The best street food in London

Aba-Ra! brings Georgian comfort food to Brick Lane in a relaxed, family-run setting. Street-food favourites include khachapuri, which are boat-shaped breads filled with molten cheese and various toppings, and khinkali dumplings stuffed with spiced meat. There are also soups, small plates and even sweet versions of khachapuri. It's hearty, warming food that works just as well for sharing as it does for a solo feast.

Just around the corner from Tottenham Court Road, The Great Thai Grab & Go is the casual sibling to the acclaimed Great Thai Restaurant in Fitzrovia, serving up some of the best authentic Thai street food in the city. Expect dishes like aromatic curries, sides such as spring rolls, skewers, and classic pad Thai, all made with fresh herbs and traditional recipes. With most plates under £10 and speedy service, it's the perfect spot for a quick street food fix in the city.

Rabieng Thai isn't a stall, but it captures the casual spirit of great street food right in the middle of Upper Street. The menu covers the kind of Thai dishes you'd usually queue for at a market, from zingy tom yum and papaya salad to wok-fried noodles and a proper pad Thai. It's casual, quick and welcoming, with generous portions and a BYOB setup that keeps things easy on the wallet. If you're after authentic Thai food without the bustle of a market, Rabieng is a solid north London shout.

The Great Thai Restaurant brings the punchy flavours of Thai street food straight to the capital, serving up authentic dishes overflowing with fresh herbs and ingredients. They're located just off Oxford Circus, where they plate up favourites like classic pad Thai, zesty papaya salad, and sticky mango rice – all fresh, fast, and full of flavour.

This gourmet street food stall specialises in tasty duck-based dishes, like triple-cooked duck fat chips with raclette, confit duck wraps, duck arancini, duck cassoulet and more. You'll find them at the bustling Maltby Street Market, a weekend street food market nestled inside 19th century railway arches.

Gopal's Corner is another venture by those responsible for the award-winning Roti King. They serve a menu of Malaysian Tamil cuisine, like spicy curries, homemade buttery flatbreads and crispy dosas. The casual spot is a homage to owner Chef Sugen's parents' restaurant that they opened in Malaysia nearly half a century ago.

If cheese, carbs and pasta sounds like your idea of heaven, get yourself down to The Cheese Wheel at Camden's Kerb market. This street food vendor is serving hefty portions of fresh pasta out of a gigantic, hollowed-out wheel of cheese. The pasta is rolled on-site and doused in generous helpings of white wine and Parmesan sauce, before being stirred into the 40kg cheese bowl.

Scottish street food is fairly hard to come by in the city, but you can get your fix at Deeney's in Leyton or any of their pop-up market sites, including a weekly slot at Broadway Market in Hackney. They're known for their iconic Macbeth haggis toastie, made with haggis, cheddar cheese, rocket, caramelised onions and mustard.

Enjoy delicious Roman-style pizza for a good cause with The Good Slice. These guys donate 20p from every pizza slice to Glassdoor Homeless Charity, which helps to provide food for homeless people. Their pizzas are made with organic stone-ground flour to create a fluffy, light and crunchy base which is then topped with an assortment of tasty toppings, like smoked mozzarella with roasted new potatoes, onion jam and rosemary.

La Pepia is the pioneer of the legendary rainbow arepas, which are made by blending the ingredients to make gluten-free corn buns with spinach and beetroot. You'll find them serving their famous cheese blankets at the iconic Borough Market and Maltby Street Market, which is essentially an arepa of your choice topped with a blanket of cheddar.

Stuff your face with endless empanadas at La Criolla Empanadas at bustling Maltby Street Market. They make a wide range of the popular Latin American snack, from jalapeño beef and butternut squash to the classic ham and cheese and caprese. They also offer a service where you can text your postcode, and they'll deliver your choice of empanadas if they cover your area.

Le Bab is the place to go for Michelin-starred kebabs jam-packed with delicious flavours. They have branches located around the city, where they serve a menu of mouth-watering posh kebabs, like the charcoal grilled free-range lamb glazed with herb labneh, sweet pickles, green chilli salsa and cassava chips with fresh coriander and mint.

If a fully loaded burrito is your idea of street food done right, Luardos is worth tracking down. This roaming food truck pops up at markets across London, serving Mexican classics with serious heft. Burritos come tightly wrapped and packed with things like rice, beans, chorizo, eggs and punchy sauces, while tacos and breakfast burritos round out the menu. Locations change, so it's best to check their socials before heading out, and definitely arrive hungry.

