Is three delicious courses for £30 a thing of the past? As costs for chefs and restaurateurs spiral out of control, the price of eating out has risen accordingly.
But don’t give up, especially halfway through the day. Lunch doesn’t have to be a completely forgettable grab-and-go.
Whether you’re looking for an hour of sunshine in a good pub, or three plates of food that will transport you to France or Italy – where they know how to take the time to eat a proper lunch – your midday break can be as unforgettably delicious as it is affordable.
There may be fewer options and the dishes may be a little simpler, but they are prepared by the same skilled chefs and with the same high-quality ingredients as on the more extensive menus.
And – a golden tip – it is often easier to get a reservation for lunch than for a table on a busy evening at the most sought-after places.
The best bargains can take a bit of searching, so we’ve done the legwork—or should that be lunch work?—for you. Pull up a chair and sit down for a real meal deal.
Go to:
London
Bocca di Lupo, Soho
Best for Italian hearts in the heart of London
An Italian institution in Soho, beloved for its amazingly good value lunch, which also runs all afternoon for theatregoers. It’s just £18 for a starter salad followed by pasta – perhaps a tangy mix of romaine, fennel and courgette in a fennel seed dressing, followed by rigatoni with guanciale, broad beans and heaps of pecorino. Add £7 for a dessert such as ricotta-filled cannoli and an espresso and you’re set for the afternoon. Closed from 4th August to 3rd September for refurbishment.
Café Murano, Bermondsey, St James, Covent Garden
The best for a little Angela Hartnett on your plate
The three branches of Café Murano, the informal offspring of Angela Hartnett’s glossy Mayfair flagship, Murano, prove that lunch with the regina’s delicious touch of Italian cuisine needn’t come cheap. In fact, it’s a bargain at £25/£30 for two/three courses with choice. Expect dishes such as tuna tartare with chilli and capers or deep-fried breaded sardines to dip in lemon aioli, then hand-rolled pici pasta cacio e pepe or sea bream with caponata, finished off with plum and almond tart with fior di latte ice cream.
Devonshire, Soho
The best for a pub-meets-restaurant… and that roof terrace
The refurbishment of this London pub – think dark wood, leather, cosy lighting, a roof terrace – is a smash hit, and the menu is a mega bargain. Neither the price nor the dishes change, leaving you with no decisions to make. Expect prawn and langoustine cocktail, steak and chips with béarnaise sauce, and sticky toffee pudding. It’s a trio of surefire classics, priced at £25 for two courses, £29 for three. Simple dishes, mega-well done.
Josephine, Fulham
The best for the savory flavors of Lyon
Claude Bosi’s stylish bistro is brimming with the culinary riches of his native Lyon, but for a lunch that’s both affordable and delicious, try the “menu de canut.”
Named after the 19th century Lyon silk weavers, it might start with lyonnaise salad, followed by black pudding and mashed potato, and end with an ethereal floating island. At £24.50/29.50 for two/three courses, there’s plenty of choice and you’ll be sampling food with Bosi’s Michelin-starred heritage.
Noble Rot, Mayfair, Soho, Fitzrovia
Ideal for wine lovers: the selection by the glass is impressive…
For a real bargain lunch in central London, look no further than this trio of informal, wine-led, French-style bistros: £22 for two courses, £26 for three. OK, so there’s no choice, but who needs that when you’re being offered summery piattoni green beans with goat’s cheese and hazelnuts, then sardines on toast with tomatoes and basil, and honey parfait with a brandy snap. It’s simple, changes daily, and won’t keep you on your toes all afternoon (unless, that is, the glorious wine list tempts you too much…)
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South East England
The Coach, Marlow, Buckinghamshire
The best for a star lunch at a bargain price
Fancy a Michelin-starred pub meal? Head to Tom Kerridge’s welcoming spot in Marlow during the week (except Tuesdays), where for £15 you can have a lunch of sweetcorn chowder with a twist of herby, garlicky chimichurri, followed by a classy take on ham and egg and pineapple (honey-glazed bacon, fried egg, grilled pineapple). Fork out another £7.50 for dessert, perhaps lemon fool with raspberry sorbet.
MJP at The Shepherds, Fen Ditton, Cambridgeshire
The best for stylish cooking in a relaxed environment – and for bedrooms too
In a peaceful village just outside Cambridge is Mark Poynton’s characterful pub-turned-restaurant-with-rooms. Stick to the ambitious tasting or a la carte menus, but for a simple, quick lunch try the prix fixe (£22.50/£30 for two/three courses with choice). You could start with crispy lamb shank, followed by roasted fish – coalfish or pollack perhaps – with a classic sauce, and finish with sticky toffee pudding.
