The Best Breakfast Lunch And Dinner Places Near Old Street London

Known as the ‘Silicon Roundabout’, Old Street is home to a number of tech and media companies – including Culture Trip. So, given that we know it like the back of our hands, here’s our round-up of some of the best places to suit all budgets ($, $$, $$$) and meal times. First up, it’s breakfast – then lunch and finally dinner. Tuck in!

2. Counter Kitchen

Bar, Cafe, Restaurant, Asian, European, Vegetarian, Gluten-free

This new café and bar has practically become Culture Trip’s editorial meeting room, and you can often find us on the big table downstairs having our meetings fueled by some great coffee. Breakfast choices are delicious, nutritious and mindfully sourced. We love the homemade sourdough, topped with a soft-boiled egg. Also worth a try is the roasted cinnamon apple and Greek yoghurt.

3. Whitecross Street Market

Food Kiosk, Market, Asian, Fast Food, Healthy

For freshly cooked cheap eats at lunchtime, head to Whitecross Street Market, where food trucks and businesses spill out onto the road. A CT staff favourite is Yum Bowl, which has a stall on the market itself, as well as a shop just around the corner.

5. J+A Cafe

Cafe, Restaurant, Sandwich Shop, Irish, European

Hidden down a little alleyway, this café and restaurant offers great home-cooked Irish food, which means three things: fresh-baked soda bread, a big pot of tea and a cake on the table. There’s a great range of sandwiches – try the club: a triple-decker sandwich with free-range roast chicken, bacon, avocado, tomato, baby leaves and mayo. For something more filling, there’s a good homemade pie served with champ (mashed potatoes with spring onions) or a bowl of hearty Irish stew with crusty white bread.

6. Pham Sushi

Restaurant, Japanese, Sushi, Asian

There are two Pham Sushis in the area, one at the bottom of the Heron Tower, and one on Whitecross Street, which is nearer to Old Street. There’s an extensive range of sushi types, from classic nigiri to sashimi. The set platters for four or six are beautifully presented, garnished with traditional carved vegetables. For something really special, try the flying dragon roll, made with eel, asparagus and tempura flakes, wrapped in avocado with ikura (salmon roe) on top.

7. Jane Roe Kitchen

Restaurant, Italian, American, European

Founded by four Italian friends who used to work in the area, Jane Roe delivers great value for money by having a short, tight menu of crowd-pleasing pizzas and burgers. Ingredients are carefully sourced and prepared, with all their meat coming from nearby Smithfield Market. The pizza dough is left to rest for 48 hours, before being used to make classics like Napoli featuring, tomato sauce, fior di latte mozzarella, anchovies, olives and fresh basil.

8. The Jugged Hare

Gastropub, Pub, Restaurant, Bar, British

Named after the iconic game dish, The Jugged Hare – unsurprisingly – offers the best of British game, as well as beef, lamb and pork. The menu changes seasonally, featuring dishes from game terrine with hunter sauce to Dorset Crab with Melba toast. Excellent mains come from the grill and rotisserie – and as well as a range of steaks, there’s also half a Suffolk free-range chicken with sage stuffing and bread sauce. But it’s the game dishes diners come here for, particularly in the cooler months.

9. Duck & Waffle

Cocktail Bar, Restaurant, European, British

United Kingdom, London, the City, Duck & Waffle restaurant in Heron Tower

Dan Doherty’s restaurant in the clouds 40 stories up the Heron Tower offers an unsurpassed view of the city. Choose from slow-cooked lamb sloppy joe, spicy ox cheek doughnut or the eponymous duck and waffle (crispy leg confit, fried duck egg, mustard maple syrup). Wash it all down with one of the champagne cocktails, including the equally ‘robust’ champagne negroni.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.