London is notorious for being a pretty expensive city and that includes some world renowned restaurants that are pretty pricey and require reservations. And while I’m super excited to splurge on a great meal every now and then, there are actually quite a few places that are amazing to eat at in London, without reservations and without the exorbitant costs.  Here are some of my favorites for where to eat in London without reservations and without the huge bill!

Bread Ahead

This little lunch spot has several locations through London and has quickly become one of our favorites.  Nick loves their sourdough bread sticks and most of their locations have sandwiches and pastries that are all delicious.  I especially love their Borough Market and Sloane Square locations.

The Roasting Party

For a great coffee and pastry for breakfast, this spot in Sloane Square is perfect.  Grab a table outside on a lovely London morning and sip an oat milk latte and watch the city come alive.

Fabrique

One of my all time favorite bakeries in the world, Fabrique is a Swedish bakery that has locations around Europe and a few in New York City.  And if I’m in a city where there is one, we’re going!  The Swedish cinnamon buns at Fabrique are so delicious and couple that with a great oat milk latte, there is nothing better.  London has several Fabrique locations now so pick one in whatever neighborhood you’re in and enjoy!

Khan’s of Kensington

One of my favorite low-key Indian restaurants in London, we first started going here when we started staying at the Ampersand Hotel as our go-to hotel in the city.  Khan’s of Kensington is right across the street from the hotel and we have gone back almost every trip to London since.  The food is delicious and the ambience is great and better yet – you usually don’t need a reservation.  For great Indian food in South Kensington, this is the spot.

Pubs

The Brits are famous for their pubs and no trip to London would be complete without some pub food.  My advice for pubs is to find the more local spots instead of the ones in the tourist areas as you’ll get better food and lower prices.  The secret to British pubs if you’ve never been – upon entering you order at the counter.  Don’t sit down at a table and expect someone to come to you to take your order.  Grab a table, check the table number and then head to the counter to place your order.

Casa Manolo

On our last night of vacation in London this past trip, we were really craving some great Spanish food.  We looked at what was near us and found this amazing little spot, Casa Manolo in Chelsea.  The food did not disappoint and the ambience was great too.  We ordered a pitcher of sangria, a bunch of tapas and just generally enjoyed the evening as if we were in Spain.  This was a great easy spot to have a lovely dinner in Chelsea!

Brasseria

This Notting Hill Italian restaurant might get super busy in the late evening hours but for an early dinner or a late lunch, this spot is fantastic and doesn’t require a reservation.  The food is delicious, the design of the restaurant beautiful and it’s perfect for a nice, slightly up-scale meal without the hassle of reserving a table as long as you go early in the afternoon.

Shoryu Ramen

With multiple locations throughout London, this ramen spot is delicious and perfect for a low-key meal.  I’m pretty picky about my ramen but this was a legit bowl of Japanese ramen and paired with karage, we had a delicious lunch at the Carnaby Street location.

Dishoom

This spot has incredible Indian food and with a couple locations, you won’t be disappointed!  There is usually a line but it goes fast so put your name on the list and wait because the food here is incredible.

Granger & Co.

This is an amazing breakfast/brunch spot and with a couple locations through London, it’s worth whatever the wait time is.  Their eggs are out of this world!

 

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So you want to go to Europe for a vacation but you’re worried about the cost?  I hear a lot from people about how expensive Europe is and yes, it can be.  But, you can also do trips to Europe, London specifically, more inexpensively too!  Travel really depends on so many factors in terms of cost so if you know how to make your trip less expensive, it opens up a world of options for you to explore without spending a ton of money.  Here are my best tips for a less expensive trip to London and how to explore the city without spending a lot!

Walk and See the Sites

If you’re headed to London when the weather is nice, walking is the best option all around!  You’ll see more of the city and the sites along the way.  When in London, if it’s less than an hour walk, I always choose that option over any other transportation option.  The city in general is very easy to get around on foot and it’s also free.

Take the Tube, Forgo the Taxi’s

I’m a big fan of public transportation and especially when traveling as it’s usually efficient and low cost in Europe and much of the world.  London’s Tube (subway) system is efficient and good cost to get around London and to save time and money, I’m always a fan of taking the tube.  While there are taxi’s galore in London, it’s definitely a lot cheaper to take the Tube and will save you a huge amount of money while getting all around the city.  Also, the Tube station is so easy to use that you don’t even have to buy tickets anymore -simply use Apple Pay on your phone as you enter!

Eat at Pubs in Local Areas

Looking for cheaper(er) food in London?  Head to the pubs, but the caveat here is to go to the pubs in local areas versus the touristy areas which will always be more expensive.  Plus, the servings are usually big in the pubs so if you want to go a step further, share!

Also, find places that don’t require reservations.  I share all the places to eat in London without reservations here.

Visit the Free Museums

London is full of museums and most of them are free to visit!  One of our favorites that we usually stroll through when in London is the Natural History Museum, but there are so many amazing options that don’t cost you anything to visit.  This is also a great option for when the weather isn’t great and you don’t want to be out in the pouring rain!

You Don’t Have to Go Inside Everywhere

One of the things we do a lot when we travel to save some money is to see the sites from the outside and not always have to pay to go inside.  Most landmarks or sites when traveling are totally free to wander around the outside, take as many pictures as you like and explore.  It’s usually when you go inside that it costs so if you’re looking to save money, you don’t have to go inside everywhere!

