London Tooting Restaurant Guide

2023 Review: 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.

“Always delicious”, this well-known Pakistani canteen on Tooting’s ‘curry corridor’ offers the “same fun and good-value food as it has for years”. A favourite of local boy-made-mayor Sadiq Khan (so come on foot or by public transport), it has an offshoot in Coulsdon, on London’s southern fringe.

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”.

“Worth the rattling ride down on the Northern line!”, says a fan from E18 of this neighbourhood spot, “tucked away in the relatively unlikely environs of Tooting”. The “clever food” centres on brined half-chicken portions (with crispy battered cauliflower as the veggie alternative) plus a supporting cast of starters, small plates and puddings – results are “outstanding”.

“Delicious tapas” ensure a very loyal local crowd keeps returning to this lively little fixture near Tooting Broadway tube station – it’s “always loud and cheery. The food is mostly a hit and the occasional slight miss goes unnoticed in the good time had by all” – “I often take three generations there, and they all enjoy it”. Former food journalist Madeleine Lim linked up with local restaurateur Hikmat Antippa to launch it in 2015.

“Consistent and authentic Thai food” earns a shout-out for this low-key, family-run trio, in Brixton, Battersea and Tooting. Prices are reasonable and the ability to BYO in each location is a further boost to the value of a meal.

“Tucked away at one end of buzzy Tooting market”, this “small” outlet promises ‘A taste of the Basque Country’ and is the work of owner and artist Cristina Ruiz and chef Jorge López. “It makes a real effort with simple but competent cooking” and “the authentic recipes are served on small plates so you can sample a range of the full-flavoured dishes”.

“A wonderful new entrant to the Tooting scene” – this August 2023 debut is from a group with operations in Southall and Ilford. It occupies a big, sheenily designed unit: “cavernous, stylish, neo nightclub in feel with table and banquette seating”. “Afghan/Pakistani grills and curries are cooked in the glassed-off but visible kitchen”: “curries are authentically spicy and good across all proteins”. “It’s already packed with a vibrant crowd of young adults and families at all hours: especially after prayers on Friday”. “NB. it is a dry restaurant: not even BYO”.

On the main drag a few minutes’ walk from Tooting Broadway station, Filipino chef Rex De Guzman (ex-Maze) brings his former market stall to its first permanent address. You’ll find traditional Filipino grills and desserts – and larger groups can share a ‘Boodle Fight’ feast, eating food served on banana leaves without crockery or cutlery.