🇬🇧 London Food Guide

London absorbed the world’s cuisines faster than almost any city on Earth — Bangladeshi curry houses, Caribbean takeaways, and Michelin-starred everything sit blocks apart, making the question 'what’s English food' almost beside the point.

Signature Dishes

Food Districts

£3+

Budget From

Greater London, England

Region

Must-Try Dishes

What to Eat in London

The essential London dishes — from street food to signature plates.

🐟

Fish and Chips

£8-14

🍳

Full English Breakfast

£8-15

🥩

Sunday Roast

£14-22

🍗

Chicken Tikka Masala

£9-16

🥟

Cornish Pasty

£3-6

🌭

Bangers and Mash

£9-15

🫖

Afternoon Tea

£25-65

🥩

Beef Wellington

£20-35

Food Districts

Where to Eat in London

The neighborhoods with the most interesting food scenes — ranked by Otto.

🍛

Brick Lane

East London’s curry house strip and a Sunday bagel tradition that predates most of the curry houses.

🛒

Borough Market

London’s oldest food market — 1,000 years of trading, now packed with artisan producers and street stalls.

🍜

Soho

Chinatown, ramen bars, and some of the city’s most relentless restaurant turnover.

🌍

Peckham

South London’s most exciting new wave — West African, Caribbean, and natural wine bars side by side.

Food Guides

Otto's London Articles

Deep dives into the food culture, street food scenes, and local secrets.

🍛

Brick Lane Curry Crawl: Beyond the Tourist Trail

Where East London actually eats its curry.

CurryEast London

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🛒

Borough Market: A First-Timer’s Eating Guide

1,000 years of market history, mapped stall by stall.

MarketHeritage

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🍳

The Full English: Regional Variations Explained

How the fry-up changes from Yorkshire to London.

Deep DiveBreakfast

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🌍

Peckham’s Food Renaissance: What’s Actually New

South London’s most interesting under-the-radar food scene.

EmergingSouth London

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Food Knowledge

Things to Know Before You Eat

The insider context that changes how you experience London's food culture.

🍛 Curry Is Basically a National Dish Now

Chicken tikka masala was reportedly invented in Britain, not India, and curry houses are as woven into London’s food identity as fish and chips.

🫖 Afternoon Tea Has Strict Etiquette

Scones first with jam then cream (Cornish style) or cream then jam (Devon style) — locals take a side on this more seriously than visitors expect.

💸 Budget Reality

Fish and chips: £8-14. A curry house dinner: £12-20. London is one of the most expensive food cities in Europe, but the sheer variety unlocks options at every price point.