Affordable Halal restaurants in London

One of the questions I get asked most via my Instagram direct messages, is ‘Can you recommend me an affordable place that me and my friend can eat at?’. Now, I’ll be honest – this question very often leaves me stumped because of how much choice there is in the city.

So I gave myself the task of sitting down and finding at least ten restaurants at which you can sit-down and have a meal for two at an affordable price. I decided that I’d give myself a limit of £30 (which comes to £15 per person, which I think is pretty reasonable for a meal out in Central London). And the only other criteria was that it has to be in Zone 1. 

BTW – that £30 won’t include drinks, as (1) I know a lot of people opt for tap water, and (2) drinks alone can sometimes cost you up to a tenner for 2 people, so that’d just make my job 10x harder!

Most people who ask me for these kind of recommendations are those visiting London from other cities (Birmingham, Manchester, etc.) so the likelihood is that they’ll be somewhere in Central London. So for this reason, I’ve tried to keep all the restaurants as central as possible.

Finally, I’ve made sure to include a wide variety of cuisines. Basically – not just burgers, despite how much Halal foodies seem to love them. If you’re coming from another city to visit London, don’t bother with our burgers. Having spend a lot of time in Birmingham, you guys do them much better there!

Without rambling on anymore, here’s my list! 

Patara

With restaurants located around the City, including Oxford Circus, Knightsbridge, South Kensington & Soho – Patara serves a delicious array of Thai dishes in a majestic atmosphere. 

If you opt for a full 3-course meal here then you’ll definitely be breaking the £30 limit, but for 2 main courses you can definitely find yourself falling within the budget. Alternatively, if you’re visiting at lunchtime then you can pick up their lunch deal for £13.50 per person.

Address: 15 Greek St, Soho, London, W1D 4DP
Cuisine: Thai
Nearest Tube Stop: Tottenham Court Road
Website: http://www.pataralondon.com

---

Ping Pan Asian

The master-child of Masterchef winner Ping Coombes, located on the top floor of Selfridges in the Food Court, Ping Pan Asian serves up delicious, filling Malay dishes. Ideally located for those shopping on Oxford Street, with prices up of £10-13 for a generously sized main course.

Address: Selfridges, 400 Oxford St, Marylebone, London, W1A 1AB
Cuisine: Pan-Asian
Nearest Tube Stop: Bond Street
Website: https://papparich.uk/pings-pan-asian/

---

Siirgista Bro’s

You may recall these guys being called Burgista Bros a few months back – they’ve changed their name, but luckily the food has very much stayed the same. Great burgers and even better chips. Not a massive fan of the milkshakes here, but for £10-12 you can get yourself a filling meal with a soft drink. 

They also have an app, which if you download then you can pick up a free starter – plus money off if you can produce a valid student card.

Address: 195 Baker St, Marylebone, London, NW1 6UY
Cuisine: Burgers
Nearest Tube Stop: Baker Street
Website: http://www.siirgistabros.co.uk

---

Banana Tree

Serving a fully Halal menu, Banana Tree boasts a wide array of dishes from a Pad Thai (which they do very well) to Thai Green Curry. Most of their mains are £10-12, so for £30 you can easily pick up a main each and a starter to share – I recommend the Chicken Satay sticks. (btw: if you have a tastecard, then you can save even more money here!)

Address: 103 Wardour St, Soho, London, W1F 0UG
Cuisine: Asian
Nearest Tube Stop: Tottenham Court Road
Website: https://www.bananatree.co.uk

---

Hankie’s Cafe

One of my favourite spots for Indian food in the City. More of a tapas-style restaurant, where you can order a few starters and a few mains and share them – I’d definitely recommend the Chaat, the Chicken Curry & the Hankies Cola. For £30 you can easily get yourself 2 mains and 3 starters to share. (btw: if you have a tastecard, then you can save even more money here!)

Address: 67 Shaftesbury Ave, Soho, London, W1D 6EX
Cuisine: Indian
Nearest Tube Stop: Leicester Square
Website: http://hankies.london/hankies-cafe/

---

Dim T

Offering a wide-selection of Thai dishes, not Halal by default – but ask the staff and they can advise which of the dishes can be made with Halal meat. Personally I love the Chicken Pad Thai here, so it’s the only thing I ever get! The Pad Thai is under a tenner, so your money will definitely stretch to allow you to pick up some portions of Dim Sum to share too.

Address: 2 More London Riverside, London, SE1 2DB
Cuisine: Thai
Nearest Tube Stop: London Bridge
Website: https://dimt.co.uk/

---

Alounak

Located a short walk away from Bayswater station, Alounak offers up a delicious choice of Persian dishes, my favourite (whenever I visit a Persian restaurant) being a mix of lamb and chicken skewer with rice, which here is priced at £11.90, so for £30 you can have a main each and possibly 2 starters to share.

Address: 44 Westbourne Grove, London, W2 5SH
Cuisine: Persian
Nearest Tube Stop: Bayswater
Website: http://www.alounakrestaurant.co.uk/

---

Fatburger

A create-your-own Burger joint, located in Camden town (slightly into zone 2, but only slightly!) offering up meals for a tenner, including a burger, fries & drink. I opt for the fatburger, add the toppings of my choice and add a fried egg for a pound.

Address: 10 Jamestown Rd, Camden Town, London, NW1 7BY
Cuisine: Burgers
Nearest Tube Stop: Camden Town
Website: https://www.fatburger.com/unitedkingdom/

---

Ali Ocakbasi

Without a doubt my favourite Turkish joint in London. Slightly on the pricey side, but there are a few mains on the menu that cost under £15, so you can definitely pick up a main each for £30 in total. If you’re willing to fork out a few extra quid, I’d definitely recommend trying their Kunefe dessert.

Address: 16 Irving St, London, WC2H 7AU
Cuisine: Turkish
Nearest Tube Stop: Leicester Square
Website: http://www.aliocakbasi.co.uk/

---

Tinseltown

With a menu large enough choice that everyone can find something they’ll love, Tinseltown offer up well-priced meals which will keep you well within your budget. They also do pretty decent milkshakes too.

Address: 35 Great Portland St, Marylebone, London, W1W 8QQ
Cuisine: American diner (burgers, hot-dogs, salads)
Nearest Tube Stop: Oxford Circus
Website: https://www.tinseltown.co.uk

---

P F Changs Asian Table

A tapas-style restaurant, which at first I thought would be too expensive to include in this list, but I was adamant to make it work. Turns out you can pick up a two mains and a portion of delicious shrimp noodles for under £30. I’m a huge fan of this place, especially of the Dynamite Shrimp (which I have previously dubbed as my favourite thing to eat in London!).

Address: 10 Great Newport St, London, WC2H 7JA
Cuisine: Pan-Asian
Nearest Tube Stop: Leicester Square
Website: https://www.pfchangs.co.uk/

---

For more ideas of where to eat in London, you can have a scan through my restaurant directory or restaurant map, or take a look on my Instagram where I post content regularly.