The best restaurants for lunch in Shoreditch

Sheba has been around since 1974 and is considered one of the best of Brick Lane's many curry houses. This family-run restaurant specialises in traditional Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi cuisine and has received numerous awards over the years. Thanks to its daily 50% discount on food, it's a popular Shoreditch lunch spot. You can also order takeaway if it's more convenient for you.

Spread across four floors in Commercial Street, The Culpeper is a local favourite thanks to its versatility and attention to detail. For lunch, head to the ground-floor pub or the first-floor restaurant, where you can enjoy a changing seasonal menu featuring vegetables and herbs grown in the rooftop garden. The latter is open during warmer months as well.

Uba is a stylish pan-Asian restaurant in Shoreditch, combining East London energy with the rich flavours of Asia. Housed in the Hart Shoreditch Hotel, it features bold red-and-gold interiors, a marble bar for counter dining, and space for both large and intimate groups. The Shoreditch lunch spot offers three different express lunch menus at an affordable price, as well as à la carte options. If you're staying at the hotel, you can order it delivered to your room.

Cocotte is a cosy French farm-to-table restaurant in Hoxton Square, with free-range rotisserie chicken sourced from the Loire Valley a particular menu highlight. Just moments from Old Street, its peaceful setting makes it an ideal spot for a relaxed lunch. The Cheeky Lunch menu here includes a quarter of their signature marinated chicken with sides such as truffle mash or winter veg, as well as two of their homemade sauces. 

This bustling market in Shoreditch blends historic charm with a vibrant, modern street-food scene, set beneath a striking Victorian ironwork roof. You'll find some of London's top food vendors here, with many testing the waters and building up experience before launching full-on restaurants later in their career. There are lots of tasty options to choose from, and you can either sit down at one of the covered communal tables or get your food to go. Plus, there lots of fashion and crafts stalls to browse as you wait for your lunch.

When you want a fresh, filling, and nourishing Shoreditch lunch on the go, pop into Kêu. These Vietnamese restaurants are known for making some of the best banh mi sandwiches in the city. The crispy baguettes are packed with a range of fillings – we always ask for extra coriander for some added zingy freshness – and ideal for munching as you make your way to your next meeting. Other classic Vietnamese dishes are also served at this modern venue.

Padella is one of the most popular pasta bars in London, but the walk-in policy of the snug Borough Market original makes reliably getting lunch there a risky proposition if you're on the clock. Thankfully, its younger Shoreditch branch is larger, takes bookings, and operates a virtual queue you can sign up for even before getting there. Trust us, the handmade pasta and rich sauces make any organisational hassles seem irrelevant.

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. 

Lunch doesn't always have to be a quick affair – if you have time to spare, a languid afternoon meal, along with some good company and a couple of glasses of fine wine, is just the thing. Galvin La Chapelle is a long-standing Michelin-starred restaurant known for its dedication to the artistry of French cuisine. Order a five or seven-course lunch tasting menu, add the wine pairing, and turn on your out-of-office for the day.

A hip 2024 addition to the Shoreditch dining scene, Bistro Freddie highlights local producers, updated takes on traditional British dishes, and curated French wines. Equally refined and welcoming, this cosy restaurant also serves an express set menu for lunch, including two or three courses of dishes such as grilled chicken with peas and crushed potato, grilled pork neck with braised endive, mash, and peppercorn sauce, or sticky toffee pudding with milk ice cream.

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.

With a number of restaurants across London and further afield, Tonkotsu qualifies as a chain, but don't hold that against it. The steaming bowls of ramen served here are among the best around, the modern setting is stylish and welcoming, and you can even bring both kids and dogs along. Tonkotsu's weekday set lunch in Shoreditch includes a main and a side, and you can add a drink or upgrade the size of your meal if you're feeling extra hungry.

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.

This 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.

This classic Turkish ocakbaşı spot in Shoreditch pairs a clean, contemporary setting with a few al fresco tables for open-air dining. The menu showcases a range of beloved Turkish dishes, from mezze and smoky charcoal-grilled meats to generous sharing platters and hearty kebabs. At lunchtime, you can take advantage of their affordable lunch menu deal – a starter and a main plus salad – with lots of different options to choose from.

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.

King Cookdaily is a humble counter-serve spot that's won serious acclaim for its bold, flavour-packed vegan dishes. Influenced by Asian cuisine, the short menu at this Shoreditch lunch restaurant features wholesome plant-based bowls that are both satisfying and nutritious. With its quick service and healthy focus, it's a popular choice for a fuss-free, feel-good lunch.

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.

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.

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.

Consistently named one of the best steakhouses in the world, Hawksmoor prides itself on restoring the reputation of British beef. The group launched at this very branch in Spitalfields, and their lunch offerings are very popular with the area's businessfolk. Diners can choose premium cuts and fresh seafood off the à la carte menu, or opt for one of the changing lunch specials. A more affordable two or three-course lunch menu is available as well.

Don't be surprised by the queue snaking out of this modest newsagent on Great Eastern Street around lunchtime – it's not breaking news the punters are after, but one of the best affordable lunches in Shoreditch. Behind the Shoreditch Stop's unremarkable exterior, you'll find generous takeaway boxes filled with the classic rice and three, poppadoms, and optional extras like a giant onion bhaji. Authentic, hearty, and cheap.

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.