Best restaurant deals for London Marathon runners 2019

If you’ve just run a marathon, we’re pretty sure you’re entitled to eat whatever you blinking well want.

Not only are the capital’s restaurants ready and waiting to quell the cravings of the 40,000 people running the London Marathon today, but many of them are offering to feed them for free too.

All the below free food and drink deals are on offer to anyone who completes the 26.2 mile course – all they have to do is show their medal at the restaurant. Many are available on today immediately after the race, with some continuing to celebrate runners’ achievements on Monday and throughout the week.

From protein-packed pizzas to complimentary cocktails, here’s where runners can get their hands on some very well-earned grub in the capital.

Cinnamon Bazaar

Vivek Singh’s Covent Garden restaurant Cinnamon Bazaar is offering every Marathon finisher a fragrantly spiced chaat plate on the house. Nine varieties of the Indian street food-inspired dish will be available to tuck into, from a signature Papdi chaat with tamarind yoghurt and chickpea vermicelli, to soft shell crab chaat with apple and celeriac pickle.

When? Sunday

28 Maiden Lane, WC2E 7JS, cinnamon-bazaar.com

Franco Manca

Pizza purveyors Franco Manca are serving up free sourdough pizzas to those who made it over the finish line. Each medallist gets a pizza of their choice off the seasonally changing menu. The deal doesn’t include takeaway, but it does include restaurants from all across the country, including every one of Franco Manca’s 36 London locations.

When? Sunday and Monday

Various locations, francomanca.co.uk

Tom’s Kitchen Chelsea

Chef Tom Aikens knows better than most how marathon runners feel – he’s run several, including once running six in five days across the Sahara desert. At his Chelsea restaurant, diners will be offered a free breakfast on the morning of Monday 29. The two dishes on offer include a meaty Full English with black pudding, bacon and two fried eggs, or the Vegetarian Breakfast Board filled with crushed avocado, feta in a dukha crumb, pickled radish, a toasted radish and more.

When? Monday, 9am-11am

27 Cale Street, SW3 3QP, tomskitchen.co.uk

Slim Chickens

American fried chicken import Slim Chickens recently opened its second London home in Soho, and is getting behind London runners by serving them up some proper Southern hospitality. Marathon medallists are entitled to a free Chick’s meal – that means getting their hands on three chicken tenders, fries, Texas toast, house sauces and bottomless soda.

When? Sunday and Monday

Two locations in W1, slimchickens.com

Mac & Wild

Scottish restaurant Mac & Wild is best known for its hearty servings of Highland game, but it will offering up a lighter, more nourishing free dish for weary Marathon runners. Medal holders can get a free Wild Bowl at either the Fitzrovia or City locations on the Monday lunchtime, which are filled with greens and grains, along with toppings including diced salmon, grilled venison steak and even vegan haggis.

When? Monday, lunchtime only

W1, EC2, macandwild.com

Baluchi

Sore and aching? What you need is a proper curry, and City Indian restaurant Baluchi is serving Marathon runners just that. At the restaurant, which is found inside the converted Victorian schoolhouse surroundings of La Lit hotel, every medal holder will be entitled to either a free butter chicken or a vegetarian aubergine and tamarind curry, each served with complimentary pilau rice.

When? Sunday

181 Tooley Street, SE1 2JR, thebaluchi.com

Greenwood

Greenwood is putting back what the London Marathon took out of its runners. Located just a short walk (or hobble) from the finishing line, the Victoria sports bar will serve all medallists a free “2042g” pizza – a meal which boasts the exact balance of 20g of carbs and 42g of protein to aid muscle recovery. The pizza comes topped with Italian cured ham, cauliflower and mozzarella on a pea protein-enriched base, with a vegetarian version available on request.

When? Sunday

170 Victoria Street, SW1E 5LB, greenwoodlondon.com

Aster

If your first thought after the finish line is “where’s the nearest bar”, Aster is the spot for you. While not technically the closest watering hole, the bar at the Victoria restaurant is offering a free drink – yes, alcoholic ones – close by the end. What’s more, Marathon runners will be able to enjoy it either inside the bar’s elegant surroundings, or out on the restaurant’s terrace.

When? Sunday

150 Victoria Street, SW1E 5LB, aster-restaurant.com

Mr Fogg’s Society of Exploration

The latest bar to join the Mr Fogg’s line up will be coaxing runners over to Covent Garden with the prospect of a free negroni. The bar will serve up a negroni made by a “Mechanical Mixologist Machine”, a cocktail-making contraption inspired by the work of inventor Rube Goldberg.

When? Sunday

1A Bedford Street, WC2E 9HH, mr-foggs.com

Bone Daddies

There’s nothing like a bowl of hot, brothy ramen to soothe the soul after a stressful stint. If hot noodle soup isn’t enough to ease your weary body and mind, marathon finishers who order food at any of Bone Daddies’s six ramen bars will also be able to claim a free frozen yuzu margarita, made with tequila, Triple Sec, yuzu, lime and agave syrup.

When? Sunday

Various locations, bonedaddies.com

Whyte and Brown

Protein intake has been on the mind of every marathon runner for months now – so why stop at the finish line? Kingly Court chicken restaurant Whyte and Brown is offering a free roast chicken burger to all medal holders, which features a breaded chicken fillet, gravy mayonnaise, crispy chicken skin and onion relish in a toasted bun.

When? Sunday and Monday

Kingly Court, Carnaby Street, W1B 5PW, whyteandbrown.com

Bunga Bunga Battersea

There’s always a party going on at Bunga Bunga Battersea – and if you’re a marathon runner, it’s you they’re celebrating this weekend. At the quirky Silvio Berlusconi-themed pizza spot, Marathon finishers will get a whole pizza completely free. They can also get a topping of their choice, ranging from a margherita to a spicy nduja pizza with calabrese salame.

When? Sunday

37 Battersea Bridge Road, SW11 3BA, bungabunga.com

Bar Salsa!

If your legs can still salsa their way through the West End after 26.2 miles, you can celebrate with a glass of prosecco at Bar Salsa! Runners will get a free glass of bubbly, mocktail or soft drink, while everyone heading to the party bar on Sunday will also get 50 per cent off food throughout the day.

When? Sunday

Two locations in WC2, bar-salsa.com

The Carpenters Arms

It’s not just Sunday and Monday that Marathon runners are being appreciated – the Carpenters Arms in Marylebone will be treating them later in the week too. They'll be closed on Sunday and Monday, but will reopen to serve medal holders a free Pieminister pie, with mash, peas and gravy on both Tuesday and Wednesday. Its sister pubs the Market Porter, the Perseverance and the Lady Ottoline will be running free food deals on the Sunday and Monday.

When? Tuesday and Wednesday

12 Seymour Place, W1H 7NE, thecarpentersarmspub.co.uk