Guide to the best restaurants in Leyton and Leytonstone

Widely considered to serve some of the best tacos in London, Homies on Donkeys used to be located in Walthamstow's Wood Street Market. The award-winning taqueria moved to Leytonstone in 2023. The staff take their time preparing Mexican tacos in creative combinations of authentic ingredients that come together to form unique and enticing food. They even won BBC2's Britain's Top Takeaways!

Located in Leyton, Burnt is a casual walk-in restaurant in a railway arch. Despite its unassuming appearance and industrial aesthetics, this eatery has garnered a reputation for its exceptional cuisine. Place your order at the counter and savor mouth-watering barbecue dishes such as juicy burgers, hearty sandwiches, and tender cuts of meat. 

Specialising in contemporary Sardinian cuisine, Mora serves food in a warm and friendly atmosphere in Leytonstone. Using fresh, sustainably sourced produce across the entire menu, the restaurant offers seasonally inspired food that changes regularly. Whatever the time of year, however, you can expect meat and fish dishes, antipasti, fresh pasta with various sauces and fillings, and biodynamic wines to complement your meal.

Bringing a slice of the Amalfi Coast to Leyton, Bocca Bocca specialises in authentic pizzas showcasing regional flavours. The comfortable contemporary restaurant has a stylish, distinctly coastal feel with a welcoming atmosphere. The pizzas range from classics like marinara, four cheeses and margherita, to more inventive options. A concise menu of pasta dishes, salads and small plates is available as well, and you can also get the food as takeaway.

This vibrant Leyton eatery has been showered with praise for its take on South-America-meets-Japan delicacies. Standing apart from many other places riding the trendy Nikkei wave, Bamboo Mat comes with serious references – its owners have put in the time at upmarket spots such as Sushisamba and Chotto Matte. The first Bamboo Mat location is a small space with dashes of tropical psychedelia spicing up the decor. The menu features refreshingly acidic ceviches, carefully rolled sushi, salmon teriyaki, grilled wagyu and other specialities.

Panda Dim Sum Cafe is a small, plainly furnished and unpretentious eatery near Leytonstone Station. The kind of place every neighbourhood relies on in times of hunger, the family-run Chinese takeaway joint is popular thanks to its affordable, tasty food. The steamed pork buns and fried dumplings are a highlight of the menu, which also features various noodle dishes and specials such as roast duck or five-spice peanuts.

The Noted Eel & Pie House in Leytonstone has been serving the iconic pie, mash and liquor combo to the East End for nearly half a century. They keep things simple – choose between a beef pie and a soya mince vegan pie, heap on the mash, and drown it all in liquor made according to a secret recipe, handed down through the generations. The Noted Eel & Pie House is one of the last remaining pie and mash shops in the UK to keep live eels, so you can complete the British experience with a side of hot or jellied eels.

A laidback local with a colourful blue bar, The Leyton Star is a spacious contemporary pub with dreams of greatness – definitely not the kind of neighbourhood boozer where dreams go to die. The colourful  interior, comfy beer garden and varied events programme make for a fun, sociable venue. More importantly for this guide, the kitchen is run by a rotating line-up of vendors, meaning there's regularly something new to taste. Roast dinners with all the trimmings are available on Sundays as well.

Leyton's Marmelo Kitchen is primarily a general store and a catering company, but they also use the fresh, sustainable ingredients they source from small UK producers to throw together a weekly changing menu that can be enjoyed in the snug shop itself. In addition to a quick, tasty meal or a glass of natural wine over a few small plates, you can pick up groceries, meat, cheese and other delicacies for your cupboard here.

Staying a local pizza shop at heart even though it's spread all over the capital, Yard Sale Pizza has won awards and gained famous fans such as Macaulay Culkin with its tasty pies. The pizzas are available in two sizes and come with slow-cooked tomato sauce, Fior di Latte mozzarella and topping combos such as pepperoni, mushrooms and truffle oil, or Sicilian sausage and chilli. You can grab one of the few dine-in tables, or get your food as takeaway.

This snug Leyton restaurant is furnished in a traditional style and boasts a pleasant outdoor dining area in the garden. Masala India is run by a husband-and-wife team. They cook tasty home-style food, served either as pre-set tiffin menus or à la carte. You can choose from among signature curries, classic dishes such as tikka masala or korma, various chutneys, different breads and more. You can also get your food as takeaway.

If you're after traditional British pub hospitality and staples such as fish and chips, burgers and fries, or bangers and mash, head on down to The Red Lion in the heart of Leytonstone. The pub has been around since the late 1800s and was the first venue to host the legendary Led Zeppelin. It still puts on live shows in its grand ballroom, which can also be booked for private celebrations, and there are also boutique guestrooms to spend the night if required.

The Leyton branch of Figo is airy and full of verdant plants, matched by a green colour scheme throughout the venue. In the friendly atmosphere you can explore Italian flavour through authentic, home-cooked food. You'll find all the beloved Italian classics here, from arancini, burrata and ravioli, to different pizzas. Complement your meal with one of the signature cocktails, or grab a bottle off the well-curated Italian wine list.

Anatolia is a popular choice among Leyton locals looking to load up on flavourful Turkish fare. The pleasant restaurant has exposed brick walls and offers some outside seating for alfresco dining as well. The menu boasts a wide range of Turkish specialities, from all sorts of mezze to wraps, kebabs, moussaka, fish and platters designed for sharing. There's plenty of room if you want to feast with your friends and family, and takeaway is available as well.

Deeney's is a cosy Scottish café that frequently tours the major London food markets, but its home is in Leyton. You can sit down for brunch here, with options including the classic full English and breakfast sandwiches, but it's the assortment of cheese toasties that really stands out. There are different versions to choose from, but the haggis toastie is the one that put Deeney's on the map as a must for foodies.