Costing roughly $90 per day on a backpacking budget and $178 per day for travelers staying in three star hotels, it’s obvious that vacationing in London can leave unwary visitors reeling from nasty sticker shocks. While tips for keeping the overall cost of vacation down regularly mention money saving measure such as purchasing sandwiches from grocery shops or cooking in the hostel kitchen, sometimes travelers just don’t have time for that. So here are three excellent yet affordable Asian places that you may want to try out the next time you happen to be in London.
Image Source: Food Group via Flickr and CC 2.0
Bao: Located on Lexington Street in Soho, this Taiwanese eatery serves up some tasty pork-filled buns at just £4.50 ($6.35 USD) apiece for the original recipe. Reasonably priced side items are also available. Visitors should keep in mind that food portions here can be on the smaller side and plan accordingly. The only real downside to this place is that because it is both cheap and tasty in a city where few things are, the lines can be quite long and there isn’t a lot of seating available at the restaurant itself. However, a secondary location can be found in the Netil Market Area and another is set to open in Fitzrovia in May of this year. Hopefully, this factor will help take an edge of the existent queues.
Image Source: Sean McEntee via Flickr and CC 2.0
Taste of Siam: A short walk away from the Mornington Crescent metro stop in Camden Town, this establishment serves up some of London’s most authentic Thai food. Customers highly recommend the various curries, the pad see ew, pad Thai, tom yum kai, and the satay skewers at this place. Most of the entrees are served up in large portions so travelers who come to this spot aren’t likely to leave hungry. However, the tea and coffee found here tends to be on the sweet side. Customers should also keep in mind that service can sometime be a bit of a hit or miss at this location and make their plans accordingly.
Image Source: Christine Rondeau via Flickr and CC 2.0
City Caphe: Found at 17 Ironmonger Lane between the Banks and Saint Paul’s metro stops, this tiny restaurant is known for its tasty Vietnamese foods. The lemongrass banh mi in particular was listed by Time Out as one of the best eats in London for under £5 ($7.05 USD). The spring rolls, pho soup, and chargrilled pork banh mi sandwiches found here also come highly recommended. This establishment is especially busy at lunchtime so come early and be prepared to wait in line. However, things move quickly so you won’t be keep waiting long.
Happy Travels!
Sources: Price of Travel; Yelp; Time Out London; online measurement converters; Bao website
**Author’s note: pictures shown in the article are only examples of the food served by each place but are not necessarily from that particular eatery.
