London Restaurants - South London

Unit 25 Circus Rd W, Nine Elms, London SW11 8EZ

Tour Spain without having to leave SW11 - with tapas, aperitivo and more on offer. Inside this Spanish restaurant, there’s a mix of counter dining and bar space and the outside river facing terrace is a real boon.

4 Arches Ln, Nine Elms, London SW11 8AB

Vivek Singh’s bright and breezy chain fuses Indian spicing with the best of British produce. So the Kentish saddle of lamb comes with keema saag and mussels are served with a in tomato curry leaf broth.

113 S Lambeth Rd, London SW8 1UZ

At the heart of Little Portugal, Estrela is a place to come to, to enjoy grilled sardines, Portuguese wines and even Portuguese football on the TV.

Embassy Gardens, 2 New Union Square, Nine Elms, London SW11 7AX

With a spa, hairdressers and beauty salon, the cafe here follows the same ethos of wellbeing with a plant-forward menu and list of organic wines on offer. Vegan, flexitarian, gluten-free and dairy-free diets are all catered for.

Riverlight Quay, 2 Nine Elms Ln, London SW11 8AW

Gul Vaswani's vision of promoting Rajasthani culture in India has made its way to London where the menu here celebrates the food of Rajasthan as well as roaming the subcontinent. It's quite spectacular looking too.

7 New Union Square Embassy Gardens, Nine Elms, London SW11 7DN

Bringing Aussie beach vibes to South West London, this cafe serves up excellent coffee, brunches and a regularly changing menu with wine and beers in the evening.

395 Coldharbour Ln, Brixton, London SW9 8LQ

Franzina Trattoria began its life in a shipping container in Pop Brixton. This husband and wife team then found themselves a permanent spot a mere stone’s throw away from their original home. Passionate about food from their hometown Palermo, this restaurant takes you through Sicily’s culinary traditional dishes and more - try their panelle, arancini and sfincione. Finish with cannoli or their Sicilian doughnuts with cinnamon, fresh ricotta cream and chocolate.

4 The Polygon, Clapham, London SW4 0JG

Adam Byatt's Clapham restaurant is a super neighbourhood restaurant that's also well worth crossing town for. They say their food is seasonal and inspirational, countless loyal customers agree.

13 Stoney St, London SE1 9AD

BAO has opened their third restaurant in Borough and this time, they're promising something a little different. There are the same bao buns you've loved, but more dishes as well as downstairs karaoke.

36 Brixton Water Lane, London, SW2 1PE

Named after the lesser known coastal area of Tuscany, a wife and husband duo opened this rustic Italian neighbourhood restaurant in 2019. Its interior is light and stylish and the place focuses on simple and seasonal regional specialities with fresh pasta and gnocchi made daily and meat and fish cooked on a charcoal grill. The wine lists boasts many that have not been represented in the UK before.

Brixton Village Market,Granville Arcade, Unit 19 Coldharbour Ln, Brixton, London SW9 8PR

This Taiwanese restaurant moved into Brixton Village Market back in 2018, specialising in BAO and Asian BBQ food. Lots of small and sharing dishes are the vibe here - BBQ chicken wings and Jerusalem artichoke chopsticks with truffle ponzu, and baos aplenty, including tofu and kimchee, pork belly with peanut powder, shitake mushroom with yuzu.

336 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9 8QH

A totally unique cocktail bar and restaurant, this offers some truly creative and mind-blowing cocktails. A Bloody Mary arrives as a clear drink (they make their own clarified tomato juice), and many others come with a taste-enhancing accompaniment while other drinks are presented with smoke, fizz, or have flashing icecubes. The kitchen has changing residencies, currently Donnelley’s, where you can experience an eclectic range of dishes with influences from all corners of the globe.

3 Atlantic Rd, Brixton, London SW9 8HX

Not so much of a restaurant as a take-out with the option to sit in, this is the flagship premises of the fried chicken chain. Perch on the high stools and watch the bustle of Brixton through the glass arch as you choose from six different burger options, including garlic butter mayo fried chicken with parmesan and pickles. There is a vegan option, and sides include vegan dirty tater tots with “bacon” bits and ranch sauce.

Unit 39, Brixton Village, Coldharbour Ln, Brixton, London SW9 8PS

Okan has three outposts in total, and with two of these in SW9 Brixton folk feel rather spoilt. The locations feel different in atmosphere and serve different dishes, so it's worth checking both out. Head to Brixton Market for Osaka-influenced cooking with sizzling hot plates of teppanyaki, omuyaki soba or okonomiyaki. Round the corner is their Coldharbour Lane site, where the fare is Izakaya style tapas with mum’s ramen and donburi in a calmer setting.

426 Coldharbour Ln, Brixton, London SW9 8LF

Fun, bright, and a bit bonkers, this restaurant is the brainchild of Tim Anderson - the youngest ever winner of Masterchef back in 2011. Nanban means “southern barbarian” and Tim’s cooking style is to mash up Japanese soul food with international flavours from Brixton Market. Ramens all come with a twist, like the lazy goat ramen topped with Scotch bonnet-pickled bamboo shoots. Other dishes include Japanese inspired burgers.

58D Atlantic Rd, Brixton, London SW9 8PY

A hidden gem, and one for dedicated sushi lovers, this 6 seater set up specialises in Yoroppa-Mae style Sushi Omakase. There is no menu, the chef serves up to 18 inventive courses with the freshest fish he can source that day. The chef graduated from Tokyo Sushi Academy and the restaurant focuses on Japanese techniques while also taking influence from his Colombian and Thai heritage. An intimate and unique experience.

