London's top 50 restaurants

Hummus Bros

Best cheap eats
S&M Café
Formerly Alfredo’s café (as featured in the film ‘Quadrophenia’), this delightfully preserved diner at the bottom of the Essex Road is a paean to bangers and mash and old-school Brit comfort food in general.
When to go For a slap-up brekkie.
What to have A fry up, of course.
S&M Café, 4-6 Essex Rd, N1 8LN 020 7359 5361/www.sandmcafe.co.uk) Angel tube.
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Hummus Bros
Everything fast food should be: delicious, wholesome, fun. Where else but London would you be offered a bowl of creamy houmous filled with char siu pork? If classic Mediterranean combinations have more appeal try the cumin-scented chickpeas, fava with hard-boiled egg, or tomatoey chicken. Warm bread is included with each order – add smoky barbecued aubergine with tahini dressing for a truly sumptuous feast under a tenner.
When to go Whenever you need a 20-minute refuel.
What to have Houmous, plus a side dish such as taboulleh.
Hummus Bros, 88 Wardour St, W1F 0TJ (020 7734 1311/www.hbros.co.uk) Oxford Circus or Tottenham Court Rd tube.
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Food for Thought
You can eat a hearty veggie meal here for under six quid. The menu includes a daily changing soup such as butternut squash flavoured with apricot and a pesto; a moussaka, pasticcio or hotpot as a main dish; and a good choice of excellent salads.
When to go When you’re shopped out.
What to have Anything, but order less than you’d think, as the portions are enormous.
Food For Thought, 31 Neal St, WC2H 9PR (020 7836 9072) Covent Garden tube.
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Song Que

Song Que
There’s little to distinguish the glut of Vietnamese canteens that make up ‘Little Hanoi’ at the foot of Kingsland Road but most would agree that Song Que has been the most consistently enjoyable and impressive over recent years. Inside, it’s rough and ready, with cheap furniture and little by way of decoration (the giant model lobsters are notable exceptions), but classics such as summer rolls and beef pho are cooked to an excellent standard. Avoid the Chinese-style dishes (such as gloopy, thick-sauced stir-fries) on the long menu for the best, most authentic, experience. And best of all, it’s damn cheap.
When to go When you’re with a large group of tight-arses.
What to have Pho (beef stock and noodle soup).
Song Que, 134 Kingsland Rd, E2 8DY (020 7613 3222) Old St tube/rail.
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Mangal Ocakbasi
Mangal’s simple formula – the Turkish ocakbasi barbecue – has proved more lasting than most. Unpretentious and still unreconstructed, even as surrounding Dalston goes steadily upmarket, it owes its success to the quality of its barbecued meats – and, perhaps, to the novelty value of the vast, imposing charcoal grill sizzling away right in the middle of the restaurant.
When to go Cold evenings.
What to have Grilled meats.
Mangal Ocakbasi, 10 Arcola St, E8 2DJ (020 7275 8981/www.mangal1.com) Dalston Kingsland rail. Unlicensed.
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Sakonis
Ealing Road in Wembley is a centre for ‘Indian’ shops and cafés, and Sakonis is one of the best. The most striking aspect is the buzz: it’s always heaving with local Gujju families. The other is the dishes, which cover the span of London Gujarati tastes from south Indian snack dishes, through the many Gujarati specialities to Chinese-Indian concoctions (best avoided) and some of London’s best fruit juice cocktails. The bill is so low it can feel as if you’re paying mere rupees.
When to go Saturdays, when Ealing Road market’s in full swing.
What to have The masala dosa, dahi wada.
Sakonis, 129 Ealing Rd, Wembley, Middx HA0 4BP (020 8903 9601) Alperton tube or 183 bus.
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Mandalay
The road to Mandalay is perilous, beset by thunderous traffic and clouds of exhaust. But the reward for braving the grim end of Edgware Road is this tiny gem of a Burmese restaurant. Brightly lit with wipe-clean tables, Mandalay showcases the blend of Indian, Thai and Chinese flavours and cooking techniques that distinguish Burmese cooking. The Ally family run it, and they’re utterly charming and able to judge a customer’s taste. If you’re bewildered by the long menu of unfamiliar dishes, you’ll be safe in their hands as they pick dishes for you. The bill will be a pleasant surprise.
When to go With a small group of adventurous eaters.
What to have Burmese signature dishes like the twice-cooked fish curry.
Mandalay, 444 Edgware Rd, W2 1EG (020 7258 3696/www.mandalayway.com) Edgware Rd tube.
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