Michelin starred restaurants don’t come cheap, and with the current state of everything from increasing interest rates to rising energy bills, they aren’t going to be the restaurants we all turn to for a mid-week meal. That was, until we found out that there are some very affordable Michelin star restaurants in London. A set three course meal for under £25 per head? Count us in.
Following this year’s Michelin star awards, we’ve put together a guide to the cheap Michelin star restaurants in London that are genuinely affordable – without sacrificing on the quality.
River Café
This one was a shock, growing up I’ve always thought of the River Café as one of those places that you’d be hard pressed to afford unless your horse had come in a highly unexpected first. And yet, at £34 a meal, London’s seventh cheapest Michelin star restaurant is actually a viable ‘fancy popping out for a bite?’ type of affair.
Made famous in the ’90s, the prices seem to have remained there, though we were unable to recreate the research to prove the case (a risotto starter still seems to cost £22), presumably there’s a set menu that’s not available online.
WHERE: THAMES WHARF, RAINVILLE ROAD, HAMMERSMITH, W6 9HA
WEBSITE: WWW.RIVERCAFE.CO.UK
Trishna
Trishna, I’ve got a Mary-le-bone to pick with you – how so cheap? This posh Indian favourite brings Indian coastal cuisine to central London and does so with style and a Michelin star to boot, not to mention on a budget of just £32.
Let’s opt for the Shahi salmon tikka, move onto the Kozhikode chicken masala before diving into a dessert of Kesai tele kulfi. Not sure what any of that is? Fear not, you’re in great hands. And if you hate it, you can roll the dice again because you’ve only lost thirty (two) quid!
WHERE: 15-17 BLANDFORD STREET, MARYLEBONE, W1U 3DG
WEBSITE: WWW.TRISHNALONDON.COM
Hakkasan Hanway Place
It’s a little eyebrow raising to see this luxurious Mayfair hideaway, the respite of the rich and famous, in the top ten cheapest (Michelin star) restaurants in London, but incredibly £38 will sink you three courses of the finest Cantonese cooking there is, and ours is not the question why. Instead, get in line and enjoy Taste of Hakkasan, the £38 curated menu presenting the restaurant’s signature dishes but without breaking the bank.
Begin with a selection of dim sum, graduate to stir-fry black pepper rib eye beef with merlot and a side of steamed jasmine rice, and have a pudding of whatever the chef selects on the day.
WHERE: 8 HANWAY PLACE, FITZROVIA, W1T 1HD
WEBSITE: WWW.HAKKASAN.COM
Jamavar
Jamavar loudly and proudly and loudly claimed its spot on London’s enviable list of Michelin-starred Indian restaurants last year. Located in Mayfair, this smart restaurant is all about regional dishes and pan-Indian flavours.
The restaurant was brought to life in 2001 by Samyukta Nair with her father, Dinesh, as the first international outpost of Jamavar, which has five restaurants in India. Authentic and delicious, dishes originate from across India’s many regions and are prepared carefully with individual flair. There’s a fair amount of glitz thanks to the rich, opulent décor, but don’t let the luxurious surroundings fool you – you can get a three-course Michelin-star lunch here for as little as £47.
WHERE: 8 MOUNT ST, LONDON W1K 3NF
WEBSITE: WWW.JAMAVARRESTAURANTS.COM
Benares
Benares is a London favourite for pre-theatre dining with its Michelin-starred set menu options. Offering diners two courses for £33 and three for £39, choose from exciting, modern Indian dishes like Essex Farm chicken momo with a sweetcorn infusion, citrus marinated and grilled hake with foraged sea broccoli, and kesar mango cheesecake.
An exceptional choice for an affordable Michelin-starred dining experience, just before dashing to the theatre.
WHERE: 12A BERKELEY SQUARE, LONDON W1J 6BS
WEBSITE: WWW.BENARESRESTAURANT.COM
Leroy
It’s official, when it comes to Michelin star restaurants, Leroy is king: it’s officially the cheapest in the entire country! Punters at the Hackney hangout can expect to shell-out an exorbitant £23 for a three course menu that’s, on paper at least, no worse than Tom Sellers’ Restaurant Story (also one star, but four times more expensive).
Start from the very short list of options with a plate of olives (we think this may be where the methodology went a little awry, of course you can’t compare ‘some olives’ to, say, wagyu beef topped with caviar), followed by a main of scallop girolles and white wine sauce and finish with a strawberry sorbet and walk away only £21.50 worse off.
I’ve spent more than that Deliverooing Nando’s!
WHERE: 18 PHIPP STREET, HACKNEY, EC2A 4NU
WEBSITE: WWW.LEROYSHOREDITCH.COM
By The Handbook
River Café
Trishna
Hakkasan Hanway Place
Jamavar
Benares
Leroy