Paris-born smashburger outfit Dumbo has landed in Shoreditch, bringing its stripped-back burger style with it. The menu sticks to the basics: smashed beef patties with crisp edges, soft buns, hand-cut fries, and in-house-made nuggets. Everything's quick, unfussy and clearly built for casual eating, whether you're grabbing food to go or stopping by after a few drinks.

Tucked into Five Points Brewery in London Fields, From the Ashes BBQ is all about smoke and low-and-slow cooking. You'll find smoked pork and beef buns, doughnuts stuffed with pork shoulder, and sides like beef-fat potatoes and smoky beans finished with burnt ends. It's proper barbecue food served street-style, messy, filling and ideal with a beer.

Right in the middle of Soho, CDMX Tacos keeps things simple and focused. The menu is short, built around soft tacos filled with well-seasoned meats, with a lineup of salsas and condiments to finish them your way. Inspired by Mexico City street food, it's fast, casual and clearly done by someone who knows their way around a taco. The drinks are worth a look too.

Based in Old Spitalfields Market, Twirly Bird specialises in rotisserie chicken cooked slowly over a house spice blend. The result is crisp skin and juicy meat, served with sides that change regularly and go beyond the usual chips-and-slaw setup. It's straightforward, reliable market food, the kind of place you hit when you want something warm, filling and well-made.

Sichuan Fry takes the fiery flavours of Sichuan cooking and applies them to familiar street-food formats. Expect chilli heat, numbing peppercorns and deep savoury flavours across things like fried chicken burgers, wraps and even Sichuan-spiced mac and cheese. It's casual, modern and good for groups with mixed tastes.

Breadstall is all about the dough. Their biga-style sourdough is fermented for at least 72 hours, giving the slices a light crunch and chew that holds up well to toppings. You can go classic with pepperoni or lean into heavier options like beef ragu and aged mozzarella. It's proper slice-shop pizza, made with a bit more care than usual.

Crunch started life as a pop-up before settling into Soho, focusing on filled brioche sandwiches. Thick slices of toasted brioche come stuffed with fillings like southern-fried chicken or slow-cooked duck, plus plenty of sauces, pickles and crunch. It's rich, filling food that's clearly designed for maximum impact in a small space.

BunBunBun zeroes in on bun cha, a Hanoi classic of grilled pork served with rice noodles and fresh herbs. There's also lemongrass tofu for lighter tastes and solid banh mi options served in crisp baguettes with fresh veg and sauces. It's fresh, fast and well-suited to casual lunching.

A bit outside London but right on the route to Stansted Airport, Stort Biltong still earns its place here. Based in Bishop's Stortford, it's a South African specialist making biltong in-house, with different cuts, textures and flavours to choose from. On certain days, they fire up the braai outside for boerewors rolls with caramelised onions and classic sauces, sometimes switching the menu up based on what's fresh. You can reach it in about 25 minutes from Tottenham Hale, and it's some of the best South African street food around.

Now based at Netil Market, World Famous Gordos serves big New York-style pizza slices that are easy to eat on the move. Classics like marinara and pepperoni sit alongside rotating specials, often done in collaboration with other food spots. It's straightforward slice-shop stuff with plenty of character.

Paulie's Bagels keeps things close to New York tradition. The sourdough bagels are hand-rolled and baked daily, with classic flavours like sesame and everything. Fillings range from bacon, egg and cheese to lox and schmear. It's simple, well executed, and ideal for breakfast or a quick lunch. There's also a stall at Netil Market.

Hidden inside Netil Market, Jupiter Burger does one thing well: burgers and fries. The smashed beef patties are cooked fast and served on soft potato rolls with classic toppings and house sauce. There's also a veggie option, and everything comes with fries. It's quick, no-nonsense street food with a retro edge.

This spot is all about molten cheese between slices of good sourdough. Toasties are loaded with British cheeses like Montgomery cheddar, raclette and Ogleshield, often with onions and leeks mixed in. There are also loaded potatoes covered in melted cheese. Queues are common, but they move quickly.

If cheese toasties are your thing, this stall keeps it classic, with thick slices of fresh sourdough filled with a mix of Montgomery cheddar, Ogleshield, raclette and Comté, plus onions and leeks, then grilled until everything's fully melted. If you want something other than a sandwich, there are also trays of new potatoes loaded with Bill Oglethorpe's Bermondsey-made London raclette or Ogleshield cheese. It's a popular stop, so expect a queue — but it usually moves quickly.

Club Mexicana puts a plant-based spin on Mexican street food, with a menu that spans tacos, burritos and nachos filled with things like BBQ jackfruit and vegan chicken, all 100% meat-free. Drinks are fun too, including the lagerita, which is a beer topped with a frozen margarita.