses £25, three courses £29
Availability: All day
Maresco
This is a Spanish tapas restaurant that gets much of its seafood produce directly from Scotland and it's great for counter dining (or Soho people watching). The tapas options can include everything from pan con tomate to crab croquetas.
Set menu deal: £23, either as three tapas dishes for one, or three starters and a main for two.
Availability: Lunch & pre-theatre
The Palomar
Zoë and Layo Paskin's buzzy Soho restaurant is the perfect place if you want a lively lunchtime, and their set menu features Palomar classics like their Persian oxtail stew as well as new dishes from the team
Set menu deal: Three courses for £25.
Availability: Monday - Friday, 12 - 5.30pm
Manzi's
This seafood restaurant comes from the same group that runs The Wolseley and Brasserie Zedel. There are a few meal-deal options here, but this is the entry level where options at the time of writing include veal polpette and a bream fillet.
Set menu deal: Two courses for £15.25, 3 courses £19.50
Availability: All day, Tuesday - Saturday
Korean Dinner Party
In the heart of Carnaby you'll find this Korean restaurant which is aiming for an LA Koreatown vibe. The corndogs are top-notch and you can get one of those with this set menu, alongside KFC tacos and more.
Set menu deal: Two courses for £15
Availability: Lunchtime, daily
Blanchette Soho
Think French tapas and you’ve got the concept of this cosy Soho spot. The set menu is low on choices but features decent options - dishes could include moules marinière or peach pavlova.
Set menu deal: Two courses £19.50, three courses £23
Availability: Lunch and pre-theatre, Monday to Saturday
Bocca di Lupo
As one of London’s best Italian restaurants, any deal at Jacob Kenedy’s Bocca di Lupo is going to be well worth trying. In addition to the set menu, look out for a daily changing (and good value) lunch special.
Set menu deal: £18 for starter and main
Availability: Pre and post-theatre
Mele E Pere
Billed as an independent trattoria with a bit of Soho spirit, Mele e Pere’s set menu makes the most of vegetable-led Italian dishes with the odd meaty hit.
Set menu deal: Two courses including a glass of wine for £17.50, three courses £22.50
Availability: Lunch and pre/post-theatre, Monday to Friday and all day Sunday
Noble Rot
Both the Noble Rot establishments offer a very good value set lunch - which you could either use to save yourself money in general, or put the money you’ve saved to better use and hit up their excellent wine lists. The same deal is available in Bloomsbury and Mayfair.
Set menu deal: Two courses £24, three courses £28
Availability: Lunchtime, every day
Nessa
This is chef Tom Cenci's home in Soho, a bistro with a few notably very British touches. Those include dishes like his own take on Coronation Chicken or the Nessabocker Glory, both on the set menu, called the Nessa Express, at the time of writing.
Set menu deal: Two courses £28 (three courses £35)
Availability: Lunch and pre-theatre Tues to Fri, Lunch only on Saturday.
Fitzrovia
Arros QD
This is the London outpost for Michelin-starred chef and restaurateur Quique Dacosta and there's a big focus on paella For lunch, you can have three courses, or substitute the first two for a paella dish.
Set menu deal: Two courses £29 (three courses £34)
Availability: Lunch Monday - Friday
Norma
This is an Italian grand cafe-style restaurant from the people behind Mayfair's Stafford Hotel which centres on Sicilian cooking. Recent options here included Sicilian caponata and rigatoni with beef ragu and Grano Padano.
Set menu deal: Two courses £20
Availability: Monday - Saturday lunch and pre theatre
Lima
Take a culinary trip to Peru through the dishes at Lima which aims to showcase traditional Peruvian cooking through a modern lens.
Set menu deal: Chef's menu, two courses £28 (three courses £36)
Availability: Daytime, Monday-Saturday
Sushi Atelier
Sit up at the long counter at this central Japanese spot and enjoy a menu of modern sushi offerings - think yellowtail maki with truffle mayo. They have a range of set lunch and bento boxes, all with miso soup and a side salad.
