Quick bites in London

Where to grab a quick, cheap meal in London

The two big standbys for traditional British fast food are, of course, fish-n-chips and (slightly less quick, since you sit down and order) pub grub. Both of those get their own pages.

Any place that advertises "take away" does take-out—particularly popular at London's numerous curry joints (Britain's large population of South Asian heritage has blessed it with some excellent curry joints).

Kebabs and pita wraps

Leicester Square/Piccadilly and Edgware Road are the easiest places to grab a Döner kebab (a pita wrap with spiced lamb and a picante sauce), felafel, or other vaguely Middle Eastern street food from a hole-in-the-wall joint.

Cafes at major sights

You can save a lot of time by combining your sightseeing and your luncheons.

Several of London's museums and sights have extremely good cafeterias or restaurants on the premises, so that you don't have to leave the museums at lunchtime.

You may want to plan on a meal in the Tate Britain, the National Gallery, or the excellent Cafe in the Crypt at St. Martin-in-the-Fields church, where you get to eat in the crypt atop tomb slabs.

Westminster Abbey also has the Cellarium cafe and terrace for sit-down meals, plus there's a sandwich-and-snacks kiosk by the Abbey's West Towers.