London Dining

De Gustibus 53-55 Carter Lane, EC2 tel 020/7236 0056, www.degustibus.co.uk; St Paul's or Blackfriars tube. Award-winning bakery that constructs a wide variety of sandwiches, bruschetta, croque monsieur and quiche to eat in or takeaway. Mon-Fri 7am-5pm.

The Place Below Church of St Mary-le-Bow, Cheapside, EC2 tel 020/7329 0789, www.theplacebelow.co.uk; St Paul's or Bank tube. Something of a find in the midst of the City - a café serving imaginative vegetarian dishes. Added to that, the wonderful Norman crypt makes for a very pleasant place in which to dine. Mon-Fri 7.30am-3.30pm.

K10 20 Copthall Ave, EC2 tel 020/7562 8510; Moorgate tube. Remarkably good, inexpensive City sushi outlet, with busy takeaway upstairs, and a kaiten (conveyor-belt) restaurant downstairs. Mon-Fri 11.30am-3pm & 5-9.30pm.

Ponti's Polo Bar 176 Bishopsgate, EC2 tel 020/7283 4889; Liverpool Street tube. There's nothing in any way special about the Ponti's chain of cafés, but they're cheap, filling, vaguely Italian, and this particular branch is open round the clock. Daily 24hr.

Yokoso Sushi 40 Whitefriars St, EC4 tel 020/7583 9656; Blackfriars tube. Top-notch sushi place just off Fleet Street, serving really fresh fish at very affordable prices; dishes are mostly under £3 and set meals under £10. Mon-Fri 10am-8pm.

Café Grove 65 The Grove, W5 tel 020/8810 0364; Ealing Broadway tube. Polish café serving English fry-ups as well as a whole range of Polish food. Mon-Sat 11am-11pm, Sun 11am-10pm.

Giraffe Chiswick High Road, W4 tel 020/8995 2100, www.giraffe.net, Turnham Green tube; branches in Richmond, Hampstead, Islington and elsewhere. Bright decor, dishes from around the world and a reputation for being child-friendly has made this chain very popular. Mon-Fri 8am-11.30pm, Sat 9am-11.30pm, Sun 9am-10.30pm.

Hothouse Café 9 Station Parade, Kew tel 020/8332 1923; Kew Gardens tube. Inexpensive café near the tube, and a great place to fuel up before or after hitting the botanic gardens. Mon 10am-7pm, Tues-Sat 10am-11pm.

Maison Blanc 27b The Quadrant, Richmond tel 020/8332 7041, Richmond tube; branches all over London. French patisserie next to the tube where you can pick up a picnic of bread and pastries. Mon-Sat 8am-7pm, Sun 8.30am-6pm.

Polanka 258 King St, W6 tel 020/8741 8268; Ravenscourt Park tube. Polish deli with a small no-frills restaurant out the back serving great, inexpensive Polish dishes. Mon-Fri noon-3pm & 6-10pm.

Afghan Kitchen 35 Islington Green, N1 tel 020/7359 8019; Angel tube. Austere, two-floor café featuring a short menu of spicy stews with rice. Tues-Sat noon-3.30pm & 5.30-11pm.

Blue Legume 101 Stoke Newington Church St, N16 tel 020/7923 1303; bus #73 or #476 from King's Cross or Angel tube. Buzzy atmosphere, arty decor, mosaic tables and delicious chocolate cakes, teas and coffee. Good breakfasts too - smoked fish, wild mushrooms on toast and the like. Daily 9.30am-6.30pm.

Café Delancey 3 Delancey St, NW1 tel 020/7387 1985; Camden Town or Mornington Crescent tube. Still probably the best brasserie-style café in Camden, tucked away down a side road off Camden High Street; coffee, croissants, snacks and full meals. Mon-Sat 9am-11.30pm, Sun 9am-10pm.

Café Mozart 17 Swains Lane, N6 tel 020/8348 1384; Gospel Oak train station on the North London line. Conveniently located on the southeast side of Hampstead Heath, the best thing about this café is the Viennese cake selection and soothing classical music. Daily 9am-10pm.

Euphorium 202 Upper St, N1 tel 020/7704 6909; Highbury & Islington tube. Excellent quiches, sandwiches, pastries and cakes all baked on the premises and served up in this light designer Islington café. Mon-Fri 7am-7pm, Sat 8am-6pm, Sun 9am-3.30pm.

Louis Patisserie 32 Heath St, NW3 tel 020/7435 9908; Hampstead tube. Popular Hungarian tearoom serving sticky cakes to a mix of Heath-bound hordes and elderly locals. There's another branch at 12 Harben Parade, Finchley Rd, NW3. Daily 7am-6pm.

L. Manze 76 Walthamstow High St, E17 tel 020/8520 2855; Walthamstow Central tube. No longer run by the Manze family, but still boasting its original 1929 decor, this is probably London's finest pie-and-mash shop, architecturally speaking. Mon-Wed 10am-4pm, Thurs-Sat 10am-5pm.

