Warlingham, International Restaurant Guide

“Very good in all respects… and it’s NOT in London!” – Andrew McLeish is entering his 25th year of owning this “stylish” well-known destination a short drive from Bromley: “a welcome spot in a culinary desert thanks to its high standards” and a favourite for many occasions (including a “romantic” celebration among a widespread fan club that includes a huge number of reporters living in BR postcodes). “A consistent friend that never disappoints”, “service is professional and friendly”, the cuisine is of “high quality”, the setting is “comfortable” and “there’s a good choice of wines by the glass from the Coravin system”. There’s an à la carte menu and brasserie section as well as a fancier ‘Gourmet Menu’ at £125 per person.

This “lovely food-led pub” – a carefully modernised beauty from 1854 on Crystal Palace’s thriving ‘Triangle’ – showcases chef David Yorkiston’s “really great cooking – way, way above typical gastroboozer fare”. “Controversially, it has banned kids under 10” but not everyone objects (“we think the atmosphere is all the better for it, even if it means we can’t go there as often as we’d like)”.

Overlooking Wandsworth Common, John Brinkley’s local venue offers “pleasant if unremarkable” cuisine and benefits from his knowledge of wine – “more quiet than the one at Hollywood Road but a great place to have a nice relaxed dinner”.

This “great local restaurant” has notched up 25 years in Wimbledon Village, and “turns out far better food than you might expect from a local spot”. An “interesting menu” of Mediterranean-influenced dishes means it is frequently packed.

This “fantastic” Earlsfield venture offers ‘vegan soul food’ that is both “incredible value” and full of “lovely, interesting flavours” (“would never even have known it was vegan!”). Founded by school friends Arvin Suntaramoorphy and Shyam Kotecha, it takes an ethical approach to business, allowing guests to pay less if they are unsatisfied, and feeding the penniless for free in return for a couple of hours’ labour. There’s a spinoff branch in Honor Oak Park.

2021 Review: “Tasty street-food vendors, a good pint and a great atmosphere” (plus, for families, “plenty of space for kids to scoot around”) win a thumbs-up for this vibey project, converted from seven levels of an underutilised multi-storey car park. Levels five and six are the heart of the action foodwise: residents include Nandine (offshoot of a Kurdish café in Camberwell), Other Side Fried (chicken burgers) and Hao Hao chi (handmade regional Chinese street food).

2022 Review: One of the few early 2021 newcomers (at which time it was delivery only) – this ‘soul food fusion’ newcomer operates out of the Peckham Levels. The aim? – ‘a bold and culturally relevant brand to disrupt the traditionally Euro-centric and often whitewashed London food scene’. This translates into hearty spicy scoff – Trinidadian Bara Tacos (fried bread with a chickpea filling), Philly Banh Mi Cheesesteaks… deep-fried Oreos.

2021 Review: “Bright and airy”, traditional-ish gastroboozer (plus garden), off Clapham High Street, “reliably serving good food” (if not of a particularly ‘gourmet’ variety).

“A very good find” in St John’s, between Deptford and Lewisham, this pub-with-rooms boasts well-prepared food and “warm and efficient staff”. Attractions include a “great Sunday lunch, with a full range of roasts served with great big Yorkshire puds and plenty of gravy”.

This spectacular tavern, which opened in Queen Victoria’s coronation year next to Greenwich’s Royal Naval College, has “a great setting beside the Thames” complete with a historic interior, and is not surprisingly “a favourite with tourists”. It can provide a good trip, but it can also “be let down by its typical pub grub”.

Inspired by Art Deco Paris, this wood-panelled Gallic brasserie south of Elephant & Castle provides a “wonderful atmosphere”, a menu of “food you want to eat” and “Meteor à la pression” – better still, there’s a jazz club upstairs. Les patrons, brothers Noland & Florent Regent, grew up next door in the Lobster Pot – another Francophile’s delight, run by their parents for 25 years until 2016.

“Every year I struggle to come up with new ways of saying just how wonderful this extremely underrated spot is”, say fans of this cherished local – a bright spark in the culinary void near Surrey Quays station. “They’ve been in situ for ages (thank goodness) yet the menu is always changing and continues to impress”: “sourdough pizzas are the main event – the pear and gorgonzola and the tiger prawn with chorizo are particular favourites – and it also has a modern European and grill menu”.

“An institution that’s been there forever” (well, since 1964) – this “fun, local bistro” is a “go-to in Pimlico for ‘cheer-you-up’ comfort food” from a menu that has barely changed over the decades (moules marinière, fish pie with piped potato, calves’ liver and bacon, crème brûlée). The original wood panelling is unchanged, and “the very friendly team have also been there since the dawn of time!”

2022 Review: The World’s End – a huge Grade II listed late-Victorian gin palace that’s long been a landmark of the more distant stretches of Chelsea’s King’s Road – offers an ‘immersive’ experience nowadays, comprising basement ‘Bletchley’ Bar (1940s vibe), top-floor Chelsea Black Martini bar and a ground-floor restaurant. Initially branding as ‘Journey’ was replaced with ‘Jolie’ mid-lockdowns in autumn 2020 – a ‘salon’ serving French-inspired sharing plates and with bottomless brunch a big feature.

2022 Review: “Excellent value, especially set meals” (at what feels like 1980s prices) mean this age old Italian greasy spoon in Chelsea has a wider constituency than you might imagine.

2021 Review: A big outside terrace is a key feature of Charles Saatchi’s attractive gallery café, which overlooks the green next to Duke of York’s Square on the King’s Road. Foodwise, it is most recommended for its afternoon tea possibilities, but it’s tolerably rated for a light bite at other times too.

The old car park behind Borough Market is now a covered street-food zone with about 15 different stalls – “I know it’s a bit of a tourist trap these days, but there’s still something about walking around, grabbing something new to try, or just hitting your old favourite”.

In a dramatic modern pavilion in Chelsea’s Duke of York Square, this “buzzy and fun” venue (named after the Romany travelling wagon) boasts “plenty of outside seating” and is a particular summer favourite. Food-wise, it takes its cue from the Caravan group it is part of, delivering a global menu of “innovative” sharing plates (“interesting choices for most palettes and to suit those with food intolerances”).