The best restaurants for lunch in Shoreditch

The classic Vietnamese banh mi has become a street food sensation, and it's hardly surprising given how simple but delicious it is. Banh Mi Keu Deli's banh mi is hard to beat, made with crumbled pork sausage, spiced belly of pork, ham terrine, chicken liver pate and kewpie mayonnaise. They also make chicken soup for those chillier days.

This pasta spot on Phipp Street ticks all of the boxes: it's stylish, affordable, and utterly delicious. The menu comprises a short list of starters, pasta and sweet treats. The cacio e pepe is a menu mainstay, and we guarantee you'll be thinking about it for weeks. It's also super casual, and nobody would bat an eyelid if you swung by for a solo lunch date.

Llama Inn opened in London in late 2023 at the Hoxton Hotel Shoreditch and has already garnered a reputation as an iconic New York City restaurant. Occupying the rooftop restaurant, Llama Inn serves South American dishes with an emphasis on Peruvian ingredients. They also serve great cocktails, featuring signature NYC concoctions like the one-shot martini. It's perfect for lunch on a sunny day.

If you're looking for the perfect lunch spot for a group of people in Shoreditch, then Dishoom is your best bet. Whether you're a Londoner or not, chances are you've probably heard of Dishoom, and it definitely lives up to the hype. This restaurant, inspired by the Irani cafés of Bombay, is always a hit with diners, and the varied menu means there's something for every kind of eater. Make sure you try their signature black daal with a cheesy naan for dipping, dunking, and mopping. 

This is the sort of place you'd take your folks when they're visiting from out of town. Although it’s very much no-frills, this buzzy chophouse serves an impressive menu of Basque-inspired dishes that earned it a Michelin star just six months after opening. Everything is scrawled on a blackboard and mains are designed for sharing, like the rib of prime moorland beef or Cornish-caught flaky turbot slow-cooked on the smokey grill.

The team behind Crispin has transformed the former Oklava venue into Bistro Freddie, a bistro-style restaurant highlighting the best British produce from the British Isles provenance. The fine dining menu is filled with high quality, locally-sourced produce, including dishes like rabbit, bacon, and apple cider pie, and steamed marmalade pudding with vanilla custard, although the menu is scribbled onto paper and does change frequently. It's great for a small group lunch as the restaurant is compact with crisp white tablecloths, stone floors, and deep wood panelling. It would also make a great date night spot.

If you've been to Spitalfields before, you've likely already spotted Crispin; it's located in a distinctive glass and zinc triangular pavilion moments from Spitalfields Market. Inside, it's simple but stylish, seating 40 comfortably, with 20 more seats outside for al fresco lunches. The menu is simple and seasonal, with dishes made using locally-sourced ingredients from British suppliers and small-scale farms. The wine is all low-intervention, made with indigenous and rare grape varieties.

Lyle’s is another Shoreditch restaurant that champions simplicity. Inside it's a Scandi-chic dream, with bare white walls, tall light-drenching windows and a steel centrepiece bar. There’s not a frill or flounce in sight. Dinner is a four-course tasting menu comprising just a handful of dishes, like monkfish with burnt tomato and lobster butter and beef broth with wild mushrooms and egg yolk. If you prefer to dine à la carte, pop along at lunchtime.

This Caribbean joint in Shoreditch offers an excellent grab-and-go lunch in a casual and informal setting. You’ll spend less than a tenner on a box of jerk chicken or curry goat with rice, peas, coleslaw and plantain. The place turns into a jazz and funk venue in the evening, so it’s worth swinging by when the sun goes down if that’s your kind of jam.

Smokestak in Shoreditch is a renowned barbecue joint known for its smoked meats and chic setting. The menu features mouthwatering meat dishes like brisket buns, pulled pork, and smoked ribs, all made with a unique blend of spices and slow-cooked to perfection. Inside, there's an open grill so you can see your food being prepared, but there's also plenty of streetside seating for al fresco lunching.

It's a dreary day, you're halfway through your working day, and you're craving a big bowl of something warm and comforting. Bao has got you covered. This minimalist spot on Redchurch Street makes consistently delicious bowls of slurp-worthy noodle soup. They also serve their famous bao buns and fried chicken. Keep your eyes peeled for the specials board too; there's almost always something worth ordering on there.

Brick Lane institution has been serving slap-up salt beef bagels 24 hours a day ever since it opened in 1974. Today, it's still in the exact same spot serving the exact same bagels for a very affordable price. Top tip: ask for yours with mustard and pickles.

Step into Japan in this small Shoreditch eatery on the industrial Phipp Street, where the menu is brimming with exquisite Japanese favourites. When you walk in, you'll see counters lined with the finest grade-A sashimi and bottles of intricately-decorated sake bottles. It's an excellent lunch spot, not least because the food is delicious, but because they have a daily-changing lunch menu that means you can nab a meal for under a tenner. If you come when the sun goes down, they also have a whisky and sake bar upstairs for post-work drinks.

