Amongst all the hidden gems London carries are food spots, and I have been meaning to tell you some really secret places to eat in Central London.
These are all cute bakeries, cafes and restaurants located between Covent Garden, Soho and Chinatown, hearts of the bustling London life, and places I have been eating at for years.
For whoever is kind of traveling or living in London on a budget, I have decided to share some cheap eats as well.
However, if you’re willing to discover about a good number of cheap eats in Central London, I have dedicated a full post to the matter, and from instagrammable cafes to Singaporean curry puffs, you’ll find all you need there.
8 Deliciously Secret Places to Eat in Central London
The reason why I have decided to round up some of the most secret places to eat in Central London today is that, for starters, I’ve had it in mind for the longest time.
By secret, understand way-lesser-known food bakeries, restaurants and street food spots, of those you don’t usually spot when passing by, preoccupied with your own thoughts.
Sakurado, for instance, is hidden in plain sight on Shaftesbury Avenue, and makes for one of the must-visit Japanese bakeries in London.
Pizza Pilgrims offers some of the best Neapolitan pizza in Central London, and makes the corner of old, picturesque streets in the heart of Soho.
Anyhoo – from Italian cafes to incredible pastel de nata, you’ll hopefully discover here your new favorite food spots!
Best Secret Places to Eat in Central London: Viet Soho
One of the smallest pho restaurants in London, Viet Soho is hidden in the heart of Soho, and offers about 10-15 seats that get filled very quickly.
Vietnamese pho is one of my favorite dishes, and I’m on an endless quest to find new pho spots when I’m living in London.
Viet Soho is also one of the only Vietnamese places to eat that still serves dough sticks with their pho soup – and dough sticks with pho is something else.
At around £11 for a filling bowl of pho, Viet Soho makes for a great solo cheap eat spot and/or a laidbaick romantic date.
Make sure you come as soon as it opens, as there’s often a queue of locals waiting for their pho fix!
Read: The Most Secret Places to Visit in London
Secret Places to Eat in Central London: Lavazza, Great Marlborough Street
Located on Great Marlborough Street, the Lavazza coffee shop is one of Soho’s best hidden gems, and pretty spacious at that.
Whether you’re looking for new secret places to eat in Central London or a study cafe near Oxford St, you’ll love Lavazza.
A few of my favorite Italian cafes in town are located around Soho and Goodge Street, but Lavazza is the biggest, meaning if you can come and enjoy a pistachio croissant with a few pages of a good book.
Lavazza offers all types of Italian coffee, from your espresso to macchiato and mocha recipes, along with properly Italian cornetti, various focaccie, salads and savoury maritozzi.
If you ever travel to Italy and are looking for a Roman maritozzo, many places have made it the decadently creamy bun their specialty.
The fact that you can find maritozzi in London is pretty incredible in itself, and whether for breakfast or a mid-afternoon snack, Lavazza is a great spot to eat.
Read: The Best Hidden Gems in Oxford Street
Best Secret Places to Eat in Central London: Pizza Pilgrims Soho
Pizza Pilgrims offers some really affordable pizza choices, and if you’re ever looking for halal pizza in London, you’ll be happy to know that Pizza Pilgrims is experimenting with halal pepperoni in a few of their branches.
The Soho branch offers a few seats outside that are my favorite spot to eat when I visit, but if you choose to sit downstairs, you’re in for a treat.
Neapolitan pizza is my favorite kind, and Pizza Pilgrims has a faultless recipe that makes the dough airy, chewy – all kinds of Italian street food goodness, really.
For a local, Pizza Pilgrims isn’t really a secret food spot, but since I’ve just discovered the fully Italian themed decor downstairs, I thought it deserved a place in this guide.
Especially when you’re also aware that Pizza Pilgrims has the creamiest truffle dip sauce you’ll ever taste.
And chinotto.
Read: The Best French Patisseries in London
Secret Places to Eat in Central London: Sakurado, Shaftesbury Avenue
I’m more acquainted with Italian bakeries in London than I am with Japanese bakeries or any other culture, really.
However, I was invited a few weeks ago to try the menu at Sakurado on Shaftesbury Avenue, and since I was blown away, here goes.
When walking down Shaftesbury Avenue, it’s really easy to miss Sakurado, and yet, you have here one of the most instagrammable cafes slash bakeries in the whole of London.
From basque-style cheesecakes to Japanese mille crepes cakes and, oh my, genmaicha tea, Sakurado knows how to make you travel with a spoonful.
Places like nearby Rasa Sayang, another perfect restaurant for proper Asian food (they serve incredible Malaysian dishes) may be easier to find than Sakurado.
However, when you see what treat you’re in for, you’ll make Sakurado your new weekly must-visit.
