Originally Posted by zuriga
Some friends are visiting London in about 2 weeks. Can anyone suggest a few interesting and enjoyable dinner spots... ethnic OK... that would run about £20 per person without wine? Somewhere in Central London would be fine. I thought of Kensington Place as they have a prix fixe dinner.
Copied from Evening Standard's Insider Guide:
Abu Zaad
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Rating: Food 4 stars, Service 3 stars, Ambiance 3 stars
Description: "Eat yourself senseless for a fiver a head!" -- it's not just low prices, though, which inspire fans of this "very authentic" Syrian, near Shepherd's Bush Market, but also a "huge choice of exciting dishes"; the rear dining room is rather "opulent", too, at least by local standards.
Price: £16 (per person)
Address: 29 Uxbridge Road, London W12
Phone: 020 8749 5107
Open: Lunch
Dinner: -11 pm
Amaranth
Cuisine: Thai
Food: 4 stars Service: 5 stars Ambience: 4 stars
Description: "Absolutely fantastic" cooking (that's "very good value", too) and incredibly "smiley" service have won a "massive following" -- by Earlsfield standards -- for this "outstanding Thai BYO"; "booking is vital".
Price: £19 (per person)
Address: 346 Garratt Lane, London SW18 4ES
Phone: 020 8871 3466
Dinner: 6 pm-10.30 pm
Dinner only, closed Sun
Bar Estrela
Cuisine: Portuguese
Food: 4 Stars Service: 3 stars Ambience: 3 stars
Description: "The biggest and best of the Portuguese places along South Lambeth Road", this "thriving" café (with pleasant tables outside) is simply "wonderful"; "cheap and cheerful tapas" are the highlight of a huge menu.
Price: £20 (per person)
Address: 111-115 South Lambeth Road, London SW8 1UZ
Phone: 020 7793 1051
Open: Lunch
Dinner: -11 pm
Chowki
Cuisine: Indian
Food: 4 stars Service: 4 stars Ambience: 3 stars
Description: "Astonishing value, given the location and the constantly-changing menu" -- this "novel", year-old Indian near Piccadilly Circus has won instant popularity as a "great central place to eat".
Price: £23 (per person)
Address: 2-3 Denman Street, London W1D 7HA
Phone: 020 7439 1330
Open: Lunch
Dinner: 5.30 pm-11.30 pm
The Eagle
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Food: 4stars Service: 2 stars Ambience: 4 stars
Description: "The original is still the best", says one of the legion of fans of London's first gastropub (1991)& "if you can get a seat", that is; it's the "the great rustic food" (Mediterranean) which is the attraction -- not the "smoky" and "packed" setting or the "somewhat arrogant" staff.
Price: £24 (per person)
Address: 159 Farringdon Road, London EC1 3AL
Phone: 020 7837 1353
Open: Lunch
Dinner: 6.30 pm-10.30 pm
Closed Sun dinner
There are 93 pages of cheap London restaurants, so I only got to the E's... if you live (or spend a lot of time) in London, I highly recommend spending the 10 quid it costs to join the Insider's Guide at This Is London... they have a whole section called "Cheap" and it's saved me loads in the past couple of years.
www.thisislondon.co.uk
Good luck!