London Southwark Restaurant Guide

“There’s no finer tapas outside Spain” than at José Pizarro’s “outstanding, if authentically tiny” Bermondsey bar: “very buzzy and busy, as a tapas bar should be” providing “absolute classic dishes, prepared with attention to detail and with perfect produce”. “It looks chaotic when you turn up and you have to queue outside with your wine. However the system they have works because you’re soon seated and ready to enjoy some of London’s best tapas”; “highly recommended”.

“Fantastic food + great wine list + super-friendly people + brilliant music = cool vibes!” – this new restaurant and wine bar near Peckham Rye station (baby bro’ to Salon in Brixton) has cracked the formula for winning fans from SE15 and beyond: a “casual-yet-special” operation, it can become “extremely busy” and “crowded”. Its “incredible” small plates are a foil to the “very good wine list” and arguably a form of “wildly indulgent nursery food”, but are so “creative and fun” and with “flavours that sing!”

“There really is only one winner here when it comes to coffee!” – these caffeine-havens remain the survey’s No. 1 coffee company thanks to its “perfect” brews – from a “fabulous, rotating and extensive selection of beans” – delivered by “patient and helpful staff”, who are “invariably lovely despite the crazy-massive queues”. By Borough Market, the “rustic, no-frills SE1 branch with its communal heavy wood table” offers a “quintessential London breakfast experience, with a cult following” (foodwise, there’s bread and jam, plus “beautifully-sourced pastries”). The original WC2 branch is also “lovely… if you can get a seat”; and a recent addition is a Saturday-only branch at Spa Terminus in Bermondsey SE16.

A “unique menu” of “delicious Portuguese tapas” that “really pack flavour” makes this authentically tiled bar near Borough Market “just a delight”; especially in summer when its “lovely outdoor seating area” makes it “an ideal place to spend an afternoon”. “The knowledgeable staff have great wine recommendations” from the “interesting” all-Portuguese list.

“A marvellous alternative to generic Middle East cuisine” – this family business has graduated from Peckham Levels (where they still trade) to this new café in Camberwell, where they offer “a Kurdish take on classic Middle Eastern dishes: well spiced, utterly fresh and served with a warmth worth mentioning because it’s so uncommon...”. A rave August 2019 review from Jay Rayner has propelled it to becoming a fooderati talking point.

“An unexpected treat despite the location” – a former warehouse at the back of an industrial building in Peckham – this ex-pop-up Italian serves “really original food at very good prices”, including “easily some of the best pasta in London”. “You feel the people working here really love what they do, and it shows in the food – it’s seriously happy food”.

“Grilled chicken is the centrepiece” (frango means chicken in Portuguese) and is done in three different ways: peri peri, lemon, and garlic-and-oregano – at this “buzzing”, airy and artfully converted yearling, not far from Borough Market. “Sides, salads and especially the custard tarts are of a very high standard too, and service, like the room, is bright and cheery”. A sibling stall is now open in Centre Point’s Arcade Food Theatre, see also.

This business-friendly D&D London venue plays to its strengths: the spectacular Tower Bridge setting, plus a well-constructed menu of meaty, classic British dishes. Originally part of Sir Terence Conran’s ‘Gastrodome’ project in the 1990s, fans “have been coming here for years” and for a simple grill in prime Thames-side territory, it’s worth remembering.