Set menu deal: The Atelier Bento £29 includes two sashimi, three pieces of nigiri, four maki, plus pickles and a small starter
Availability: Lunchtime
Marylebone
28-50
The single remaining 28-50 in London is still one of the best wine bars in Marylebone and it has a pretty great value set menu too with dishes including tiger prawns and chicken supreme.
Set menu deal: Two courses £19.95, three courses £22.95
Availability: Lunch Monday - Sunday
Blandford Comptoir
This is a Mediterranean restaurant from restaurateur Xavier Rousset and there's always a special dish on the menu. At the time of writing that was a 6oz sirloin steak, with parmesan & truffle fries, oakleaf salad and salsa verde or peppercorn sauce.
Set menu deal: Dinner specials from £25
Availability: Dinner only
Zoilo
If you go to an Argentine restaurant for any meal, even a set lunch, you’ll probably want to know there’s red meat as an option and the set menu here doesn’t disappoint with dish options including carpaccio and beef and bone marrow burgers.
Set menu deal: Two courses for £24.90, three for £28.90
Availability: Thursday to Saturday
East London
Daffodil Mulligan (Old Street)
This Old Street restaurant is from Richard Corrigan, the top Irish chef who's also behind Bentley's in Mayfair. Here, options on the set menu include dishes like sugar pit pork with cabbage, caraway and smoked apple. Make sure to pop down to the basement pub for a quick Guinness too.
Set menu deal: Two courses £28, three courses £30
Availability: Lunch
Pearly Queen (Shoreditch)
This Shoreditch restaurant and oyster bar comes from chef Tom Brown and there's a "Chef's choice" option that will get you four small plates for lunch. Hopefully one of the excellent buttermilk oysters will be one of them (if not, add it on).
Set menu deal: Four dishes for £30
Availability: Lunch
Bibo (Shoreditch)
Bibo is from Dani Garcia, a top Spanish chef with Michelin stars to his name, and this is his tapas restaurant in the Mondrian hotel in Shoreditch. The "classics" menu is a set affair and it does feature dishes like his oxtail brioche.
Set menu deal: Six plates for £25 (£20 for the vegetarian version)
Availability: Lunch only
Leydi (City)
This restaurant from Selin Kiazim (previously Oklava) is inside the Hyde London City hotel and is a Turkish restaurant that takes its specific inspiration from Istanbul.
Set menu deal: Two courses £24, three courses £29
Availability: Lunchtime only
Kolamba East (City)
The sibling to Kolamba in Soho is in a much larger location, still focusing specifically on Sri Lankan cuisine and dishes remembered from the childhood of the founders.
Set menu deal: Two courses £25, three courses £30
Availability: Lunchtime only
Le Relais de Venise (City)
This classic French steak restaurant in The City is mainly all about its steak and chips and they're still offering one of the great deals in town. The same offer is at their Marylebone location.
Set lunch deal: Steak, chips and salad for £29
M Restaurant (City)
While you can go all-out at this grill restaurant, particularly on the wine and wagyu steaks, they have a pretty great value set menu too, which does include steak.
Set lunch deal: Two courses £30 (three courses £35)
Availability: Lunch only
Gunpowder (City)
This Indian small plates restaurant in the City features traditional family recipes with a modern twist. The Spitalfields branch features an express lunch option with dishes like their Kerala Beef Pepper Fry.
Set lunch deal: 2 courses £22, 3 courses £25
Highroad Social (Greenwich)
This is a neighbourhood restaurant in Greenwich which serves British-inspired food with a focus on local produce. The oysters are worth a look if you want to enhance your lunch.
Set menu deal: Two courses £19, three courses £22
Availability: Lunchtime
South London
Brunswick House (Nine Elms)
This Jackson Boxer restaurant close to Vauxhall tube is a place where the beautiful surroundings are more than matched by the menu which plunders the best of British and European produce.
