London Tooting Restaurant Guide

Laura Aitkin & Kiki Evans’s “quirky” wine bar in Tooting Market is “worth a visit for a fun evening” spent with an “eclectic wine list and food menu” – the latter from a succession of guest chefs (“go for the unusual wines based on themes e.g. myths”). The pair have a second wine bar in a shipping container by Waterloo station.

2021 Review: High marks again for this brave hipster outpost occupying one of the stalls in Tooting’s covered market, and where funky, seasonal, British small plates are served at the counter. Some diners found themselves “questioning some of the combinations”, but most judged results “very good”.

2021 Review: Helping make Tooting’s Broadway Market a foodie destination, this “very affordable” three-year-old seafood specialist wins praise for its “fabulous food, great service and big smiles”. The “really inventive” approach extends to drinks, which include an “amazing gin cocktail” flavoured with oysters. Antiques trade veteran Jimmy Luttman is an “excellent” host.

2021 Review: The “lovely Thai food” at these reliable cafés is “impressively authentic given that they are a chain” – “excellent value” and “fast”, if occasionally let down by “iffy service”. Founded in 2008 by Saiphin and Alex Moore, who inherited the name of their first East End site, the group has 18 branches in London and expanded to Liverpool, Manchester, Reading (delivery only) and Leeds following the sale of a majority stake to US investors. The couple also have two spin-offs, Lao Café in Covent Garden and the new Chinese noodle bar Hoh Sek in St Katharine Docks.

This Pakistani canteen is one of the stars of Tooting’s ‘curry corridor’, and had a moment in the limelight when it was recommended a few years back by the area’s most famous son, London mayor Sadiq Khan.

2022 Review: “A must-visit on Tooting High Street” – this modest and “amazing-value” family-run café was one of the first in London to serve “authentic and delicious hoppers and other Sri Lankan specialities” when it opened 31 years ago. “The lunch menu is really good for a cheap ’n’ cheerful meal, but for the best experience go in the evening and eat in the back dining room”.

“Fine food in a casual setting” wins exceptional ratings for this former pop-up that is contributing to Tooting’s rising reputation as a gastronomic destination. Remi Williams and Aaron Webster celebrate the ancient preserving techniques of salting, smoking and curing with “a menu of universally delicious sharing plates”, served in a “bustling, vibrant atmosphere”.

“A local delight” in southwest London – “tasty, unusual tapas”, “super-knowledgeable staff” and “buzzy, upbeat atmosphere add to the feeling that you’re anywhere but Tooting High Street”. “The prices are more like central London than SW17, but the quality’s right up there to justify the premium”.

“Delicious Thai food” wins plaudits for this family-owned and run trio in Brixton, Battersea and Tooting, while the BYO policy keeps a lid on the bill.