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I'll echo a couple of Caley's suggestions and add my own.

Borough is a must. Now open on Thursdays as well. I prefer it first thing on a Saturday. I also love Broadway Market in Hackney on Saturdays. A bit more "local" and some great people watching. Also, Columbia Road on a Sunday, but get there before noon before the tourists flock in for the photo opps (it's a flower market).

Camden Lock Market: I love the arepas stall. Cheap, delicious. Lots of great people-watching and international dishes.

Other places that are decently priced and good foodie experiences:
The bar at St. John. Skip the restaurant. Just go to the bar, get the rarebit on toast and a pint of Greenwich Meantime.

Edgware Road: Try one of the many Maroushes. Also, the Green Valley Market on Upper Berkeley Street.

Golden Hind is lovely, although the chips are crap. Kingsland Road is great for Vietnamese...I like Au Lac best.

Try TopTable.co.uk for deals. There are many to be had!

Krista
http://www.londonelicious.com

Check out TopTable.co.uk for good bargains. For user reviews, try London-eating.co.uk and Squaremeal.co.uk. (They also have some bargains if you book online, but TopTable is probably the main online booking site.)

Robyn,

You are a god-send!!!! I just came back from Paris last month and ate my last Macaron I bought at Laduree (by suggestion of Jacques Torres at the November chocolate show) and went online to see if Laduree has mail order to the US, which they do not! I panicked, but then thought, I live in NY, I can get anything here, so, I searched and searched and came across this article. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! French Macarons are the most sublime and addicting things I have ever had!!!!!

Two places in Rome:

"La Cigala e La Formica," right by the metro stop Esquilino (near San Giovanni in Laterno.) On weekdays, they have a two-course lunch (you get two choices for each course) for 10 euro.

And a bakery called "La Rinella" on the Via del Moro in Trastevere. Go for the bread, the pizza, and the hazelnut cookies called "brutti ma buoni."

When I was living in Rome last year there are a few places that were so wonderful that I find myself missing them almost everyday. These aren't really hidden gems, but they are some of the best of Rome and trust me locals definitely go to these places. Plus, I am a student and all these places are really affordable. The first is the best coffee place in all of Rome Sant Eustachio, its by Piazza Navona and is spectacular. The Espresso is out of this world amazing and they have fantastic candies (there is a chocolate bon bon which has a hard outer chocolate surface and then inside is filled with coffee liqueur. http://www.santeustachioilcaffe.it/

The other place has amazing gelato, they are strict though (like they won't let you order combinations that they don't agree with) and are also strictly seasonal (I think they have strawberry for about two weeks a year). Its by the Trevi fountain and its called San Crispino, its very famous and by far the best gelato I've ever had. I really liked fig and honey.

You should go by the Campo di Fiori, they have the oldest outdoor market in Rome. If there is a sort of metal trailer with an old man sitting next to it and his kids are selling food you should say hi to him, he is a very cheerful older gentleman. Also, there are some really nice spice vendors that are really helpful. There is a great bakery in the corner where they sell Pizza Bianca called Il Forno (best in all of Italy, Jeffrey Steingarten has written about it). If you go to the campo and ask about pizza bianca someone will point you in the right direction. Also, there is a great panini place in another corner of the campo, it has high outdoor tables and I think they only do paninis and they are amazing too.

I have a few favorite dishes in Italy that I can never find in the States (or if I do they just aren't right). My favorite pasta is Pasta Arribata (angry pasta, if its done right its really good and spicy). My other favorite thing in Italy which I'm sure will have some people up in arms is the canned tuna. And they like to put it on everything. And I wanted it on everything so it worked out well. One of my favorite pizzas was tuna and onion, it sounds gross but it is also amazingly good (and most of the people I was with thought it would be gross, but everyone liked it).

Even though you didn't ask and even though this is a site about food I also have to tell you about my favorite church Sant’Ignazio di Loyola (Piazza di Sant’Ignazio). Just go in there and look at the ceiling.

Have fun in Rome!

Thanks for the tips, Caley. Doesn't matter how old the question is (and this one isn't that old), we're just happy you're sharing your intel with us. Cheers!

I know this question is kind of old, but just thought I'd add my two cents. Rasa in Stoke Newington does amazing Kerelan cuisine. Try their beetroot curry - it's one of the most delicious things I've ever had in my mouth! Food for Thought is a vegetarian favourite in Neal Street, cheap and cheerful. It gets crowded quickly, so you need to get there early. The Green and Red in Brick Lane has unusually tasty Mexican food for London (lots of slow braised meats). It's not exactly cheap, but it's very reasonable. If you're feeling a bit more adventurous, walk down Bethnal Green Road and go to a proper East End caff - E Pelicci is in a classic art deco space, and they serve great fried breakfast. Just down the street from them is a place that sells pies (I'm blanking on the name). I think they also do jellied eels if you're feeling brave. Finally, most of the curry places in Brick Lane are rubbish, but Sweet and Spicy is a Bengali workers' cafe, and it does great, very authentic, food for under a fiver. Make sure to get their chana dal, but avoid their naan breads, which are the one weak link.