London Brixton Restaurant Guide

“A neighbourhood gem” in a converted Victorian laundry beside Brixton Market – this all-day operation majors in Antipodean-style breakfast and brunch (courtesy of Sydney-born chef Sami Harvey) followed by a more European bistro menu in the evening. “The friendly staff are always happy to recommend a good-value bottle of wine” – and it may well come from Down Under: owner Melanie Brown also founded the New Zealand and Australian Cellars. There’s a large terrace at the front which is “especially lovely when the temperature is warmer and Brixton street theatre is the free show”.

“Interesting and unusual Indian food” – “not heavy curries at all, but a less familiar range of dishes, with very well-judged spicing and a huge range of delicate flavours” – again inspires rave reports for this superb Brit-run chain (founded by Will Bowlby & Rik Campbell), which also has a brilliant service ethos: “cheerful and obliging throughout and very prompt”. In 2025, they opened their latest 80-cover outpost in Shoreditch, which also introduced a debut breakfast menu alongside an all-day 50-cover Kafé and bar concept (serving street-food snacks). And coming soon – a launch in Covent Garden’s Neal’s Yard is planned. Top Menu Tips – “date and pistachio kuicha is particularly good; excellently light panipuri with tomato rasam”.

“Great value and so authentic” – this family-run trio in Brixton, Battersea and Clapham offer some of the “best local Thai food in London”, and the BYO policy helps keep costs to a minimum.

“Best burger for me”, declare fans of this independent group that started out 10 years ago with a stall on Broadway Market and a focus on grass-fed, dry-aged British beef – and the judges at the 2025 National Burger Awards share the view, crowning Black Bear’s Miso Bacon Burger as ‘Burger of the Year’. “Their seeded buns and wings are pretty good too”. The name refers to founders Stu & Liz Down’s working holidays in the Canadian Rockies. In April 2025, they opened their largest outlet yet, with 100 covers, at Westfield White City.

2022 Review: “Sink your teeth in and savour!” the “bold flavours” of former MasterChef winner Tim Anderson’s take on Japanese cooking using foreign or ‘barbarian’ (Nanban) ingredients, showcased in his “fast and furious” 10-year-old pop-up-gone-permanent on the edge of Brixton Market. “Their noodle dishes became a lockdown delivery staple, packed with flavour, a wonderful smoky depth to the tea eggs, heart-warming broths”. A new Covent Garden offshoot opened in September 2021 at Kerb’s Seven Dials Market, focused on ramen dishes.

2023 Review: “Tasty thin-crust dough – cooked well in the middle, so no soggy bottoms” – is the secret to the appeal of this seven-strong South London sourdough pizzeria group, where the emphasis is on local ingredients (including Shipton Mill flour and British-made buffalo mozzarella) washed down with locally brewed craft beers and juices from Kent.

2022 Review: The Nguyen family run this duo of no-nonsense Vietnamese cafés in Peckham Rye and Brixton – well-rated all-round for their tasty scoff: soups, salads, rolls and other simple dishes.

2022 Review: Fried chicken junkies beat a path to this first permanent site – in Brixton’s Atlantic Road arches – of a team who also have street food stalls in Leicester Square, Pop Brixton and elsewhere around town.

‘Rebel against the establishment and join the sushi revolution!’ – purists should steer clear of this small Brixton pitstop, where various funky meat, vegan and veggie options sit alongside more traditional Japanese sushi combos. Feedback was limited this year, but continues to rate it positively all-round. And they must be doing something right, as a new Shoreditch branch opened in June 2024.

2022 Review: Ex-Bonnie Gull chef James Mathieson heads up this post-lockdown 2021 newcomer, located on the ground floor of Brixton’s Design Store, and owned by Squire & Partners – a family-run architectural practice. It incorporates a cobblestone courtyard for alfresco dining – on the menu, Mediterranean dishes ‘from the Aegean and Balearics to the Levantine basin’.

“Never lets you down” – a “reliable local restaurant away from busy Brixton centre” near Brockwell Park with “very good food” inspired by an unspoilt coastal region of Tuscany, “friendly service from a lovely team”, and “wine from the barello”. Founders Alice Staple & Dickie Bielenberg have opened a spinoff bar called Il Maremmano around the corner, offering ‘apericena’ – an informal combination of aperitivo and dinner.

“Margaux is a superstar”, “long may she shine on us” – chorus fans of Margaux Aubry’s “cramped” Brixton wine-bar with an “exceptional list” of organic wines: “she’s a force of nature and a wonderful addition to the capital”. Since the departure of co-founder Joe Sharratt, dinner is provided by a roster of visiting chefs which changes every month; earlier in the day, “a proper Jambon Beurre will restore you”. Top Tip – natural wine sceptics note: Margaux says ‘I like my wines clean’, and marks anything ‘funky’ on the list with an asterisk.

Kurisu being Japanese for Chris: this comparatively long-established (2021) pop-up – which is only open on Tuesday and Wednesday nights – is the work of the owners’ eponymous son, who helped serve in the business when he was just 10 years old and now, in his early 30s, has trained in sushi preparation in Tokyo. He takes over Restrepo family restaurant Ichiban on its quiet evenings to offer an 18-course omakase for £150 per person. Many of the capital’s top sushi chefs have made the pilgrimage to it over the years, and all feedback continues to rate the value of the experience as being between very good and exceptional. Look out for availability on Insta.

“Not a place for a posh dinner, but lip-smackingly good tucker and a fun night out” – that’s the deal at Brian Danclair’s vibrant small gaff “in the heart of Brixton Village Market”, close to his Fish Wings & Tings. The menu is “super-tasty”, often with a Jamaican twist; and “you get a very warm welcome from the boss”.

This 10-year-old group with six sites offers a “good-value and tasty” take on the Middle Eastern kebab, served with a “modern twist” alongside “noteworthy cocktails”. “A seat at the counter is fun” at the original Kingly Court branch in Carnaby Street, which has a ‘fine dining’ option downstairs, Kebab Queen (see also).

“The definition of cheap and cheerful Asian food” – these hawker-inspired, ‘Siu Mei’ (meat dumpling) pitstops “show that you don’t have to traipse into Soho for a quick and tasty meal of great Cantonese roast meats”. Founded as a takeaway kiosk in Liverpool Street in 2019 by Hong Kongers, Chong Yew (Uncle Lim), Pui Sing Tsang (Uncle Sidney), and Mo Kwok (Uncle Mo), they now have six locations of which Brent Cross (open in March 2025) is the latest in the mall’s new District food hall. “No frills, but tasty, fast and cheap”, the specialities are Cantonese Roast Duck, Crispy Pork Belly (Siu Yuk), and Char Siu Pork. Top Menu Tip – Auntie Jun’s Char Siu Sou.

Billed as London’s first hand-roll sushi specialist when it opened five years ago, this tiny counter operation in Brixton Market serves very high-quality Japanese bites at a good price. If you have always wanted to taste wagyu beef or sake but balked at the cost, this might be your opportunity – a small plate of wagyu is £15, a sake flight £19, and fans find it “a seriously excellent experience”.

2024 Review: “Still dreaming about the anchovies on toast!” Robin and Sarah Gill’s compact (28 covers) yearling aims to bring Parisian café culture to Brixton’s Market Row. All feedback on the “daily changing menus of small and larger dishes” is upbeat: “a small place with a brilliant selection of options, good wine and drinks list. Staff are really on it, know the dishes inside out and steer you in the right direction for your order”.