Quince, Westgate-on-Sea, Kent
Best for uncomplicated cooking with vegetables and fruits
Seasonal bounties, mostly Kentish, are given a kiss of Mediterranean sunshine and little else – why tinker with good things? – at this gem of a restaurant just outside Margate. Pull up a table for lunch and find a brilliantly good value set menu (£26/£29.50 for two/three courses) that includes lamb terrine with fig chutney; confit chicken leg with mustard-dream vegetables; and blood orange and almond cake with quince sorbet.
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South West England
Seahorse Restaurant, Dartmouth, Devon
Best for dayboat seafood and Italian warmth
The menù del giorno at the Tonks family’s beloved restaurant on Dartmouth’s quayside started out as a local affair, but word spread. Here you can sneak in for £30 for three courses, with choice and deliciously anchored in seafood and Italy. You can toss pan-fried red mullet through saffron aioli for skate cheeks with lemon, capers and oregano or crispy whitefish and the house tartare sauce. Apricot sorbet makes a refreshing finale.
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East England
Watson & Walpole, Framlingham, Suffolk
The Best of Pasta from Chef Rob Walpole
Pasta calling? A firm favourite with those lucky enough to live in and around Framlingham, this nearby Italian restaurant serves a two-course lunch for just £21. On the July menu, fisso, burrata with grilled nectarines or a seafood salad presage the likes of homemade agnolotti alla gricia (guanciale) or paccheri with duck ragout and a portion of delicious courgette fritti. Desserts are extra, but the same team run an ice-cream parlour just up the hill from the castle.
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North West England
The White Horse, Churton, Cheshire
Best for pub classics and lots of choice
There’s a lot to love about Gary Usher’s collection of neighbourhood bistros and his one village pub. Pop in midweek for a ‘two for £20’ lunch deal that offers too much choice: pea and lovage arancini or sticky belly bacon with fresh leaves can get things going, then maybe a smoked fish pie or the White Horse half-pounder. Add honeycomb ice cream with dark chocolate sauce and lunch will still be well under £30.
Maray, Liverpool and Manchester
Best for casual and sunny tastes
Fun and friendly, these restaurants (on Liverpool’s Albert Dock and Bold Street, and in Manchester city centre) are the go-tos for a globally inspired menu. And for £18.50, there’s a great lunch deal. Choose a mezze starter – perhaps cauliflower bhajis with red pepper dip – followed by two larger dishes such as fenugreek fried chicken and chickpea dopiaza. Medjool date bread and butter pudding can round things off for an extra £7.50.
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North East England
Bouchon Bistrot, Hexham, Northumberland
The best for French country cooking
A firm local favourite – and for good reason. This welcoming slice of France in charming Hexham is a place to visit when you’re craving simple bistro classics. And when lunch can cost £23/£25 for two/three courses, with plenty of choice – and a roof terrace for sunny days – that’s even more reason to book. Start with poached smoked haddock with coarse mustard, for example, before steak frites and apple tart with cinnamon crème fraîche.
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Scotland
The Palmerston, Edinburgh
The best for a great meal in a perfect location
This handsome, light-filled Edinburgh spot packs café, bakery and brasserie into one city-centre spot to get to know. Head there during the week for a satisfying bistro-style meal – and a lunchtime menu for just £21/£24 for two/three courses. A recent visit featured tagliatelle with luxurious pork fennel ragù; and a choux pastry with strawberries and cream.
Number 16, Glasgow
The best for a cozy place and a menu full of crowd pleasers
An intimate spot and Glasgow favourite, Number 16’s loyal followers come for its relaxed, contemporary takes on classic dishes. They also come for its affordable lunches (£24/£30 for two/three courses). There’s a wealth of choice, but you might want to stick to smoked Scottish salmon with fennel and dill yoghurt, followed by rigatoni with ox cheek ragù. Those with a sweet tooth shouldn’t miss the chocolate pavé with malt ice cream.
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Wales
The Felin Fach Griffin, Brecon
The best for a taste of Wales and walks from the doorstep
You can have “Lunch for Less” at this beloved pub with rooms on the edge of the Brecon Beacons. The “less” means £25 for two courses, or £30 for three; the “lunch” might mean cauliflower and Caerphilly cheese soup, followed by lamb faggot, mash and cavolo nero, and finishing with bara brith tea bread with toasted milk ice cream. Perfect fuel for a hill walk.
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Prices correct at time of publication. Drinks and service not included.