Set menu deal: Two courses £23, three courses £28
Availability: Lunchtimes, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday
West London
Vatavaran (Chelsea)
This Chelsea restaurant is from Rohit Ghai, and it's an Indian restaurant that draws its inspiration from The Himalayas, with dishes like butter chicken with Kashmiri chilli on the menu.
Set menu deal: Two courses £25, three courses £30
Availability: Tuesday - Friday 1-4pm
Josephine (Chelsea)
Claude and Lucy Bosi's restaurant in Chelsea is modelled after a classic French bouchon with a menu full of French bistro classics and Lyonnaise specialities. The set menu has always been great value fo the area, featuring dishes like saucisson brioché or boudin noir with mash.
Set menu deal: Two courses £24.50, three courses £29.50
Availability: All day
Mignonette (Richmond)
This Richmond restaurant from chef John McClements is a French bistro that's known for great value even on the a la carte menu, but the set menu is an absolute steal.
Set menu deal: Two courses £20, three courses £23
Availability: Lunch, Tuesday - Friday
Glamarama Green (South Kensington)
One of the Daisy Green restaurants, this one is particularly handy if you're going to the local museums or the Royal Albert Hall. As ever, expect an Australian-inspired menu here and there's a big terrace for the summer months.
Set menu deal: One course and a glass of wine £20
Availability: TBC
Rabbit (Chelsea)
The Chelsea outposts of the Gladwin Brothers’ empire focuses on local and seasonal British dishes with a contemporary twist, so there might be tempura English marrow with sweet chilli sauce and a salted caramel chocolate torte on offer.
Set menu deal: Two courses £22, three courses £25
Availability: Lunchtimes
Colbert (Chelsea)
This former Corbin & King spot in Chelsea is a love letter to the French bistro and the perfect place to people watch on Sloane Square. The prix fixe is on all day and usually features salad to start and madeleines for dessert.
Set menu deal: Two courses for £24.75, three for £29.95
Availability: All day
The Holland (Kensington)
Former Oxalis supperclub chef Max de Nahlik is in charge of this Kensington pub and his regularly changing set lunch menu is as super seasonal as the regular menu offering.
Set menu deal: Two courses for £15
Availability: Lunchtime, Wednesday to Saturday
Mazi (Notting Hill)
The concept at this modern Greek restaurant in Notting Hill is all about sharing which extends to the set lunch here which is perfect for picking a range of plates for the table to devour.
Set menu deal: Two courses £24.95, three courses £29.95
Availability: Lunchtime Monday to Friday
Six Portland Road (Notting Hill)
The self-dubbed ‘little lunch’ at this neighbourhood spot in Notting Hill changes daily, so it’s great for popping back to try time and time again. Expect dishes with a Euro-influence that showcase the best seasonal produce.
Set menu deal: Two courses for £25
Availability: Monday to Saturday
Various locations
Bao
Each of BAO’s five London locations offers a BAO15 set menu where you can choose the components of a small set meal.
Set menu deal: A bao bun, a snack and a rice bowl for £15.
Availability: Times, days and menu options vary according to each restaurant.
Blacklock
Every Blacklock restaurant offers the now-infamous ‘All in’ option allowing you to order pre-chop bites, plus a mix of beef, pork and lamb skinny chops on charcoal-grilled flatbreads with a choice of side each.
Set menu deal: £27 per person
Availability: All day, every day
Tonkotsu
Even though they now have multiple branches across town, Tonkotsu pride themselves on making all their noodles, broths, katsu curries, gyoza and sides from scratch. The ramen is the big draw here, but there’s plenty more to enjoy too.
Set menu deal: Lunch-sized ramen or hirashi and a side £10
Availability: Lunchtimes
Hawksmoor
A normal trip to steak palace Hawksmoor can set you back a bit, but the set menu that's available in all their branches is particularly good value for money. As you might expect/hope that does include steak as the main course.
Set menu deal: Two courses for £30 (three for £35)
Availability: Lunchtinmes and early evenings
And if you're willing to stretch beyond £30...
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