Southwark, International Restaurant Guide

A new outdoor dining and entertainment space for Borough, tucked into railway arches; food comes from street food stalls Texas Joe's Adobe and The Good Slice.

“A chocolate-themed restaurant is a good idea in principle, but some dishes work better than others” is the general verdict on this Borough Market outlet of a St Lucia plantation owned by Hotel Chocolat, which “users cocoa in every dish”. “Chocolate mac ’n’ cheese”, anyone? What does work is the “fantastic hot chocolate”, and the café/bar has a “fun atmosphere” in the evening, while “the breakfast menu is really tasty, too”.

2018 Review: “A lively and ambitious spot that outshines many of its more established local rivals” – this “pleasant”, bright, white-walled Dulwich café offers enjoyable cooking of the “I could cook this at home but I’ll eat out tonight” variety, with an emphasis on veg.

"Championing Borough’s long association with fine cuisine by offering a series of kitchen residencies in a programme curated by celebrity chef, Maria Elia" - the cocktail bar is open longer than the kitchen.

If you're in the area, it’s worth knowing about this "neighbourhood lobby" at The Hoxton's Southwark sibling. It’s not a foodie hotspot, but it’s a good looking place to meet someone. Foodwise, options include food from Eggbreak and Pecking Order, and an all-natural wine list. See also Seabird for the rooftop restaurant.

Out of challenging times can come genius solutions – this summer 2020 addition to Borough Market was an off-the-cuff collaboration between the well-known ‘Turnips’ fruit ’n’ veg business and Tomas Lidakevicius from Jason Atherton’s City Social. It provides two dining options, both open air within the stand, and both of which have inspired rave press reviews. There’s a fine dining menu (at £72 served Wed-Sat 5pm-9pm) and a more casual ‘small plates’ operation and cocktail bar (dishes about £9.50, Wed-Sat noon-10pm). In May 2021 it announced that it was going permanent.