sunny16

I walked around London with a copy of Time Out's Cheap Eats in London book. It's very easy to use. There are maps that show where all the cheap restaurants are, and you can see reviews of each one. I used their recommendations several times, and they never let me down.

quiUK

A useful website where you can search for London restaurants by location, price, cuisine and ambiance is www.toptable.co.uk. It also has sample menus so you can get an idea of the type of food they serve and prices. There are sometimes good offers available like 3 courses for £15 (Boulevard Brasserie in Covent Garden is a good one for this).

The website is not exhaustive however, and I agree with previous posters about Wagamama's (www.wagamama.co.uk) and Belgo (www.belgo-restaurants.com). I can also recommend Strada (www.strada.co.uk) and for quick sandwiches and snacks, Pret a Manger (http://www.pret.com/)is excellent.

It is also worth remembering that some pubs may not admit your teenagers if they are under 18, unless they have a separate dining area.

Have fun - and I hope you enjoy London. It's a fantastic city - but then I'm biased, because I live there!

carolyn

There is an ASK Pizza in the little shopping mall at the Gloucester Road tube station that has good food, more than just pizza, and is reasonably priced.

There is also a Garfunkel's there. I don't like it at all, but it's inexpensive and some people recommend it.

metellus

"Avoid Benjy's"

Amen. They make the worst coffee I've ever payed for.

Good tip for cheap eats - go to toptable on the web. They have deals, some as high as 50% off on restaurants if you book through them. Most end by Mid May, but there may still be a few.

ninasdream

Best values in London are Indian and Chinese fare--tho more expensive than in the States--sorry I don't have any restaurant names, plus they serve late into the eve- whereas pubs stop serving around 8-9 pm. I grabbed sandwiches from Pret if I was squeezing every hour out of the day, tasted like cardboard. My preference would be one of those little cheese shops/bakeries for a biscuit with jam and clotted cream and a wedge of cheese and a little fruit or you can find a hearty pub lunch or some ":California style" (says so on the menu!) with wraps and salads. Enjoy all the walking!

bellairegirl

I wholeheartedly second the recommendations for Belgo Centraal for their beat the clock special and Pizza Express (much more upscale than it sounds). My 2 teens loved both of these places on our trips to London -- so much that we had to eat at both places twice on each of our trips!

Susan

pandaschu

Like Sunny, I used the Time Out Cheap Eats and found it very good. It's also quite small, so easy to carry around.

It's also nice to get take away (sandwiches or whatever) and sit in a park or church yard to eat, especially in the summer.

twina49

We ate at the Methodist Center cafeteria across from Westminster Abbey when we were there in May and found it tasty and inexpensive. The web site is http://www.c-h-w.com/cafe/index.shtml.

stardust

Busaba Eathai, 110 Wardour Street, Soho. Excellent Thai food for about 10$ for a main dish, which is cheap according to London standards. If you go during regular lunch/dinner hours, be prepared to cue, cause they don't take reservations. For even cheaper Thai food I second the Wagamama chain. Fastfood, the healthier way.

Elan

Went to Khan's Indian Restaurant in the Lancaster Gate area and had a meal with my daughter that was less than 14 pounds and would have easily fed a family of 4. Best Indian food I have had. I have eaten Indian food on the Pacific coast, Midwest and Mid-Atlantic, so this impressed me. Chinese food places are cheap and again provide much more food than you could ever finish. Ate at just a local Chinese place near Hyde Park for less than 5 pounds a person. Again would have had enough food for family of 4 easily.

lifetravel

Indian food in London is better than Indian food in India - I know it sounds wierd but very true. I am originally from India and lived the first 21 years of my life in Bombay, the financial capital of India. I now live in the US. My husband and I have had the best Indian food while visiting London. Not that you cannot find good Indian food in the US or India. But in London, you have better chances of simply walking into a restaurant and finding some really good food even though you knew nothing about the restaurant.

But I have to say that Indian food in London was more expensive than what we pay here in the States so I am probably not of much help to you. Simply wanted to say that anyone who has even a remote interest in Indian cuisine, London is the place to try Indian stuff.

Poshspice

I strongly recommend Wagamamma as well - soooo yummy. And they're everywhere. The Indian food is great, too.

stardust

Oops... : I meant 10 British Pound instead of 10 USD for Busaba Eathai