Spend Time in the Parks

London has incredible parks and lots of them, so if the weather is nice, it costs nothing to spend time in the many beautiful parks of the city.  From Hyde Park to Battersea, there are endless options to enjoy London in the great outdoors if weather if permitting.  And when the weather is good, London comes alive in the parks so take some food and enjoy a long afternoon enjoying the city for no cost at all!

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We recently spent 4.5 glorious days in London after not traveling internationally for a while due to the pandemic and it was so amazing to be back again.  While we’ve been to London several times, most of our trips there are over a shorter span of days or a stopover in route to somewhere else, so to get to just base ourselves there and spend time there for the week was absolutely wonderful.  So if you’re headed to the famous UK capital, here’s how to spend 4 days in London and what to see and do each day that you’re there!

How to Get Around

For the itinerary below, my suggestion would be to travel by tube (subway) or walk.  London is really walkable but in bad weather or when you’re going pretty far, head to your nearest tube station and jump on.  You don’t even need to buy tickets anymore – simply just unlock your phone and hold it over the entry reader in the tube stations and you can use Apple Pay to pay for your tube rides… it’s so simple and easy!

Day 1: The City of London, Borough Market, South Bank, Battersea, and Chelsea

For the first day in London, I like starting at one of my favorite spots: Borough Market!  We hop on the tube and head straight there, usually taking the tube to Monument across the Thames from the market so that you get a little bit of the City of London on the tour too.  This area of London is high rises and feels very modern compared to most of the city, so get off the tube here and walk across the bridge to Borough Market to start your day.  Grab a coffee, wander the market and just take it in!

Then wander towards the banks of the river again and walk the South Bank of the Thames towards Westminster.  This beautiful river-side walk has a lovely path and views for days of the city.  Especially on a nice day, this is one of my favorite parts of London to explore and see all the sites.  You’ll see every landmark as you wander and just take it all in.

You can walk the South Bank until you get to the London Eye.  From here you’ll have views of Big Ben and Westminster and you can continue on the South Bank on foot or jump on the tube here and head to Battersea Park.  While Battersea is definitely a more local area of London, the park is beautiful and a lovely place to wander for a while.

After a charming wander through Battersea Park, walk across the bridge to Chelsea and spend some time shopping or eating in Sloane Square.  This area is a lovely and upscale area of London and there are so many places to explore.  The small pedestrian only street Pavilion Road is nearby and has lots of great places to stop for food and to enjoy the atmosphere.

Day 2: Take a Day Trip + Notting Hill

I love a good day trip and with the train system in the UK, it’s so easy to head off and explore another city for the day.  We chose Cambridge and Richmond on this trip as our day trips, but the options are endless!  We booked our train tickets for Cambridge the night before and then headed to St. Pancras Station on Day 2 to jump on the train.  St. Pancras (and all the train stations in London) have great options for food so grab a coffee and a pastry for your journey and then board your train for a lovely day out of the city.  We loved Cambridge so that’s a great option if you’re looking for one!

When you return for the day, we jumped on the tube again to head back to our apartment and decided to stop off for dinner in Notting Hill on the way back.  While Notting Hill is a pretty touristy area during the day, in the evening it’s more local and it was lovely to wander around this beautiful part of London without so many people around.  Stop for a delicious Italian meal here at Brasseria and you won’t be disappointed!

Day 3: Soho, Covent Garden, Regent Street, Museums and Hyde Park

While we’ve been to London many times, for some reason, we’ve never made it through Soho and Covent Garden.  So this trip, I was determined we’d explore these areas.  Soho is the theatre area of the city and it’s also really touristy, so just know that going into your time there.  It’s crowded and loud and there are lots of people around.  My tip is to start your day at Fabrique in Soho, my favorite Swedish cinnamon bun of all time alongside an oat milk latte.  Then wander to Covent Garden Market, a beautiful open air market and food hall.

Once you’re done wandering Covent Garden, you can head on foot toward Regent Street.  While this area is bustling with people, it’s so quintessentially London: red double decker buses, great British shopping and white ornate buildings.

After your morning wander, grab something to eat and then head to your nearest tube station for South Kensington to spent your afternoon in the museums.  My favorite is the Natural History Museum but the V&A is nearby as well as a bunch of others, so take your pick!  Almost all of them are free admission, so wander through and take it all in.

Following your museum afternoon, walk the few blocks to Hyde Park to take in the evening.  Hyde Park is the perfect spot to end your day, especially on a beautiful London evening.  People are out enjoying the weather, kids are playing, birds are flying, so just pick a bench and rest for a while, enjoying the moment to just do nothing.

And when you start to get hungry, walk into South Kensington again for a fantastic dinner at one of my favorite Indian restaurants in London – Khan’s of Kensington right across the street from the South Kensington tube station.  Finish off your night with delicious food and then head back to where you are staying.

Day 4: Westminster, Big Ben, and Buckingham Palace

As I’ve been to London several times, I don’t normally go back to the real touristy areas each time but if it’s your first time in the city, spend your last day seeing the sites!  Westminster, Big Ben and Buckingham Palace are must see’s if you haven’t seen them before so spend your last day being a tourist all over London with its famous landmarks.

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