Hey everyone!

Food is expensive. Getting lunch in central London can be pretty expensive, especially if you’re on a budget. So how do we solve this issue? Well, as much as I’d love to say that meal prepping is super simple and can be done every day (and it can), somedays just pass by way too quickly and you just have to buy yourself something to eat. So! Welcome to a student’s restaurant guide to lunch around LSE!

The Black Penny – WC2B 5AA (7 minute walk)

While The Black Penny is known for its breakfast menu, every lunch hour it boasts its’ salad boxes. Racking up at £7.50 for the big box features a hefty portion of a protein of your choosing and their multitude of salad options. I assure you, their portions are massive enough for two people to eat but if you’re in the mood for something a bit lighter, they do also carry a smaller size.

Fabrique Bakery – WC1V 7EW (9 minute walk)

This bakery is well known for its cinnamon rolls (£3) and combined with their multitude of lunch sandwiches, brings this up neatly to £10 for lunch. Amongst their selection of pastries and sandwiches, they have options such as basil cream cheese with serrano ham and rocket, salmon/fennel with dill and lemon on Rye and Raisin, and goat cheese, dried cranberries and balsamic glaze on a walnut baguette, all for £7 each. Of course with their wide selection of baked goods, feel free to mix and match your own lunch deal to find what works best for you!

Café Rouge – WC2B 6ST (3 minute walk)

Now for this, you will need UNiDAYS, which is a free app that will get you a ton of student deals for anything you want. With this deal, you can get 50% off of burgers, croques, and baguettes (all served with a salad or fries) from Monday – Thursday, or after 5pm on Sundays. Now, this deal is valid for up to 4 people, so bring in some course mates and all of you can save some money! If you needed another push to try out Café Rouge, this offer means that their most expensive burger- a beef bourguignon burger worth £14.95, can be brought down to £7.48.

Franco Manca – WC2B 5JZ (4 minute walk)

With UNiDAYS once again, you can get an offer for a pizza with a soft drink for £7.40! Now, this is an individual offer from Sunday – Thursdays so have it! Franco Manca, despite being a chain restaurant does provide amazing pizzas and the food is absolutely worth it with or without the deal.

Itsu – WC1V 7DN (9 minute walk)

Itsu’s motto is eating beautiful, and with such amazing prices, it’s easy to live to their motto! Their sushi comes in an amazing range of prices, from £3.69 for a 6 piece set of crab California king rolls, to their 14 piece best of itsu set for only £7.49, the options are endless and you can be assured that you’re getting more than what you paid for.

The Espresso Room – WC2A 3JF (5 minute walk)

This small coffee shop has some of the best coffee and service I’ve had around LSE. Their pastries and savoury treats are incredible and they have a really good vegan selection too! If you ever need an emergency pick me up, I highly recommend The Espresso Room!

While this list is small, there are a ton of restaurants and bakeries that you can choose from and I can’t wait to provide you with more information on how to save money and make the most of your time at LSE!

Until next time!
Kimberly