Are you fed up of the ludicrous cost of wine in restaurants? Of course you are, how can Campo Viejo Rioja be £7 in Tesco’s and an inferior bottle cost over £20 when eating out?
This nifty profit-maker means that few restaurants advertise that you can take your own wine, but it seems that in some cases if you ask nicely enough they’ll allow you to, albeit for a corkage fee and occasionally a minimum spend.
But if you've had it with paying through the nose for wine with... a good nose; then take a look at our list of best Bring Your Own restaurants in London.
Top restaurants where you can bring your own booze
The decor is Moroccan, but the menu is French. From Sunday to Friday their prix fixe menu is £25 for three courses (including escargots, beef tartare and grilled lamb tenderloin with pomegranate molasses), and there is no corkage fee when you take your own wine.
The Soho branch of this café isn’t licenced but you can take your own alcohol. Food is of the stodgy, comforting variety; think pancakes, burgers, burritos and wraps, as well as classic puds like sticky toffee pudding and bannofee pie.
This Pan-Asian restaurant on Camden Road serves quality, tasty dishes at affordable prices, and is small and quirky enough for a date. It's unlicensed, so take your own booze or pop into the off licence next door.
These two restaurants in <a href="http://www.allinlondon.co.uk/restaurants/restaurant-17423.php">West Kensington</a> and Bayswater have a great reputation among Iranians, who flock here for the great value grilled kebabs. There is no corkage fee for BYOB.
Take your own bottle to Richard Corrigan's exceptional British restaurant on Monday nights. If you eat in the bar there is no charge for corkage, and if you drop it off before your meal they'll even chill it for you.
Take your own bottle to Kitchen W8 any night of the week, however there is a whopping £20 corkage charge (with the exception of Sunday evening, when it’s free). The Michelin-starred menu has fancy dishes like veal with caramelised cauliflower and ravioli of tiger prawns and slow cooked octopus.
Food for Thought is a veteran vegetarian restaurant, serving healthy food with plenty of options for vegans. There is no corkage fee when you take your own wine.
This veggie Indian restaurant gets very busy indeed, as food is delivered quickly and prices are low. There is no licence for alcohol so you can take your own, something which also contributes to keeping the costs down.
London’s favourite steakhouse lets you take your own wine on a Monday night for a £5 corkage fee. The top notch meat comes from Longhorn cattle traditionally reared and dry-aged for at least 35 days, in other words, it’s delicious. The BYOB offer also applies to their <a href="http://www.allinlondon.co.uk/restaurants/restaurant-15948.php">Guildhall</a>, <a href="http://www.allinlondon.co.uk/restaurants/restaurant-16787.php">Air Street</a> and <a href="http://www.allinlondon.co.uk/restaurants/restaurant-7968.php">Spitalfields branches</a>.