London Putney Restaurant Guide

These “buzzing family-run Italians” in southwest London create “an exceptional atmosphere” for large parties of all ages – and “they won’t break the bank”. “Despite the celebratory brouhaha, they produce a very respectable menu of traditional dishes – fish stew, duck, pizza on demand” – “even the veggies are catered for”. “Expect noise and old people dancing.”

This Putney institution “celebrated its 25th anniversary with a great party last summer – they must be getting something right!”. Even if “the menu can sometimes be a bit samey”, the “authentic Goan/Indian food” is “still exceptional” and the service “so friendly”. “I suspect Ma Goa will still be going in 20 years’ time”.

“Lovely wood-fired pizzas and imaginative salads” make this “friendly cycle-themed coffee shop” in Putney (and its Balham sibling) a “great place for brunch on the way back from a cycle round Richmond Park”. Early rouleurs will find breakfast from 7.30am, and there’s “ample bike parking”.

This Gallic duo in Clapham and Putney (Balham is now closed, RIP) score well for “lovely classic French bistro food”, “good vibes from friendly staff” and a “really good value prix fixe lunch”. They also run sightseeing meals on luxury double-decker buses in London and Paris. Top Tip – “seasonal offerings (e.g. fondue, morilles etc) keep the menu interesting”.

“Brilliant for a quick pitstop”, these Japanese-inspired pan-Asian canteens consistently churn out “a great selection of fresh and tasty dishes” (sushi, noodles, laksa,…) at an “impressive speed” – you can watch a “gaggle of chefs in action with an array of woks”. Established in 1996, the group has lived up to its name, expanding slowly to six sites while its rivals have proliferated – and, in some cases, crashed and burned.

“Teeming with Japanese customers and Putney locals in the know”, this “great little sushi bar”, presided over by its “eagle-eyed chef/owner” (“sit up at the sushi bar to see the main man calmly in action”) is “just like being in Tokyo”. Results are “fabulous”: there are “not many places in London where the fish on the sushi is actually thicker than the rice!”. Another indie Japanese, Cho-San (RIP) was on the same site, and the “rather tired” interior either “works against it” or adds authenticity, depending on your viewpoint.

Billed as England’s only Kashmiri specialist, this Putney three-year-old offers something “genuinely different from the standard Indian fare” – and it’s “always delicious”. Chef Rohit Razdan and his wife Shweta have previously had restaurants in New Delhi and Singapore.

This yearling all-day brasserie near East Putney tube “has succeeded where several other restaurants have failed”, by following a formula of “good food and value for money”. “It knocks the socks off the Bill’s or Brew and their wannabes”.

“When all you want is an old-school burger”, these US-based arrivals of recent years really “hit the spot” – you can “build your own”, with “tons of accessories”; plus “seriously addictive fries”, “thick milkshakes”, and “more soda flavours than is reasonable”. “The eat-in experience is as depressing as McDonald’s”, though, in fact perhaps more so – “some branches have a strangely gloomy ambience” – but fans feel that “if you don’t mind 1980s-rock, a trip can still be surprisingly fun”.