London Lambeth Restaurant Guide

“Seasonal cooking in the lovely surroundings of Lambeth’s Garden Museum” “always feels like a treat”, with “fresh ingredients well prepared in a wonderfully light room”. Open since 2017 in “the converted church of St Mary”, it has built a quiet reputation for its “gorgeous food and location” – best enjoyed over lunch along with a visit to the museum. Top Tip – “the view from the church tower is fantastic”.

“Old-school Italian” behind Waterloo station (est. 1976) that “never changes, nor should it!” – “I’ve been going for almost 40 years and it has maintained a very high standard of food and service throughout” as “the epitome of what a top-quality family-run neighbourhood Italian restaurant should be”, with a “high proportion of long-serving staff ensuring a warm, friendly welcome”. A minority view finds the cooking “pretty pricey” or “bland” (“being cruel, it feels like a place for Daily Mail readers who want a safe night out”). On the plus side, even doubters reckon “the wine list is sensibly priced”.

2022 Review: For a “cheap ’n’ cheerful” fish ’n’ chips hit, fans still recommend a meal at the Formica tables of this long-standing Waterloo chippy.

2022 Review: This ‘Philadelphia dive bar’ in Cleveland Street, Fitzrovia, has certainly “got the American vibe”, with “US-style beer and bar food” giving a real taste of the City of Brotherly Love. Philly street food classics such as the hoagie and cheesesteak are on the menu – and “it’s not health food, that’s for sure”. Reporters are divided on the results – “defining the category” for fans, “pretty underwhelming” for sceptics. There’s now a second site at Westfield Stratford, complete with baseball batting cages, but a 2021 crowdfunding bid to raise £150,000 for a massive bar under the railway arches in Leake Street, Waterloo, struck out.

“Prices closer to those of Kuala Lumpur than of London” have won fame for this “cramped Euston basement”, as attested to by the “eternal long queue in all weathers”. “Favoured by the large local student population”, “it’s well worth the wait for a cheap eat in a vibrant, no-frills, off-the-street, ‘eat-and-go’ environment”. “The signature dish is Roti Canai – chicken, mutton, or fish curry served with two of the flakiest rotis ever made this side of Malaysia”: “a tasty meal at a very good price”. Amongst the other “Malaysian staples cooked to perfection”, the spicy noodle dishes are also often excellent: “no wonder it’s always so busy”. With success has come expansion to high-performing but less famous siblings: a small café near Waterloo (“spot on, always a buzz”); near Battersea Power Station (“perfect choice for a delicious meal close to the overpriced places nearby, with a delightful small outside terrace”); and also with a new big branch which opened in early 2024 near Spitalfields. Top Menu Tip “aside from the roti, look out for Nasi Goreng, Char Kway Teow, Beef Rendang, and Teh Tarik (a drink of tea sweetened with condensed milk)”.

“A great discovery! – Brilliant budget Japanese food is served right in the tourist hell of County Hall” at this “small and off-beat” canteen, which is “hard to find but worth searching for (just like such places in Japan)”. It offers “a little slice of Osaka on London’s South Bank” down to its “authentic” tastes (‘Okan’ apparently means Mum in Osakan dialect) and – with its “great onigiri and okonomiyaki” is a “perfect place to try Japanese food that is not sushi or the ubiquitous ramen”. There are two more branches in Brixton (not listed).

“Super authentic and tasty” Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki is served amid a “canteen-type vibe” at chef Daisuke Shimoyama’s informal spot at the rear of the old County Hall building on London’s South Bank (until recently, next to its sibling Hannah – now recreated as Stratford’s Kokin, see also). A buckwheat pancake is cooked on a hotplate in front of you with cabbage, spring onion, beansprouts, noodles and ginger plus a choice of meat or prawns and topped with special sauce and mayo – a hearty meal “perhaps best suited to lunch”.