The cheapest Michelin star restaurants in London: 12 spots for wallet friendly fine dining

Cheap and Michelin aren’t two words that often go hand in hand, but if you're looking for a cheap Michelin star restaurant in London, you'll be pleased to hear that such a thing does exist.

The cheapest Michelin restaurants in London are no less of an experience than their expensive counterparts, but some come with fewer formal trappings. While this might be a bonus for some, others could miss the starched white linens and silver service of more traditional Michelin starred restaurants. If you’re happy to do away with a few of the frills and are there for the food alone, you can get some really delicious dinners in the capital for a snip of the price of what you might expect from a Michelin starred restaurant.

These more affordable options are the perfect place to treat someone special for a date night or take friends or family to for celebrations that feel marked without you having to break the bank.

The key to getting a good deal, we’ve found, is being flexible about when you eat. More often than not top-end places will look to fill their tables before their main service. That means a cut-price menu if you pop in at lunchtime or before 7pm for a pre-theatre or early-bird menu. For those of us who like to be in bed by ten, it’s the perfect scenario.

We’ve gathered together a collection of cheap Michelin star London restaurants, so that next time you’re looking to eat out in style on a budget, you’ll know where to head. From Indian and Italian through to modern small plate spots, London’s restaurant scene really does have it all when it comes to inexpensive dining.

Wild Honey St James

What: If you were thinking which of London’s Michelin star restaurants might be affordable, you probably wouldn’t consider Wild Honey, tucked inside the swanky Sofitel St James hotel. Get to the restaurant for a weekday lunch or pre-theatre menu and you can swipe three courses for just £40, and as you’ll see from our review, Anthony Demetre’s cooking remains some of the finest in the capital.
Michelin credentials: One Michelin star
Cost: Three courses for £40
Where: Sofitel St James’s, 8 Pall Mall, SW1Y 5NG
Book now: Wild Honey St James

Benares, Mayfair

What: Benares has flown the flag for Indian fine dining in London for many, many years now, and despite the Berkeley Square location, you can get in and out for a steal thanks to the set menu, which starts at £35 for two courses. There are other very reasonable offers too (like the thali lunch for £44) - a relatively small price to pay for this level of cooking.
Michelin credentials: One Michelin star
Cost: Two courses for £35
Where: 12a Berkeley Square House, W1J 6BS
Book now: Benares

Portland, Fitzrovia

What: Portland has gone a little under the radar since Merlin Labron-Johnson put this lovely restaurant on the map some years ago, but this is still home to some really fantastic cooking and, especially at lunch, we think it’s rather a bargain. It’s not the cheapest on this list but three courses for under £50, for this quality of cooking? We’ll take that.
Michelin credentials: One Michelin star
Cost: Three courses for £49
Where: 113 Great Portland Street, W1W 6QQ
Book now: Portland

Casa Fofó, Dalston

What: Casa Fofó is the most expensive restaurant on this list, but (and it’s a big but) the quoted price is for the full menu, not just a lunch deal or similar. On the menu at the time of writing - pollock with bergamot and chanterelle, potato, fermented tom um and seaweed, and ex dairy cow with sourdough miso. All this and more for just £65 is, frankly, an absolute steal.
Michelin credentials: One Michelin star
Cost: Full menu for £65
Where: 158 Sandringham Road, E8 2HS
Book now: Casa Fofó

Veeraswamy, Piccadilly

What: Famously the UK’s oldest Indian restaurant, Veeraswamy has been around since 1926 and it has always been one of London’s more affordable fine dining options. These days it is pretty relaxed, and it’s a great choice for classic Indian food. The lunch set menu is available on the weekend as well for just a few pounds more, so this is a easy, reliable option at all times of the week.
Michelin credentials: One Michelin star
Cost: Two courses for £35
Where: Victory House, 99 Regent Street, W1B 4RS
Book now: Veeraswamy

Kitchen W8, Kensington

What: It's pretty rare for a Michelin-starred restaurant to serve a main course below the price of 35 quid, let alone two. That's why we were pretty chuffed to discover Kitchen W8's reasonably priced lunch menu, in which diners can opt for two courses for £34.50, or three for £39.50. Bargain. Look out for dishes such as truffled cauliflower croquette with sprouting broccoli, ancient grains, sweetcrorn and girolles, and raviolo of chicken with scorched lettuce, roasting juices and thyme.
Michelin credentials: One Michelin star
Cost: Two courses for £34.50
Where: 11-13 Abingdon Road, W8 6AH
Book now: Kitchen W8

