Vauxhall Restaurant Guide

“A Georgian mansion on a huge roundabout in Vauxhall, surrounded by high-rise apartment blocks” makes a “fabulous”, “brilliantly quirky and enjoyable place for a meal that feels more like being at a brilliant dinner party than a restaurant”. A showcase for LASSCO (‘England’s prime resource for Architectural Antiques, Salvage & Curiosities’), “the room is uniquely bonkers” – crammed full of antiques and architectural salvage, all for sale and lending the space “a slightly faded elegance”. Service is “charming”, and the food a “good example of seasonal-British (although many of the dishes have been around for a few seasons now)” from chef Jackson Boxer and his team. There’s a “disparate and varied crowd at lunch time – thus it’s rather good for discrete business – and an edgier, clubbier (younger) crowd of an evening”. Top Menu Tip – “the Dexter beef with bone marrow and crispy shallots is the best steak tartare in the world!”

Celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2025, this well-established fixture serves “decent food that’s just a little smarter than average”. It has attracted plenty of useful publicity over the years thanks to high-profile patronage by politicians from both sides of nearby Parliament (Brown, Prescott, Cameron, BoJo), who refer to it as ‘the KT’. Keen Westminster-watchers will be interested to note how many newbie MPs beat a path to its door this year...

This “enjoyable” if “typical local curry house” in Kennington was opened by Zalal Uddin in 1982 and is still family-owned. It makes the most of its proximity to the Oval – offering “very good service in trying, post-cricket, circumstances” – and to Parliament, which makes it a “good bet for MP-spotting”.

“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”.

2023 Review: ‘Where there’s tea there’s hope’ is the philosophical underpinning of this “quirky café”, which occupies a converted pub by Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, and “does amazing breakfasts” and “unusual teas”, plus yummy buns. “They are a tea house though, so there is no coffee available!!”

2022 Review: This once-thriving burger brand from Nick Jones’s Soho House group has been reduced to a single branch, under the arches in Vauxhall, and a supporting role at stablemate Chicken Shop in St John’s Wood. Fans reckon it’s “good for when you’re in a hurry” – perhaps they should hurry, while it’s still there.

“Stunningly good Sichuan food” is tipped by the small fan club of this simple two-floor two-year-old near Vauxhall Park. “I prefer it to nearby Canton Arms and Brunswick House… and they set a high bar!”