Marine Ices 8 Haverstock Hill, NW3 tel 020/7485 3132; Chalk Farm tube. Situated halfway between Camden and Hampstead, this is a splendid and justly famous old-fashioned Italian ice-cream parlour; pizza and pasta are served in the adjacent restaurant. Mon-Sat 10.30am-11pm, Sun 11am-10pm.

Primrose Patisserie 136 Regent's Park Rd, NW1 tel 020/7722 7848; Chalk Farm tube. Very popular pastel-pink and sky-blue patisserie in fashionable Primrose Hill, offering superb East European cakes and pastries. Daily 8am-8pm.

Ridley Bagel Bakery 13-15 Ridley Rd, E8 tel 020/7923 0666; Dalston Kingsland train on the North London Line. Fairy lights announce this bagel bakery as an oasis among the mean streets of Hackney. Daily 24hr.

Sausage and Mash Café 4-6 Essex Rd, N1 tel 020/7359 5361, Angel tube; branches at 268 Portobello Rd, W11 tel 020/8968 8898 and elsewhere. Pricier-than-usual bangers and mash, with original formica furnishings from what used to be Alfredo's. Mon-Fri 9.30am-11.30pm, Sat 9am-midnight, Sun 9am-10.30pm.

Arkansas Café Unit 12, Old Spitalfields Market, E1 tel 020/7377 6999; Liverpool Street tube. American barbecue fuel stop, using only the very best free-range ingredients. Try chef Bubb's own smoked beef brisket and ribs, and be sure to taste his home-made barbie sauce (made to a secret formula). Mon-Sat noon-2.30pm, Sun noon-4pm.

Brick Lane Beigel Bake 159 Brick Lane, E1 tel 020/7729 0616; Whitechapel tube. Classic bagel takeaway shop in the heart of the East End - unbelievably cheap, even for fillings such as smoked salmon and cream cheese. Daily 24hr.

Café 1001 1 Dray's Lane, E1 tel 020/7247 9679; Whitechapel tube. Off Brick Lane, tucked in by the Truman Brewery, this smoky café has a beaten-up studenty look, with lots of sofas to crash in, and dishes out simple sandwiches and delicious cakes. Mon-Fri 8am-11pm, Sat & Sun 10am-11pm.

E. Pellicci 332 Bethnal Green Rd, E2 tel 020/7739 4873; Bethnal Green tube. Famous East End caff with original 1940s decor intact, serving great fry-ups and good Anglo-Italian grub at low prices. Mon-Sat 6.30am-5pm.

Wild Cherry 241-247 Globe Rd, E2 tel 020/8980 6678; Bethnal Green tube. Buddhist veggie restaurant "providing home-cooked meals for the local community", just round the corner from the Museum of Childhood. Mon 11am-3pm, Tues-Fri 11am-7pm.

Books for Cooks 4 Blenheim Crescent, W11 tel 020/7221 1992, www.booksforcooks.com; Ladbroke Grove or Notting Hill Gate tube. Tiny café/restaurant within London's top cookery bookshop. Conditions are cramped, but this is an experience not to be missed. Just wander in and have a coffee while browsing, or get there in time to grab a table for the set-menu lunch. No smoking. Tues-Sat 10am-6pm.

Coins Coffee Store 105-107 Talbot Rd, W11 tel 020/7221 8099; Notting Hill Gate or Westbourne Park tube. Spacious, unpretentious café/diner just off the Portobello Road, offering all-day breakfasts, with tables outside in summer. Mon-Sat 8am-6pm, Sun 10am-4pm.

Costas Fish Restaurant 18 Hillgate St, W8 tel 020/7727 4310; Notting Hill tube. One of the best fish-and-chips experiences in London can be had at this old-fashioned Greek-Cypriot caff. Tues-Sat noon-2.30pm & 5.30-10.30pm.

Exeter Street Bakery 18 Argyll Rd, W8 tel 020/7937 8484; High Street Kensington tube. Tiny bakery (not in Exeter Street) selling unbelievably superb Italian bread, plus sweet and savoury pizzas and coffee, stand-up or take-away. Mon-Sat 8am-7pm, Sun 9am-6pm.

Lisboa Patisserie 57 Golborne Rd, W10 tel 020/8968 5242; Ladbroke Grove tube. Authentic and friendly Portuguese pastelaria, with the best pasteis de nata (custard tarts) this side of Lisbon - also coffee, cakes and a friendly atmosphere. The Oporto at no. 62a Golborne Rd is a good fall-back if this place is full. Daily 8am-8pm.

Lucky Seven 127 Westbourne Park Rd, W2 tel 020/7727 6771; Ladbroke Grove tube. A small, trendy, but agreeably informal take on the American diner, serving sound enough food at sound enough prices. The fat chips are very good. Mon-Sat 6am-11pm, Sun 6am-10.30pm.