Local Food Spots London: Where the Real Flavors Are

When you’re looking for local food spots London, authentic places where residents actually eat, not just tourist traps. Also known as hidden eateries, these are the spots that don’t need signs—they’re found by word of mouth, late-night cravings, and the smell of sizzling garlic or fresh bread. This isn’t about fancy restaurants with white tablecloths. It’s about the greasy spoon serving pie and mash in East London, the corner shop with the best jellied eels, the market stall that’s been flipping pancakes since 1987.

These London food spots, the unassuming, often overlooked places that serve the city’s true soul. Also known as local haunts, they’re where you’ll find London street food, fast, flavorful bites made with local ingredients and generations of know-how. Also known as market eats, it’s the kebabs in Camden, the vegan dumplings in Peckham, the hot buttered baps in Brixton. And then there’s authentic London cuisine, the dishes that define the city’s history—from fish and chips wrapped in newspaper to Sunday roasts with Yorkshire puddings so crisp they crack. Also known as traditional British food, it’s not about being fancy. It’s about being real.

You won’t find these places on Instagram ads. You’ll find them by following the line of locals waiting outside a tiny shop, by asking a bartender where they grab lunch, or by wandering down a side street after dark and spotting steam rising from a window. These spots don’t change for tourists. They stay the same because they don’t need to. The food speaks for itself.

What you’ll find below is a collection of real stories from people who’ve eaten their way through London—not the guidebook version, but the one passed down from neighbor to neighbor. From Chinatown’s hidden dim sum dens to the riverside pubs serving the best pies in Southwark, this isn’t a list of places to check off. It’s a map to where the flavor lives.