London Southwark Restaurant Guide

“Exceptionally fine beef” from the Italian Fassone breed in the valleys north of Genoa is theatrically presented – as if in a butcher’s shop – at Roberto Costa’s growing group of steakhouses, where the “superb cuts are butchered in front of you”. “I finally went to try out what looked like magnificent beef, from the haunches in the window. I wasn’t disappointed – it delivered magnificently.” The South Ken branch in Old Brompton Road remains the most popular. There are others in Fitzrovia, Exmouth Market, Union Street and Battersea. (The latest to open in summer 2021, in the West End’s Theatreland, is called Il Teatro del Carne – see also).

2021 Review: If the food market in Flat Iron Square doesn’t take your fancy, remember this consistently good modern basement Indian, serving a wide mix of options, including a number of south Indian dishes like dosas; good with families too.

2021 Review: Stick to the good-value, meal-with-ticket deals at the theatre restaurant of this converted Victorian chocolate factory, whose food is “honest” but rather “hit and miss”, hence “not good enough to pay full stand-alone prices” – especially with foodie Borough Market just across the road.

“Love it” – eating at this Portuguese tapas bar near Borough Market is “always a thoroughly enjoyable experience – especially outside in summer”. It’s a tiny, atmospheric place serving big flavours, the result of “top-quality ingredients and execution” backed up by “a comprehensive Portuguese wine list”.

The “fabulous Anglicised tapas” at this “hidden gem next to the Omeara music venue” have made a hit of Lucy Pedder and Natasha Cooke’s four-year-old venture. It’s “tiny and unpromising on the outside, but has a really lovely menu of superb small plates, generally modern British with an Iberian inflection”. There’s now a spinoff, Pomelo, at the new Goods Way food market in King’s Cross.

“OK I guess, but could be so much better” is an increasingly common view on this once-groundbreaking chain, where the feeling that “it seems to have gone off a bit” is most prevalent at the well-known Granary Square branch, which risks becoming “a cheerless, so-so, fast-turnaround experience”. At its best, though – mostly to be found at the EC1 original, with its “great outside seating area and very relaxed atmosphere” – the group remains popular for its “innovative and delicious breakfasts”: “great sharing plates” and “something for everyone” (which includes “a good set of vegan and vegetarian alternatives”).

2019 Review: In a no-man’s-land stretch of Southwark, this Spring 2018 opening is an Argentinian/Chilean parrilla majoring in meaty and fish grills. It is brought to us by Nicolas Modad (previously head chef at Brindisa) and Federico Fugazza (founder of Porteña at Borough Market).

2021 Review: With their “chilled ambience and laid-back vibe” this trio of cafés have championed Aussie-style day-time eating for more than a decade in London. “Good for breakfast, brunch and lunch”, they are “not too overpriced compared with competitors”, and the Shoreditch and London Bridge venues are open in the evening for drinks and dinner.

2021 Review: Gordon Ramsay’s “Italian-leaning” warehouse conversion in Southwark, with an indoor ‘olive grove’ complete with trees, pleases some with its “giant portions of great food” and “fantastic cocktails”. Far too many reporters this year, though, complain of a “sterile” aspect to its “industrial” decor, and dismiss the fare as mightily “uninspired”.

“Some really delicious Italian food using very good ingredients and a stylish, if low key, venue” – that’s the deal at this Neapolitan duo in Borough and the St James’s Market development. Pizza – using seawater in the dough – is a staple of the menu which also extends to pasta and other fare.

An “excellent” Chinese menu wins a small but dedicated fan club for Wei Shao’s slightly disparate group of eateries. Most prominent nowadays is its three-storey, 120-cover flagship near Borough Market. There’s also the Chinatown original (no reservations), whose main options include baozi, dumplings, wonton and noodles, and a Soho site serving northern Chinese street food, plus all-day dim sum. (There’s also a stall at Market Halls Victoria).

2021 Review: “A firm favourite for breakfast and brunch in Southwark” – this café-style fixture a short stroll from Tate Modern serves “a great menu to suit all tastes”, and fans say it’s “unbeatable”.

“Casual and inexpensive, but no compromise on the standards” – this Japanese noodle chain has become a firm favourite in London’s “competitive” ramen market, with 14 branches (and counting). “I can’t speak highly enough of the quality of ramen here, absolutely packed full of flavour and at a really good price.” The name is taken from the pork broth used, and the noodles are made daily in-house and cooked, it is said, for precisely 32 seconds.

This “buzzy” yearling serves “tasty Portuguese tapas” and “grilled chicken, done to perfection” in the Algarve style, over charcoal with piri-piri seasoning. “Don’t eat too much – the desserts are delicious as well”, led by pastel de nata and a thick chocolate mousse. The Green Room is a ‘secret’ cocktail bar, and there’s now a second branch with a large terrace between Great Eastern Street and Commercial Street in Shoreditch.

A “great take on modern Israeli cooking” – ex-Ottolenghi chef Eran Tibi creates “brilliant dishes inspired by the buzzing food markets in Tel Aviv” at this all-day venue on two levels in a Southwark railway arch. Top Tip: “love the shakshuka, a Sunday morning treat”.

This old Southwark pub “is not the smartest venue” but it’s a favourite near the South Bank and Young Vic. The unexpected find of good value, contemporary Spanish tapas is key to its popularity, but its highest rated asset is its “wonderful staff”.

“You can’t beat the coffee from Monmouth”, which is “still the best in town”, agree the caffeine hounds who flock to the capital’s most famous artisan coffee specialists. They rave about “top beans turned into wonderful coffee by talented baristas”, who “seem to extract an extra level of flavour – I can only put it down to alchemy!” “Super-friendly staff and good pastries” complete the deal. Any downsides? – “shame about the queues” which are a permanent feature of both the long-established Soho and Borough Market venues and the newer Wednesday-Saturday Spa Terminus branch in Bermondsey. Top Tip: “don’t miss the Sally Clarke truffles (great after an espresso)!”

“Fabulous atmosphere” and “so many choices”: this 45,000 sqare foot former paper factory near Elephant & Castle hosts 40-odd operators at any time, offering anything from Argentinian grilled meat to Uzbeck rice dishes along with London’s biggest beer garden. “We love it: everyone can please themselves and meet again in the middle”, while “it’s great for kids because they can make as much noise as they like”. “You just have to avoid the really crowded times as it’s pretty popular now”. Founder Andrea Rasca also runs markets in Milan and Turin – and across London in deconsecrated Grade-1-listed St Mark’s church, Mayfair.

“The bao are just so good” at these “charming” and stylish Taiwanese cafés, whose eponymous steamed buns filled with “brilliant” and “magnificent” Asian flavours have been a sensation since their first opening at Netil Market in London Fields in 2013. There are now six venues, the most recent of which have branched out in new directions: Café Bao at King’s Cross, serving an East Asian take on Western classics, such as chicken XO Kiev and baked ham hock congee pie, and Bao Noodle Shop, on the former site of Andina in Shoreditch, which is inspired by old-school Taiwanese beef noodle shops.