In my endless quest to be cooler than all you people I shunned the food stalls of Sunday UpMarket…read morewith their mobs of people wearing ironic large sunglasses, I turned my nose up at the hog roasts at Shoreditch cliches 93ft East and the Truman Brewery, and I certainly wasn't going to join the More4-loving set lunching away at shiny chain restaurants in what used to be wonderful Spitalfields. No, I decided I'd abandon the Time-Out guided Sunday masses and wonder the wrong way down Brick Lane in search of authentic options. And because of that my lunch for £2.40 consisted of two of the best spinach samosas I've ever had and two hearty but dry fish cakes. It was window placement of these savoury cakes, samosas and pakoras that magnetised me into Ambala. The rest of the shop was largely devoid of the Bangla sweets they profess, but do I look like I'm bothered? It was lunch time, I wanted something salty, satisfying and solid value and I found it in spades. Next time you do the sunday brick lane thing, give Ambala a look. Don't just be another sheep having free range tofu sausage crepes with the other Nathan Barleys.

I work in the City with a team from India and they have established a custom of zipping out to…read moreAmbala on a Friday afternoon and returning with a huge box of hot samosas. When I find out who came up with the idea I shall demand that they are promoted and given some sort of employee of the decade award. Ambala sell a vast range of Indian/Pakistani savoury snacks and sweets. Both their lamb and vegetarian samosas are fantastic, their pakora is great and so is more or less everything else they sell. If you work near this part of London you absolutely have to go in here and buy enough of their delicacies to fill a wheelbarrow, push it straight back to your office and bask in the warm adulation of your co-workers as they scarf hot eastern yumminess. Unfortunately they aren't open early otherwise I would pick up breakfast here.

Absolutely fantastic food! Staff are extremely welcoming. Will bring friends, family and…read morecolleagues here!

Decent enough Tesco, stays open until midnight every night except Sundays where it closes at 6…read more Has a decent bakery section that you don't see in the smaller stores and a decent frozen section. Lots of self service tills and friendly staff. There is a much smaller store about 5 minutes walk away on Whitechapel road, but this is a lot better.

Has basically everything, and open till midnight, which is really important. Cheaper prices than in…read moreTesco Express, which is in 5 mins walk. Friendly staff.

This hidden gem, obviously beloved by locals serves a delicious breakfast and scrumptious coffee…read more The service is attentive & top notch as well. Perfect stop before heading on to see the Tower.

Perfect spot for a HEARTY breakfast to keep me full before an 8.5 hour flight! Conveniently located…read morenext to where I was staying. Friendliest staff ever! The service here is top notch and brightened my morning. I got the breakfast bap (sausage, bacon, egg, mushroom). Came with three sauces on the side - ketchup, brown sauce, and house made spicy sauce. This was huge, cut into four quadrants, and very tasty (even if it doesn't look like all that much from the picture). I loved it with the brown sauce and especially with the spicy sauce. All the ingredients in the bap were great. Washed it down with an Americano coffee which really hit the spot! I ended up eating half without the top bread in order to finish it. And indeed did not get hungry on my long flight, despite the meh airplane food!

China Ark is directly opposite form my flat. I see it from my terrace (so I can even check if it's…read moreopen without leaving home, yay!). It is very small but super convenient - it stocks what we usually need (and being a partly Asian flatshare we do need our Asian products). They have a fairly good range of frozen dumplings give their size: siu mai, mushroom dumplings, prawn dumplings, buns... We also buy our rice here (handy because we buy 5 to 10 kg each time and don't want to carry it around across town). They've got most of the sauces we use (hoisin, oyster and chili mainly). They also have a good range of soups and noodles. You can even find a few fresh products at the entrance and they're usually good! The prices are ok, and the owner is very friendly and will recommend suitable alternatives if the exact product you want is not available (or tell you when he will next stock it if he doesn't have anything similar). They also have some Japanese products like nori or the little panda biscuits (you know, the ones that are way too cute to be eaten?). Probably not worth the trip but if you're in the area definitely check it out.