Read: The Prettiest Villages in London
Best Secret Places to Eat in Central London: Good Friend Chicken, Chinatown
Chinatown is filled with restaurants and street food spots all better than the next, and I have a few favorites I’ll share soon.
From Chinese to Malaysian and Taiwanese, the Chinatown restaurants offer a panel of notes and textures you wouldn’t find in other parts of London.
That’s the case of Good Friend Chicken, another one of the most secret places to eat in Central London – for tourists, may I add.
There are a couple of items on the menu you should absolutely try when at Good Friend Chicken, and that includes the sweet potato fries, unlike any you’ll eat in London, thick and soft, and the Volcano Chicken.
Pictured above, the Volcano Chicken is slightly reminiscent of the French cordon bleu, and is basically a huge fried chicken breast that protects gooesy, cheesy cheese.
With its pretty long opening hours, Good Friend Chicken is a good spot to treat yourself to junky Asian street food before wandering around Mayfair or Covent Garden.
Nearby, if you’re interested in discovering some more hidden gems, you’ll find Cecil Court, which is nothing but one of London’s secret alleyways.
In Cecil Court, you will find many beautiful bookshops, some antique or rare bookshops with beautiful shop windows.
That’s also where you will find Alice Through the Looking Glass, the only Alice in Wonderland bookshop in London, which also houses a small museum in the back.
Read: The Best Cheap Makeup Shops in London
Cute Cafes and Bakeries in Central London: Bageriet, Covent Garden
Bageriet in Covent Garden offers some of the most delicious – and unexpected pastries you’d think of finding in London.
Swedish and Scandinavian bakeries are far and few between in London, but when you know that places like Bageriet exist, you honestly don’t think of looking for more options.
Bageriet is one of the only food spots around Rose Street and Floral Street in Covent Garden and, oh boy, from their chai latte to their cinnamon rolls and Scandinavian bread, everything there is incredibly tasty.
What you’d probably find me doing after breakfast at Bageriet, and which I actually do whenever I get the chance, is going shopping in Covent Garden.
From makeup shops to really unique shops like Stanfords, a gorgeous travel and map bookshop, there are many options to get London souvenirs in the area.
Since Bageriet only has tables – two outside, two inside, you might want to come as early as possible as the bakery/coffee shop sees regulars queueing for the buns, Kallongrotta pastries and coffee from the early hours of the morning.
It’s still, no matter what, one of Covent Garden’s hidden gems, and a must-have on your bucket list.
Read: The Best Cheap Clothing Shops in London
Best Secret Places to Eat in Central London: Cafe de Nata Soho
I have my few favorites when it comes to breakfast spots in Central London you have to try absolutely, and a couple of them are located in bustling Soho.
Cafe de Nata, for instance, with its very tiny shop – and no seats – is one of the most secret places to eat in Central London from breakfast to after-dinner snack.
Indeed the Old Compton St pastry shop closes at 11 pm, meaning you can pop by pretty much whenever to get some of the most delicious pasteis de nata in London.
You’ll find the classic pastel de nata recipe at Cafe de Nata, but nothing should stop you from trying the blueberry, raspberry, or apple and cinnamon versions, all better than the previous one.
And by the way, if you’re ever looking for places to eat in Camden Town, there’s a Cafe de Nata branch there, close to the Stables Market.
Read: The Most Colorful Places in London
Secret Places to Eat in Central London: The Cafe at Foyles
Foyles is one of the best places to buy books in London, and I always find lots of books I wouldn’t have even dreamed of before passing the threshold.
One of my favorite cafes to work in London, the Cafe on the highest floor of the Foyles bookshop is a secret spot to get fresh carrot cake and delicious latte.
I have spent many afternoons working at the Cafe at Foyles, and while there are many other hidden cafes in London, this one’s pastries impressed me so much that I keep coming back.
Recently, I actually popped by Foyles again and I’ll soon tell you about all the gorgeous books about London and its history I purchased there.
In any case, whether you’re looking to have a quick breakfast in Central London or just want to get a good coffee to go, the Cafe at Foyles is another one my top spots to visit.
After breakfast, by the way, you’ll find one of the biggest TK Maxx in London a couple of minutes on foot away, with its great range of skincare and makeup.
The TK Maxx candles are also must-buy products, especially the ones from DW Home, Sand and Fog and Yankee Candle.
But first, a bite and a book from Foyles should already put you in a good mood!
Read: The Best Second Hand Bookshops in London
8 Deliciously Secret Places to Eat in Central London
There you have them, all my favorite secret places to eat in Central London, from the exquisitely refined pastel de nata at Cafe de Nata to the crispiest chicken on Earth at Good Friend Chicken!
I have lately visited a myriad of very aesthetic restaurants, and have yet to write all kinds of reviews that will make you fall in love with London all over again.
For now, if you’d like to discover other delicious types of food, why not continue discovering: