Credit: Bar Valette
Despite its reputation for being an expensive city, London has no shortage of cheap eats and affordable restaurants. But, of course, it’s also home to plenty of blow-out spots where a meal could cost as much as someone’s monthly rent payment. More often than not, some of London’s most celebrated and awarded restaurants fall firmly in the latter category – especially when it comes to the fabled Michelin Guide. But what if I told you there were plenty of spots in London to enjoy food from Michelin-starred chefs at (comparatively) lower prices?
Now, these spots don’t necessarily boast Michelin stars of their own. Instead, they bring a Michelin-level attention to detail, ingredients, and technique to more casual and relaxed restaurants. Some of these places have even been listed in the Michelin Guide or presented with a Bib Gourmand for their impressive food.
Sure, they might not have reached Michelin-star-level yet, but you don’t want to miss a meal at one of these restaurants.
Credit: Spring Street Pizza
What happens when a Michelin-starred chef is OBSESSED with pizza? You get a place like Spring Street Pizza! This London pizzeria is the result of Chef Tom Kemble’s “passion for pizza and relentless pursuit of achieving the perfect crust”. You’ll notice the attention to detail that Michelin-starred chefs have in the pizza itself, sure, but also in the housemade dips and top-notch pizza toppings.
📍 Arch 32, Southwark Quarter, Southwark Street, SE1 1TE. The nearest stations are London Bridge and Borough.
Credit: Heard.
If Spring Street Pizza is the Michelin-y result of a pizza obsession, then Heard. is the burger-fanatics version. Where Spring Street Pizza is all about simple perfection, two Michelin-starred chef Jordan Bailey’s Heard. is all about elevating the burger and making it exceptional. How exceptional? Well, you can upgrade your burger by adding caviar to it… That’s pretty exceptional (and very fancy).
📍 1 Flat Iron Square, Union Street, SE1 0AB. The nearest station is Borough.
Credit: Arianna Ruth
Elis doesn’t just boast an impressive pedigree of coming from the same chef as the two-Michelin-starred Da Terra, Chef Rafael Cagali, but it’s also in the same building! And thanks to its proximity, it even uses some of the same ingredients as its neighbouring sibling restaurant. Thanks to a significantly more relaxed vibe and an a la carte menu, it’s the kind of place you can return to multiple times, and you’ll still pay less overall than for one meal at Da Terra.
📍 1st floor, Town Hall Hotel, 8 Patriot Square, E2 9NF. Nearest stations are Cambridge Heath and Bethnal Green.
Agora
Agora is the casual little sibling restaurant to OMA, which this year became London’s first Michelin-starred Greek restaurant. Now, a booking at OMA is pretty difficult to get, so why not head to the ground-floor Agora (downstairs from OMA) and enjoy a casual take on the food at OMA for a fraction of the cost? Just be sure to turn up as they open or you’ll be out of luck nabbing a table!
📍 4 Bedale Street, SE1 9AL. The nearest station is London Bridge.
Bar Valette 
Credit: Bar Valette
Bar Valette utilises the cooking know-how and expertise of the team behind Shoreditch’s legendary Clove Club. It’s decidedly not an affordable restaurant to eat at, despite being rather more casual than Clove Club – but a meal here is still cheaper than the £225 tasting menu on offer at its two-Michelin-starred counterpart.
📍 28–30 Kingsland Road, E2 8AA. The nearest station is Hoxton.
Josephine Bouchon
Chef Claude Bosi’s four Michelin stars are put to good use at this decidedly casual affair in London. Bringing the French bouchon/bistro to the city, Josephine invites you to forget the outside world and surrender yourself to foodie and vinous pleasures. Don’t miss the extremely affordable ‘plat du jour’, for a taste of a Michelin-starred chef’s cooking at a fraction of the cost. There are two sites – one in Marylebone and one in Chelse – so you’ve got twice the chance at getting a table!
📍315 Fulham Road, SW10 9QH & 6-8 Blandford Street, W1U 4AU. The nearest stations are West Brompton & Bond Street.
Fox & Grapes 
Credit: Fox & Grapes
How about a pub from a Michelin-starred chef? Well, that’s exactly what the Fox & Grapes is, since Chef Claude Bosi (yes, him again) took it over in 2010. This Wimbledon pub was transformed into a gastro pub with boutique hotel rooms, and proffers up a cosy spot for many to call their local. And while it may lean more restaurant-y than pub-y, it’s a far sight more relaxed than either of Bosi’s Michelin-starred restaurants.
📍9 Camp Road, SW19 4UN. The nearest station is Wimbledon.
St. JOHN Bread and Wine
St. JOHN is already on the more affordable side of things when it comes to Michelin-starred restaurants, but ST. JOHN Bread and Wine dials the affordability and casual vibes up even more. The menu errs close to the Michelin-awarded site, but skews off in its own unique direction to keep prices down a touch. A meal here verges on being half the price of one at St. JOHN itself.
📍 94-96 Commercial Street, E1 6LZ. The nearest station is Liverpool Street.
Upstairs (at Trinity) 
Credit: Upstairs
Echoing Elis and AGORA with being in incredibly close proximity to its Michelin-starred sibling is Upstairs. Can you guess where it might be with respect to the one-Michelin-starred Trinity? This casual sharing-focused alternative to Trinity is intimate but open, and you almost feel as if you’re joining friends around the counter at your friends (bougie) apartment. In their own words, Upstairs is “Casual dining in its finest form”.
📍 4 The Polygon, Clapham, SW4 0JG. The nearest station is Clapham Common.
So, there you have it! If you want to eat some food from Michelin-starred chefs, but can’t stomach the price tag, these spots will sort you right out.
Dining and Cooking