ChinaArk, how delighted I was to find you nestled between the Whitechapel and Stepney Green tube…read morestations. I never thought I'd find a Chinese market quite like you, at least around here. You're small, but you're fiesty. Ramen selection? Check. Many frozen dumplings? Check. Chinese veggies, frozen seafood and fish balls? Check, check check. The best part? Your wonderful employee who made me feel like a complete winner for picking the new sea coconut and bamboo beverage in the refrigerator case. Hands down the most pleasant interaction I've had in Whitechapel in weeks.

If you're into cooking Indian/Bangladeshi/Pakistani dishes at home, this store has a full selection…read moreof ingredients for you. When I first moved to this area, I bought a great Indian cookbook and I stocked my spice cabinet with purchases from here. I keep coming back. The staff there provide "no nonsense" service. A nice benefit is that while you're shopping, they're playing slamming music sometimes. One time I liked the tune so much I dared ask for the name of the CD. The checkout clerk unsmilingly wrote it down for me, told me where to buy it (further down the street on Brick Lane); he definitely hooked me up! (another time I ended up buying a car here too, but that's a story for another time and place!)

If you are looking for Indian / Pakistani / Bangladeshi Groceries in Central London, Taj Stores is…read morea great place to pick them up. They sell spices in bags ranging in size from 100gms to 5 kilos and the price is way lower than even Tesco. For those who know what these are: Taj stocks Maggi hot & sour masala chilli sauce, Roohafza & fresh curry leaves (almost impossible to find anywhere in central London) Its a sprawling store with huge variety & great prices. They have fresh fruits & vegetables too. Plenty of namkin, spice pastes, pickles, variety of dhal & rice. Definitely worth a visit if you are in the area.

Located just off the Tower Bridge this smaller Tesco supermarket had just the right of items to…read morebring back to our hotel room after a long day of sightseeing while in town for the London Marathon. Bottles of water, baked goods, snacks, sandwiches, fruits, hot coffee machine, toiletries, etc. Decent prices and self checkout was a breeze. Open daily 6am - 12 midnight.

This place made my trip to London quite nice! It was a rather warm week in London and realized we…read moreneeded additional hydration and some cheaper snacks between meals. Tesco to the rescue! The service provided is a scaled down, compacted grocery store with a little of everything one might need! It was kept clean and shelves were near constantly be restocked. The quick self checkout kept visits under 5 minutes. The prices were significantly cheaper than our hotel. I loved the sandwiches fresh pastries, and sports drinks!

In sad decline. Staff lovely, but the roof leaks and they can't even fix their carpark, so you'll…read morehave to pay to use the NCP

This is a step up from the old Safeway that it replaced…read more There is still a large parking lot under the store. They now have a fairly good "world food" or ethnic, section. The butcher has an ok selection, but they won't cut anything for you, so in my book it's not really much of a butcher, more of a glorified meat counter. Having said that, it's good to have good quality meat, fish, and cheese available at your local grocery store.

Such a superior corner food shop. Thanks to Rob H & Katie B for reporting the findings...from the…read moreoutside, this appears just to be a regular, run of the mill market...but once inside you'll be treated to a pleasant surprise. A huge organic selection. A whole shelf of tea. Racks of dried fruits (I am not addicted to dried figs), nuts (cashews!) and I even found jars of sunflower butter here...which is surprisingly good and a good alternative to peanut butter (which they also have). Fantastic ethnic cooking section chock full of sauces, ingredients, grains, rices, beans and any element you probably need, spices, decent bakery with breads, rolls, pitas, etc. Eggs and dairy, beer, wine, a lot of coconut water, and a fresh produce section (outside) which is standard, but nice to have. Things you won't find: fresh meats or fish. Par for the course! The family that runs it is very friendly as well (always so polite!) and I always leave feeling quite good about supporting a local food shop that is not only convenient, but tucked away from the madness of the Old Street roundabout. Yours Food Centre = My Food Centre = LOVE. *they do not accept AMEX.

This place just looks like a normal, random off licence but when you step inside, you'll be…read moresurprised by the variety and diversity of products they have! You can find almost everything in there, from bubble gum to grains, dried fruits, fresh fruits (very good selection), alcohol... Almost everything except fresh fish and meat. It is not the cheapest place to do your shopping, but for the quality they offer, it is quite fair. And the people that works there is always helpful and polite.