London’s brewery scene is insane with around 100 in the city right now. And where there are breweries, there are taprooms, many of which also serve up amazing food, from tacos and pizza to BBQ and Sunday roasts. Here’s our guide to some of the best taproom food to be found in London.
40FT Brewery: Acme Fire Cult
Dalston - Bootyard, Abbot St, London E8 3DP
Probably one of the best-known London craft breweries, 40FT not only shares a courtyard space with one of the city’s best bakeries, Dusty Knuckle, but they also have a sister venue in Acme Fire Cult. Chef Andrew Clarke describes his venture as "more akin to a BBQ party than a standard restaurant" and the live fire cooking with its inventive dishes lends itself to pairing with 40FT’s beers. The outside space here is more than a mere afterthought, making it a particularly good spot to come down to in the summer.
The Kernel: Yagi Izakaya
Bermondsey - 132 Spa Rd, London SE16 3AE
They're one of London (and the UK's) best breweries and also one of the first to make the Bermondsey Beer Mile what it is today. So it's no huge surprise that Kernel also has one of the more impressive kitchen residencies too. Chris Wright (ex-Som Saa) is the man in charge here, serving up an izakaya menu that's incredibly accomplished. Recent dishes have included whole grilled squid with shichimi & dashi mayo along with Tuna Tataki with kumquats & chilli.
Orbit Beers Taproom: The Dragon Flame BBQ
Walworth - 225 & 228 Fielding St, London SE17 3HD
Having built up their reputation as the food residency at the Star by Hackney Downs, barbecue folk The Dragon Flame are now also to be found at the Orbit Beers taproom in Walworth, where their smoker is parked in the taproom yard. It's been a good year so far for cue duo Georgie and Dio, having recently been voted one of the best Sunday roasts in London by Time Out. Their rotisserie pork is where the action's really at, served in a flatbread with a pineapple salsa, but the loaded beef brisket fries are also must-tries.
Five Points Taproom: From The Ashes
Hackney - 61 Mare St, London E8 4RG
Chefs Martin Anderson and Curtis Bell are behind From The Ashes and their menu focuses on the cue triumvirate of smoke, fat and flavour. Low and slow is the way they go with a menu that obviously focuses on the smoker (serving up everything from short rib to smoked celeriac) but also includes genius options like smoked pit beans on Texas toast. The BBQ sharing platter's a no-brainer if you’re here in a group. Come the summer the taproom's courtyard is a perfect spot for a pork bun and a pint of Five Points pale ale.
Hackney Church Brew Co: Lagom
Hackney Central - 17 Bohemia Pl, London E8 1DU
Genuinely one of the hardest places in London to book if you want Sunday lunch, Lagom sees chef Elliot Cunningham challenging all comers for both the coveted titles of London's best burger and best Sunday roast. And if you've overindulged on Hackney Church Brew Co's beers on a Saturday, come back on a Sunday for Lagom’s legendary Hung Over Bowls featuring all three roasts. If all that sounds extremely carnivorous, never fear, because there's also plenty to entice those after lighter/greener options with a menu that's ultra seasonal and packed with interesting veggie dishes.
Pretty Decent Beer: Seouls of Mischief, It’s Not Big Dough and Sho Foo Doh
Forest Gate and Victoria Park
Pretty Decent Beer have given their original Forest Gate brewery turned taproom an overhaul, where you can currently catch Sho Foo Doh and their amazing Japanese drinking food popping up there for the next month. There are then plans for PDB to serve up their own pizza (with dough fermented with the brewery’s house brewing yeast). Over at their Victoria Park taproom, there’s an equally compelling food offering with Seouls of Michief and their Korean-inspired burgers alongside Neapolitan-style pizzas from It’s Not Big Dough. They also do beer soft serve (really) and sour slushies.
Forest Road Taproom: Ta-Ko
Hackney - 8 Netil Ln, London E8 3RL
Forest Road's original brewery used to be based in London Fields. Now, as they've moved operations to Bermondsey, they've turned this OG space into a dive bar meets taproom. The food offering is from Ta-Ko who serve up Asian-inspired tacos, which it turns out, are a perfect match for Forest Road's craft beers. The soft corn tacos are insane but you really don't want to miss out on the MSG fries which are actually beer-fried potatoes with nori and pepper mayo.
Brick Brewery: World Famous Gordo’s
Peckham - Arch 209, Blenheim Grove, London SE15 4QL
Brick Brewery's original brewing site is now their taproom, boasting 20 draught lines with both their own and guest beers. There's even a beer garden to enjoy them in. With good beer, you'll want good food and you're guaranteed that when it's being supplied by World Famous Gordo's pizza slingers. You'll now find their residency here serving up a weekly changing offering by the slice. To give you an idea of what to expect, a recent pizza featured jalapeno, pineapple and pepperoni with a cheesy Ranch-stuffed crust.
And it's not just beer...
Kanpai sake taproom
Bermondsey - 48 Druid St, London SE1 2EZ
As the UK's first sake brewery, Kanpai have been brewing their modern British sake in London since 2016. Originally in Peckham, they've now moved to their own premises on Bermondsey's Beer Mile. Running the kitchen here is Tai Nguyen, former Head Chef at Hakata and Bone Daddies. On his menu, you'll find a range of sandos, gyoza and noodle dishes, many of which are either made with sake or the by-products of the sake brewing process. Swing by for a sando and you might find yourself leaving with a brewing kit to make your own sake at home.
Burnt Faith Brandy House - Black Cactus BBQ
Walthamstow - 57 Sutherland Rd, London E17 6BH
Black Cactus BBQ developed a big fanbase for their food at North London brewery Exhale. There, they had the visit from Eating with Tod that properly changed their business trajectory. Now they're settled at the Burnt Faith brandy distillery in Walthamstow, where any visit starts with a shot of the house brandy. Having started out as a coffee roaster, the team pivoted to barbecue post-lockdown. Their fully obsessive commitment to amazing barbecue shows in a menu that includes short rib pastrami croissants, 14-hour smoked brisket and huge Sunday platters. Check out their Insta feed if you want to see how ChatGPT conveys their story so far through the medium of Tolkien.
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