Southwark, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

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.

2021 Review: This “wonderful” three-year-old is the brainchild of chefs Lucy Pedder and Natasha Cooke, whose “affordable” modern British small plates are “cooked to a very high standard” – so “full marks to these brave young women”. “Handy for Tate Modern” in the Flat Iron complex, they expanded their small space in early 2020 and it now has 44 covers. (Dishes are now also, apparently, 100% nut free).

2021 Review: “So many amazing, creative options for brunch” together with “renowned coffee” (“meticulously sourced and roasted in-house”) have made these “loud”, “brash”, “buzzy” and “quite hip” haunts – particularly the well-known Granary Square branch – key destinations, particularly at the weekend. When busy, however, service can be “hit and miss”; and the food has sometimes been a let-down of late: “it feels like random, trendy ingredients are thrown into dishes so they can charge more for them, rather than for culinary interest or flavour”.

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”.

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”.

2021 Review: “The kind of place you could eat at any day of the week” – this open-fronted wine bar and café stalwart looking onto Borough Market wins consistent praise for its “punchy plates”, many of them from a wood-fired oven; and “well-priced wine” (with “a good selection by the glass”)… so “invent any reason, just go”.

2021 Review: James Lowe and John Ogier – of epic Shoreditch legend Lyle’s – plus backers JKS Restaurants launched this all-day bakery and wine bar venture in Borough Market in mid-July, too late for survey feedback. The offering stretches from coffee and croissants in the morning, through small plates at lunch, to a more wine-bar vibe in the evening. Early press reports are predictably adulatory… but they are probably correct.

2021 Review: “A great view of the river and very competent cuisine” makes this would-be Elizabethan tavern – on the first floor of Shakespeare’s Globe theatre – “a delightful find on the tourist trail”. Chef Allan Pickett sticks sensibly to modern British rather than cod-historical cooking.

2021 Review: “Beautiful views – adequate but unexciting food”: that’s the perennial trade-off at Tate Modern’s original, elevated dining room – a simple space, but with a stunning vantagepoint for viewing The Thames, St Paul’s and the City. It aims to be a showcase for top British ingredients and drinks but results can border on the mundane.

2021 Review: “The views are fantastic from the top of the Shard”, but prices for the “very ordinary food” are “totally outrageous” – “hardly value for money unless you’re a hedge-fund manager”. Some reporters “would never return”, but others are “glad they went”. Just remember – “this is a place to be seen and to see from, rather than a magnet for food-lovers”. Top Tip – “don’t miss the urinals – they’re the best in London”.

2021 Review: “The view’s the thing” at this 35th-floor all-day restaurant and lounge in The Shard, with 360-degree vistas over London and the Home Counties – “including from the loos!”. Some reporters also rate the “well-presented and thoughtful menu”, which they say contributes to “a fantastic experience”. Sceptics, though, reckon the “food is so-so, service patronising, the bill eye-watering: strictly for well-heeled tourists!”.

2021 Review: “The view is spectacular” from the 32nd floor of the Shard, so “why not put the £35 it would cost to go to the viewing deck towards a meal here”, in the brasserie from Rainer Becker of Zuma and Roka. “The meal is ridiculously overpriced”, of course, but “the atmosphere feels special” and – though the food is not without its detractors – a relatively high proportion of diners here feel “it matches the panorama”. You can choose between the West section for a restaurant-style meal or the East bar with food.

2021 Review: “Still nailing it after all these years” – this “unpretentious but brilliant” Southwark boozer near the Young Vic was again very narrowly beaten into No. 2 place amongst London’s best gastropubs (by the Harwood Arms), but maintains a massive fanclub, and “you still have to queue to get a table”. The draw is its “hearty” British cooking – “always-fascinating-and-unusual” dishes (often using game or offal) “delivering great flavours and textures”. Top Tip – you can book for Sunday lunch.