London’s Best Value Set Menus

The offering: £29 for four plates, available for lunch on Tues-Thurs, 12pm-3pm (dessert for an additional £4)

Akara in Borough Yards is chef Aji Akokomi’s latest venture. More relaxed than Akoko, the 40-cover restaurant celebrates West African flavours with inventive akara fillings and barbecued mains like aged beef with labu and sea bream with nokoss. Lunch could look like plantain chips with aubergine followed by Lagos-style chicken with efik rice.

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The offering: The lunch and pre-theatre menu is £36pp, Mon-Sun, 12pm-3pm; Mon-Weds, 5.30pm-6pm

Ambassadors' Clubhouse offers a modern Punjabi menu rich in bold flavours and vibrant dishes. The menu includes meats and fish cooked over coals, in the tandoor or made into fragrant curries and served with fluffy rice and breads. There’s also an excellent selection of Pujabi-inspired margaritas, as well as other zingy drinks. The set menu includes papads with chutneys, a starter like lamb kebabs and a main dish (don’t miss the butter chicken chops).

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The offering: Two courses for £25, three for £29 at lunchtime, Weds-Fri

Sommelier Honey Spencer and her partner Charlie Sims’ Sune is one of the best restaurants in Broadway Market. The menu champions standout British produce, with smartly presented sharing dishes and a quietly buzzy atmosphere that sees locals return time and again. The set menu currently includes dishes like tomato, sweet onion and black olive tart, lamb köfte with harissa and labneh, and apricot and pistachio tart. 

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The offering: Two courses for £29, three for £33; Tues-Fri, 12pm-2.30pm

Skye Gyngell’s Spring at Somerset House is a celebration of British produce and understated luxury. Right now, you can enjoy beetroot soup with horseradish and chervil; pork and veal meatballs on soft polenta with salmoriglio; and vanilla pot de crème with roasted plums from Heckfield’s estate. For even better value, the three-course ‘Scratch’ menu (Tues-Sat, 5.30pm-6.15pm; £40pp) offers spontaneous dishes made from surplus ingredients – a delicious way to dine sustainably.

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The offering: The lunch, pre & post-theatre menu is £38pp, available Mon-Fri

ROKA’s robatayaki-style cooking brings smoky depth to its contemporary Japanese dishes. The set menu includes starters like beef dumplings or a three-piece sashimi selection and mains such as miso seabream or pork ribs with cashew. Dessert is an extra £5pp, while the premium set menu includes favourites such as its famous black cod. 

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The offering: Two courses for £35, three for £40 for lunch or dinner

Few hotel restaurants offer better value for money than Café Royal’s glamorous Grill, perfect for a special occasion for less. Expect attentive service in its opulent gold-adorned dining room, where waiters serve sparkling wines and hot bread with whipped butter while you wait for your food. Go French with a selection of pear, roquefort and walnut salad, followed by minute steak with fries and crème brûlée for dessert. 

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The offering: Two courses for £32 or three for £38 for bar diners

One of the capital’s most acclaimed – and busiest – Italian restaurants doesn’t come cheap. But at its bar, you can enjoy its ‘express menu’ which features a selection of the restaurant’s elegant dishes. Think fried Jerusalem artichokes with hen of the woods; stracciatella with pesto, roasted red pepper and smoked almonds; john dory with lime bisque; roasted aubergine with smoked tomatoes and mozzarella; and tiramisu.

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The offering: Three courses for £44; Mon-Fri from 12pm-5pm 

Chefs Will Murray and Jack Croft are behind ever-popular Fallow in St James’s Market, where you’ll find a dining room, bar, wraparound terrace and seven-seater chef’s counter overlooking the open kitchen. The menu focuses on bold sharing-style dishes celebrating sustainable produce across the British Isles. A three-course lunch could look like burrata with caramelised onion followed by chicken with seasonal veg and warm plum galette with crème fraiche.

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The offering: Two course for £24, three for £28

Noble Rot’s three locations – Soho, Mayfair and Lamb’s Conduit Street – offer an excellent-value set lunch menu that changes seasonally to showcase the best of British produce. This month, we’re drawn to the Mayfair outpost, where the menu features chicory and blue cheese salad, plaice grenobloise, and chocolate and hazelnut mousse.

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The offering: Three courses for £29 during the week

This Clerkenwell institution has been serving meat-focused dishes to busy Londoners since 1869. Now, it’s put a modern spin on British dining, with hearty portions of seasonal fare, meticulous sourcing and bold flavours. One of the best value options on this list, the current set menu features mangalitza ham with celeriac remoulade, cod with warm tartare sauce and creme brûlée.

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The offering: The tasting menu starts from £56pp

The team behind the ever-popular Zephyr and Bottarga launched Nina earlier this year to even more acclaim. In Marylebone, the team has turned its attention to Italy, with emphasis on the joys of communal dining and the laboured simplicity of Italian cooking. There are three set menus, with the most affordable featuring the restaurant’s signature dishes: focaccia, burratina, spaghetti with stracciatella, truffle risotto, grilled potatoes, charred greens, grilled cabbage, boozy tiramisu and more.

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The offering: Two courses for £16.95, three for £19.95

A French restaurant from the group behind the Wolseley and the Delaunay, Brasserie Zédel offers traditional Gallic dishes in beautiful art-deco surroundings. Start with pea and mint soup, followed by coq au vin, and chocolate and passion fruit delice for dessert. You can stop by Bar Américain for cocktails and champagne before or after your meal – and its location makes it a no-brainer for pre- and post-theatre dining.

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