Hakkasan Hanway Place, Fitzrovia

What: Internationally lauded Hakkasan is a playground of the rich and famous, attracting a well-heeled crowd to its glamerous dining room in the heart of Fitzrovia. Here you can expect expertly crafted dim sum and high-end Cantonese mains like Peking duck with caviar or brown-butter and black bean scallops. The cheapest way to eat here is to book an early table during the week, when the restaurant offers a special Taste of Hakkasan menu which includes three courses and a cocktail for £49 per person. It's not the cheapest on the list, but given that Hakkasan's top-end experience costs over £200 a head, it's not bad going.
Michelin credentials: One Michelin star
Cost: Set menu for £49 per person
Where: 8 Hanway Place, W1T 1HD
Book now: Hakkasan Hanway Place

Gymkhana, Mayfair

What: This Michelin-starred Mayfair hotspot is celebrated for its modern Indian cooking which keeps its tables packed every night of the week. Having recently been refurbished, interiors at Gymkhana are as good as the food. If you're happy to eat early you can grab lunch for £44, with dishes including Goan prawn curry and kid goat methi keema. The menu comes with a selection of pappadums plus sides that include saag makai and dal plus bread or rice. Add dessert for an extra fiver. 
Michelin credentials: One Michelin star
Cost: Lunch from £44 per person
Where: 42 Albemarle Street, W1S 4JH
Book now: Gymkhana

Leroy, Shoreditch

What: Favourite of the East London set, Leroy celebrates seasonal cookery in all its glory, putting emphasis on providence. Here sharing plates are the order of the day, and while there’s no set menu to take advantage of at dinner, the regular a la carte is affordable enough to let you eat well for a reasonable price. A plate of Cornish crab mayonnaise and chicken skin will set you back £14, while steak tartare with shoestring fries comes in at £16. Even better, go for a weekday lunch and enjoy a delightful set menu where you can nab a couple of tasty plates for under £30.
Michelin credentials: One Michelin star
Cost: Lunch from £29 for two courses
Where: 18 Phipp Street, EC2A 4NU
Book now: Leroy

Murano, Mayfair

What: Angela Hartnett’s celebrated Italian restaurant holds a Michelin star and offers up skilful reinventions of classic dishes. If you’re willing to drop the dinner slot and go for lunch instead you’ll be well rewarded by way of the set menu which starts at £45 for two courses. You can kick things off at Murano with ox shin croquettes and celeriac – for instance – and enjoy braised pork cheeks, pomme Anna, capers and cavolo nero for a main. If you can't see past a pud you can add a choice of two sweets for a fiver – think cherry and almond pavlova.
Michelin credentials: One Michelin star
How much: Set lunch menu for £45
Where: 20 Queen Street, W1J 5PP
Book now: Murano

Elystan Street, Chelsea

What: There aren’t many restaurants in Chelsea where you can enjoy three courses for £40, let alone Michelin awarded spots. Elystan Street stands out from the crowd with its three-course lunchtime special which allows you to pick from its line-up of contemporary European dishes. There are often excellent pasta dishes in the starters - like signature hand-cut strozzapretti with wild garlic pesto - while comforting mains like guinea fowl coq au vin with creamed potato are also a common feature. The dining room here is elegantly decked out in various textural neutrals, making it a swish spot to take someone to for a treat.
Michelin credentials: One Michelin star
How much: Three courses for £39.50 at lunch
Where: 43 Elystan Street, SW3 3NT
Book now: Elystan Street

Trishna, Marylebone

What: As a sibling to Mayfair’s Gymkhana, Trishna follows a similar setup, offering diners a cut-price menu in the early evening and at lunchtimes. Here you can tuck into three courses of contemporary Indian food for £40, or splash out an extra fiver for a fourth course. Telicherry squid and shrimp is a favourite of ours from the snack plates, while the Gongura lamb shoulder main is hard to look past. Finish things off with a piece of tandoori smoked pineapple topped with young coconut and jaggery sorbet – heaven.
Michelin credentials: One Michelin star
How much: Three courses for £40 at lunch
Where: 15-17 Blandford Street, W1U 3DG
Book now: Trishna

Fancy trying a few more? Here's a list of every Michelin starred restaurant in London