Eating
Having little money to spend doesn’t mean you can’t eat well. Forget resigning yourself to baked beans and Tesco sandwiches, it is possible to sample cuisine from the Lebanon, Japan or Iran without using up your much needed loan.
- Hummus Bros in Soho and Holborn offer delicious and healthy hummus based dishes with a variety of toppings from as little as £2.80. The Holborn branch also has very cheap coffee and free Wi-Fi throughout the day. A great alternative to a soggy sandwich or fast food when you’re on the go and out of pocket.
- The Stockpot is a fixture on Old Compton Street. Good old fashioned lasagnes, omelettes and soups are very cheap, even bottles of wine start at £6.95.
- Tokyo Diner is perfect if you fancy some authentic Japanese food without breaking the bank. If you’re still hungry after your meal extra helpings of rice are free. There’s plenty to choose from on the menu of this ironically located restaurant in the heart of Chinatown.
- Belgo restaurants always have lunchtime and dinner deals. They specialise in mussels and Belgian beers and always offer a filling meal at a good price. There are various around London - in Chalk Farm, Covent Garden, Clapham and Holborn.
- Comptoir Libanais near Bond Street has some extremely moreish Middle Eastern fare; you can enjoy two courses here for under a tenner.
Restaurants always mark up the price of wine by astronomical percentages. A decent red in a supermarket could be £6, a London eatery will translate this to £20. Save some cash by checking out BYOB restaurants like these:
- Patogh, a Persian restaurant near Lancaster Gate. Huge plates of kebabs and saffron rice can be washed down with your own plonk.
- Diwana Bhel Poori House is perfect for inexpensive, filling Indian dishes, particularly Southern Indian.
Blah Blah Blah in Shepherds Bush is a veggie eatery with a mixture of Mexican, Mediterranean and Asian food on the menu.
There are plenty of others of course, as you can see all palates can be catered too! \n\nDrinking
Look out for happy hours, they are absolutely everywhere. Most pubs and bars do them during the week, usually for a few hours from 5 onwards.
- 22 Below is a tiny venue on Great Marlborough Street serving cocktails for £4.50 from 5 till 7 Monday to Friday. There is a delectable food menu too.
- Dirty Martini near Holborn has half price wine and £4 martinis from 5 to 9 every night of the week.
- B@1 does 2 for 1 cocktails every evening. There are a few of them dotted around central London however they get very busy and staff have been known to be curt.
- Indie haven Trash Palace, originally a gay venue it now attracts a very mixed crowd of alternative boys and girls. Drinks are always very cheap though of questionable quality, tickets for free entry into associated clubs Pop Starz and Ghetto can also be picked up here. Formerly situated on Wardour Street Trash recently moved to Old Street.
- For the pub experience Samuel Smiths pubs have the cheapest pints and are located all over London: The Angel in The Fields near Bond Street, The Bricklayers Arms by Tottenham Court Road, Ye Olde Swiss Cottage in Swiss Cottage, The Anchor Tap in Bermondsey, etc.
Clubbing
What clubs you choose to go to really depend on the type of music you’re into. Here are a few cheapo ones according to ambience and type of beats.
- Gay nightclub Heaven has a student night on Monday with free entry all night long with an NUS card. Drinks have low low prices; music is commercial house, cheese and r&b. You’ll literally be in Heaven if this is your bag, otherwise don’t expect a great musical experience.
- Indie and pop reign at the Roxy on Rathbone Place. There is discounted entry for students (usually £3) as well as drink deals all night.
- For cool live music check out Cargo’s Free Fridays where renowned musicians and DJ’s take to the stage each week. As the name suggests entry to the Shoreditch institution is free, however drinks can be pricey, although the recently added Bramble cocktail is utterly drinkable and only £5.
- The Late Bar opens at 10 and closes when the last person leaves. The music policy is 60’s and 70’s soul, ska, reggae and r&b. Admission is £4, drinks are reasonable with a spirit and mixer priced at £3.50. Quite a mixed young crowd flock here of an evening.
- Every Thursday is student night at Tiger Tiger near Piccadilly Circus. Double vodka & red bulls are only £2.50; expect commercial music, semi-tacky surroundings, and the dancefloor turning into a bit of a meat market after everyone’s had a few.
If you’re really into your clubbing, look at All In London's London clubnight listings or residentadvisor which both have all of London’s club listings along with ticket prices.\n\nShopping
- Take advantage of store cards like Tesco Clubcards and Boots advantage cards. Points are added each time you shop which are eventually exchanged for money off vouchers or discounts.
- If there’s a fruit and veg market near you this will generally be cheaper than the supermarket (unless you’re thinking of a farmers market in Chelsea, in which case the opposite is true).
- For clothes shopping, check out Ebay for bargains, as well TK Maxx if you’re a label fanatic, there’s a few around however the largest and most central is in Hammersmith. Vintage shops like Rokit and the ones in Camden’s Stables Market always have cool stuff at low prices. Look at markets like Spitalfields, Holloway Road, Walthamstow, and Brixton for low priced gems. Additionally car boot sales can be a great place to shop for furnishings, books or crockery, Greenwich has a car boot sale, as does Holloway Road.
Finally, use your Student Union card! You’ll benefit from discounts at Halfords, McDonalds (shudder), Amazon, Ticketmaster, Matalan, and many others. Happy shopping!
