London Balham Restaurant Guide

A “go-to place for top burgers”, this upmarket chain offers a chic Parisian polish that its rivals would struggle to match, and operates seven outlets in Shoreditch, Chelsea, Camden, Clapham, Balham, Holborn and Kingston. Ratings softened this year, however, and one or two reporters feel it’s “not as good as it once was”.

“Get in early to avoid long weekend queues” at this well-known Antipodean artisan café – a star of the Balham scene for the past 10 years. You’ll “always find good coffee and delicious food”, and “their brunches are great value for money”.

With their very “pretty interiors” and “great brunch” – this “reliable chain” of “cheerful” all-day hang-outs has emerged completely undaunted from the pandemic, expanding beyond its south west London heartlands as far as Islington, Marlow and St Albans. With new openings scheduled for late 2021 in Dulwich and Richmond, the roll-out shows no sign of slowing down. They’re very “dog friendly” too.

“No frills but great food” is the deal at this small group of basic Japanese canteens, which has pushed south and east after more than 20 years in Soho, with branches now in the City, Balham and Kennington. They serve a wide range of sushi, noodle and rice dishes, with the best value to be found in the bento boxes and ‘set’ meals.

This once-thriving burger brand from Nick Jones’s Soho House group has been reduced to a single branch, under the arches in Vauxhall, and a supporting role at stablemate Chicken Shop in St John’s Wood. Fans reckon it’s “good for when you’re in a hurry” – perhaps they should hurry, while it’s still there.

“Great pizza in a cycle-themed restaurant”, alongside high-energy breakfast and brunch, washed down by decent coffee, fuel the peloton that passes through Putney on the way to and from Richmond Park – “what’s not to like?”. The branch in Balham closed down in 2020.

2021 Review: “A great pub!” (part of the Three Cheers Pub Co) down Balham way, with smart interior and gorgeous, big outside garden, and where steaks and ‘artisan pizzas’ are mainstays of a comprehensive menu: “even if the pub was boring, I’d come back time and again for the fantastic food!”

“Yummy, doughy crusts” and “unusual but great topping combinations” have built a growing following for this “too cool for school” east London pizza multiple, founded in 2016 in Clapton. It now has eight outlets following a fast roll-out south of the river, with openings in East Dulwich, Balham and most recently Crystal Palace. Most of them are “small, busy crowded”… for good reason.

“The stunning sourdough pizzas are a proper treat” at these “fast and delicious local favourites” which are a “great addition to the burgeoning London real pizza scene”. There’s a “particularly interesting menu with a variety of crusts including charcoal (looks burnt, tastes like chewy pizza heaven)”. The original Islington branch now has an adjoining home-made pasta specialist, Berto, from founders Claudio Vescovo and Gianluca D’Angelo, while the group’s sixth pizzeria opened on Balham High Road in autumn 2021.