This Vietnamese restaurant on Kingsland Road, nicknamed Vietnamese Mile, is the place to go for authentic Vietnamese fare in the heart of Shoreditch. It's a popular spot at lunchtime and dinner, and people flock to feast on their fresh, authentic pho and assortment of homemade side dishes. You don't need to don your fancy get-up here; it's relaxed and informal, and people are here solely for the food. 

This restaurant serves spicy Shaanxi dishes from the northwest of China. Its thick, hand-pulled, ribbon-like noodles have earned it a reputation on the London noodle scene. The noodles are thick, chewy, and wide, served with tender chunks of beef (or without, if you're veggie), doused in an oily chilli sauce, and topped with pak choi. Make sure you order a side of their black fungus.

For ultimate Guilin fun, head to Chew Fun in Spitalfield, a Guilin noodle specialist that serves steaming hot bowls of brothy noodle soup. You can pick a pre-made bowl from their menu alongside sides and drinks. Either way, make sure you cover yours in plenty of chilli oil.

This is another perfect spot for bigger group lunches. This little slice of Italy brings a smidge of '50s trattoria style to the streets of Shoreditch. The first London restaurant of the Big Mamma Group, Gloria, features over-the-top but stylish decor with a menu that makes it far too easy to over-order. The star of the show is their carbonara, served in a giant wheel of pecorino cheese.

Two words: chicken wings. Seriously, there's nothing better than these fish sauce-doused chicken wings. They're sweet, a little spicy and drenched in a glossy sticky sauce. We wouldn't blame you if you came for lunch and ordered three plates of those and nothing else. It's an excellent spot for sharing plates and getting a taste of everything.

This breakfast and lunch-only spot right by Shoreditch Church is in a converted bike shed of an old school. The food is nourishing and wholesome, with dishes like Welsh pork belly with fennel and anchovy and barley and wild mushroom stuffed pumpkin. It's the kind of place you'll want to come with a friend when you're craving some top quality grub washed down with a fancy bottle of wine.

Pizza Pilgrims is the place to go when you’re craving light, crispy Neapolitan-style pizzas with a fluffy crust. The business came about after two brothers decided to travel across Italy and learn everything possible about pizza. Nowadays, they are one of the best places to eat pizza around the world. If you decide to take a pilgrimage here for lunch, their spicy honey and double pepperoni is always a hit.

If you have a particularly fussy lunch group you need to cater for, take them to Boxpark. It houses 23 food and drinks traders, ranging from Japanese-Latin fusion to vegan chicken wings, and plenty of seating, so it’s ideal when you’ve forgotten to book somewhere. They also regularly host events, from poetry and comedy nights to live music and sports.

Aside from serving some of the best coffee in the capital, Attendant's lunch menu also packs a punch. They source their produce sustainably, ethically, and locally from British suppliers, crafting a simple menu of seasonal picks. Enjoy house-made sandwiches, foccacia pizza slices, seasonal soups, and salad bowls in a trendy, plant-draped space in the heart of Shoreditch.

Gunpowder is a small, home-style restaurant serving innovative versions of Indian classics. It’s perfect for sharing, making it an ideal lunch spot for a group of friends. The food is creative, like the spicy venison and vermicelli doughnut, which is the restaurant’s take on keema. The owner is usually on hand and happy to tell a personal tale about each of your dishes.

Get a taste of Burmese cuisine in the East End at Lahpet, a contemporary restaurant serving a menu of authentic, homemade dishes from Burma. Start with the shrimp paste dumplings before moving on to a zingy salad, or opt for something more warming like the catfish and lemongrass chowder. There's also a feasting menu that you can book in advance if you want to get a taste of everything. It's the perfect mid-week lunch spot.

Sagardi is a traditional Spanish restaurant that focuses on the finest seasonal products from Spain to serve classic Basque dishes, like morcilla sausage and in-house butchered txuleton beef cuts. It's perfect for a casual lunch or a Sunday roast. Alongside the pintxo bar and main dining area, Sagardi also has a private dining area.

Popolo in Shoreditch is a small independent restaurant focusing on Italian-inspired small plates in a rustic atmosphere. The menu is chock full of fresh, seasonal ingredients, including at lunchtime, and dishes inspired by Middle Eastern and Moorish influences. There's also a carefully-curated, low-intervention wine list. 

Daffodil Mulligan brings warm Irish hospitality to Shoreditch with a menu featuring a variety of meats and seafood, including pig cheek skewers, lamb sweetbreads, and fire-roasted cod, with vegetarian options like charred purple sprout broccoli. This modern European restaurant is a top choice for lunchtime or dinner shenanigans, with plenty of seating space for groups of varying sizes.

The Clove Club is a main player in the London restaurant scene with two Michelin stars. It offers premium tasting menus of contemporary British dishes at its stylish Shoreditch venue, where guests can enjoy both lunch and dinner, including a dedicated vegetarian selection. For those needing a quick meal, a lower-priced set lunch menu is also available.

Manteca is a popular spot for simple, Italian-inspired cuisine, including hand-rolled pasta and whole-animal butchery. The menu features dishes like duck liver parfait, house-made ricotta, and pasta with spicy pigtail ragu, but it does change from time to time. Vegetarian options are available, alongside a varied cocktail and wine list that includes selections from England and Wales.