17 Electric Ave, Brixton, London SW9 8JP

The character of Brixton comes from the diversity of long-standing independent businesses and Caribbean community, and this Jamaican restaurant offers staple Caribbean food that many locals will queue for. The no-frills site on Electric Avenue cooks up salt fish, callaloo, chicken and beef patties, dumplings and more. They also bake fresh Jamaican hardo bread on site daily and there is seating on two floors if you want to take your time.

Granville Arcade, Brixton Village, Coldharbour Ln, London SW9 8PR

Can’t afford a flight to the Caribbean? Close your eyes, take in the reggae vibes, order a rum Ting and you are halfway to being there at this laid back, well-known corner spot in Brixton Village Market. Food is unfussy, delicious and flavourful with the home made chilli sauces packing a punch. Local owner Brian hails from Trinidad and gives credit to his grandma for inspiring delicious dishes such as codfish fritters, reggae wings slathered in sticky chutney, rotis and a banging jerk chicken.

Brixton Village, Unit 94-95 Coldharbour Ln, Brixton, London SW9 8PR

Well known within the South American community, this Colombian restaurant often has a queue outside its doors. Located on the Coldharbour Lane Village entrance, this simply furnished space offers a cosy setting with a largely meat based menu. Known for substantial portions, often served with a drink and banana on the side, diners can choose their famous hen soup, empanadas, beef in creole sauce or frijoles with rice and fried plantain. The food is traditional, rustic, and reasonably priced.

244 Brixton Rd, London SW9 6AH

A crisp, refreshing beer with an Indian is a fine thing and Booma’s USP is to match its selection of craft beers, ales, stouts and ciders to the dishes you choose on the menu. Think wine pairing but with beers. Booma offers 1/3 and 2/3 pint options so that you aren’t limited to what you can taste and match to your dinner. The staff are super knowledgeable, helping to choose what’s right for you.

326 Coldharbour Ln, Brixton, London SW9 8QH

This family-run business opened its second location on Coldharbour Lane, bringing authentic Vietnamese cuisine inspired by their grandmother's cooking.

Traditional dishes such as fragrant summer rolls, crispy mini Banh Khot prawn pancakes and lemongrass beef in betel leaves are great for sharing, while there are lots of heartier larger dishes and a great vegetarian offering too. Make sure to try the Bhan Mi (Vietnamese sandwich) on their weekend menu.

126 Acre Ln, Brixton, London SW2 5RJ

Beb's is a bring your own, café-style Indian restaurant specialising in Goanese food. Generous portions and a wider variety of well known Indian dishes are also available, making it a staple for many locals. Green masala curry lamb, a fragrant dish with spinach, or xacuti chicken cooked with coconut, star anise and nutmeg draw the regulars back in time and time again.

374 Coldharbour Ln, Brixton, London SW9 8PL

This all-day bistro is set in a former Edwardian laundry - stylish and grown up with a New York feel to it. The terrace will be fantastic in the summer as few places offer outside drinking and dining in this area. Food is seasonal, with a chalk board noting daily sharing dishes. With the same owners as the old Specialist Cellars that used to be in Pop Brixton, a lot of time has been spent on the drinks menu, with wine also available to take out.

3-4, 12-16 Blenheim Grove, London SE15 4QL

The second restaurant by Nicholas Balfe of Brixton’s Salon, Levan opened in November 2018 with an emphasis on sustainability and seasonality. The effortlessly cool interior features an open kitchen serving food European-inspired food with the odd nod to East Asia, all matched with natural wines. Their house-cured sardines are a firm favourite, as are the Comte fries.

32 Southwark Street, London SE1 1TU

Successfully luring Londoners away from Nando's, this Algarvian restaurant is cooking its chicken on a wood fired grill. Oh, and there's also a secret bar worth checking out.

151 Lordship Lane London, SE22 8HX

Best known for their fishmongers in Islington, South Kensington and East Dulwich, this is a restaurant adjacent to their East Dulwich operation. Expect a seafood menu that makes the most of that location.

41-43 Atlantic Road, London SW9 8JL

Another Brixton success story (it started at Pop Brixton), locals were thrilled that they chose to open a prime site near its humble origins. it takes up two arches - the first arch offering a space to sit at the bar, have a snack or wait for a table in the second arch. There's a seasonal, ever-changing Indian inspired menu, including a wide range of vegetarian dishes alongside their famous Keralan fried chicken.

119 Consort Road, London SE15 3RU

This cosy pan-Balkan restaurant serves delicious plates of food from this otherwise relatively under-represented part of the world. There’s always a buzz here, with tables packed in tight for a taste of the daily-changing menu of dishes that take you on a journey. Thankfully, they often revisit some of their favourites that have achieved near-cult status, such as their courgette fritters and their grilled quail.

95A Rye Ln, London SE15 4ST

This former multi-storey car park plays host to everything from yoga studios to clothes retailers but its 6th floor is about the food. Here you'll find a number of residencies that change every so often. At the time of writing, these include 081 pizza, Indian food from Boxwallah and West African cuisine from Plantain Kitchen.

105 Peckham High St, Peckham, London SE15 5RS

One of the oldest pie & mash shops in London, this branch of the Manze empire opened in 1927. Still in the original family’s hands, it’s renowned for its pies, mashed potato and liquor, as well as their jellied or stewed eels. Walking inside feels like stepping back in time with chilli vinegar on the table and white-clothed friendly staff.