Tried & Tested: London’s Best Value Set Lunch Menus

Nothing beats lunch with your bestie. It’s a chance to catch up one-on-one, put the world to rights, and treat yourself to some delicious food and wine in a relaxing environment. With many restaurants offering excellent value set lunch menus, it’s also a way to experience new eateries and fine dining at affordable prices. Read on for our guide on some of the best set lunch menus across London.

Best Set Lunch Menus In London For 2025

Cher Thai Eatery, Clapham Old Town

For a quick catch-up over simple but delicious Thai food, this local eatery in Clapham Old Town is hard to beat. It’s always super busy in the evenings, when stand-out dishes include river prawn glass noodles and deep fried whole seabass with tamarind sauce, but they also do a bargain basement Lunch Express Deal, where you can choose from the classic green and red curries, and stir-fried dishes for £11.95, along with the usual spring rolls and chicken satay to start. Opening just before lockdown in 2020, it’s become one of the most popular local restaurants in the neighbourhood.

How much? Two courses for £11.95

Where? 22 North Street, SW4 0HB

BOOK: cherthailondon.co.uk

Kolamba East, Spitalfields

Tucked away among the warehouses and stunning Georgian houses of Spitalfields, Kolamba East feels like a hidden gem. A sister restaurant to the original in Soho, Kolamba East serves exceptionally tasty and spicy Sri Lankan cuisine in a stylish pared-back setting. The set lunch menu includes idli with sambar and sea bream cooked in banana leaf with a delicious sauce accompanied by dhal with spinach, cucumber sambol and yellow rice, as well as a coconut and lime sorbet dessert, all for £30. It even includes a glass of Marqués de Riscal white or red or a guava mocktail. Unlike many set menus, portions are super generous and I couldn’t eat for the rest of the day. The dining room wraps around a central bar, with a great sound system. Definitely coming back in the evening!

How much? Three courses for £30 including a glass of wine

Where? 12 Blossom St, E1 6PL 

BOOK: kolamba.co.uk

Counter 71, Shoreditch

Behind the unassuming exterior of this former pub in Old Street, chef Joe Laker of the critically-acclaimed Fenn in Fulham, has created a unique chef’s table experience, serving up seasonal British food worthy of a Michelin star or two. Named after its showcase wrap-around Spanish marble countertop, which sits 16 diners around a central kitchen area, the restaurant kicked off its six-course Saturday lunch menu for £70 in April. A procession of delicacies, prepared and plated before your very eyes, include lobster claw, kale and fish roe, pollack in a creamy razor clam sauce, and a melt-in-the-mouth lamb belly terrine, followed by two desserts to die for. Despite your proximity to your fellow diners, it feels remarkably private. And teamed with a seasonal wine pairing of five wines for £85, it’s a superb way to while away a Saturday afternoon. 

How much? Six-course Saturday menu for £70

Where? 71 Nile Street, N1 7RD

BOOK: counter71.co.uk

The Devonshire, Soho

From the outside, a traditional boozer just off Piccadilly Circus, The Devonshire has created quite a buzz for its straight-forward good quality comfort food and celebrity sightings. Upstairs, there’s a grill room, a dining room festooned in modern art, and a rooftop terrace packed with diners enjoying the incredibly good value three-course lunch menu for £29, which comprises a spectacular prawn cocktail with a langoustine perched on top, a skirt steak with phenomenal chips and a sticky toffee pudding, which we washed down with a very decent house rosé for £30. Plus, there’s the famous bread rolls with glossy salty tops which are baked on the premises. Oh yes! I see what all the fuss is about!

How much? £29 for three courses

Where? 17 Denman St, W1D 7HW

BOOK: devonshiresoho.co.uk

Spring at Somerset House, Aldwych

For a more refined experience, Spring ticks the box. Located within the neo-classical Somerset House, just off the Strand, the former tax office is a light-filled pistachio-hued room with white pillars, a stunning marble bar, and floaty chandeliers. The three-course menu for £33 is a delightful mélange of seasonal ingredients presented with finesse: charcuterie served with sourdough and kefir butter, chilled pea and mint soup, and grilled mackerel with poached leeks and black olive and tomato dressing, followed by a sweet cicely posset with roasted rhubarb and spelt shortbread. The ideal spot for lunch after a morning wandering around an exhibition, Spring feels grown-up – and very special. 

How much? Three courses for £33

Where? Lancaster Place, WC2R 1LA

BOOK: springrestaurant.co.uk

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal

Dinner’s three-course weekday Luncheon Menu for £65 is an amazing opportunity to sample two-star Michelin cuisine for a fraction of the cost. Tucked away in the Mandarin Oriental in Knightsbridge, with views into Hyde Park, this is fine dining at its best, inspired by historical dishes, including smoked salmon belly, ragoo of pigs ears on toast, and roast belly of lamb, that is cooked for 48 hours and literally melts in the mouth. There’s also a delicious compost tart with goat’s cheese, a nod to the restaurant’s sustainability credentials. The presentation is exquisite, and you even have the option of choosing the style of service you’d prefer via a selection of tarot-inspired cards. A very special weekday treat.

How much? Three courses for £65

Where? Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, 66 Knightsbridge, SWlX 7LA

BOOK: dinnerbyheston.co.uk

Petrus, Belgravia

If you enjoy a spot of pampering, head for Gordon Ramsay’s Michelin-starred Pétrus in Belgravia. Even the weekday four-course set lunch menu for £45 is preceded by an array of amuse-bouches, delivered by a flurry of waiters, in choreographed precision. A tiny tartlet of heritage carrot, a beef tartare croustade and a chicken consommé served from a tiny teapot, the presentation is exquisite, the food delicious. Our starter of cured salmon wrapped in nori seaweed with a cracker of squid ink and tapioca was superb, while for the main course, you can choose between chicken breast or, for a £25 supplement, lobster raviolo, in a dark lobster bisque. And don’t forget the wine. The charming head sommelier is only too happy to suggest wine pairings from the circular glass wine room that sits at the centre of the restaurant – and with a 1200-strong wine list, you’re spoilt for choice. 

How much? Four courses for £45

Where? 1 Kinnerton Street, SW1X 8EA

BOOK: gordonramsayrestaurants.com

Ognisko, South Kensington

Located on the ground floor of the Polish Club, Ognisko is the ideal place for lunch after a morning visiting the museums around South Kensington. It’s a beautiful space: dark wooden floors, high ceilings, and white linen tablecloths, and a mahogany bar, stocked with endless varieties of flavoured vodkas. The menu changes daily, but expect hearty fayre: Kopytka dumplings with chestnuts and forest mushrooms or hot smoked salmon salad with beetroot to start, followed by pan-fried sea bream or confit duck leg, with caramelised apples and red cabbage to follow. It’s a great way to sample Polish cuisine in a stylish environment, plus the set lunch menu is available at the weekend, and there’s a summer terrace. Just don’t leave without trying the raspberry vodka.

How much? Three courses for £29

Where? 55 Exhibition Road, SW7 2PG

BOOK: ogniskorestaurant.co.uk