The Best Restaurants & Bars In Peckham
Levan
Levan is an all-day bar and dining space in Peckham with a strong ‘natural’ wine focus. The kitchen serves seasonal and inventive food in a relaxed setting: dish highlights include beef tartare with miso, togarashi and kale; pollock crudo with kumquat, fermented chilli and dill; and cow’s curd agnolotti with salsify and monk’s beard. With an open kitchen, counter seating and a cosy dining room, the food, drinks and service have a distinctly contemporary European feel – especially in the summer months.
12-16 Blenheim Grove, Peckham, SE15 4QL
Visit LevanLondon.co.uk
Bánh Bánh
Bánh Bánh serves a range of Vietnamese favourites, from BBQ beef in betel leaves to sticky chicken wings and bánh khot pancakes (mini turmeric and coconut pancakes with tiger prawns and shrimp), all inspired by the owners' grandmother’s recipe book from when she worked as a chef in Saigon in the 1940s. Its menu has a strong Viet/French influence and a wide selection of vegan dishes. Standout plates include the eggs bò né, a classic Vietnamese version of steak and eggs with beef steak, pâté, grilled tomato and a fried egg, served with a warm baguette.
46 Peckham Rye, Peckham, SE15 4JR
Visit BanhBanh.com
Kudu
With simple, pared-back interiors and an intriguing menu of seasonal South African delights, Kudu comes wrapped up in bags of style. Roughly plastered walls dressed up in dusky pinks and teal velvet seating provide the perfect backdrop to devour plates of potjie (cooked in a small cast iron pot) and braai (barbecued or roasted meat), with unusual combinations on the menu including pig’s head tortellini with mushroom and hay broth; chicken liver parfait with leek ash cracker; and braai lamb neck served with smoked yoghurt, lettuce and Brussels tops.
119 Queens Road, Peckham, SE15 2EZ
Visit Kudu-Restaurant.com
The Begging Bowl
The Begging Bowl is a popular Thai restaurant in Peckham. The space – decked out in colourful wood and plenty of plants – is the perfect backdrop for sampling the kitchen’s authentic take on Thai cuisine. Highlights from the menu include stir-fried aubergine with fermented yellow bean and Thai basil; seabass soup with red turmeric and ginger; and pineapple with dried prawns, kanom jin noodles and fish balls. Make sure to order the condensed milk ice-cream.
168 Bellenden Road, Peckham, SE15 4BW
Visit TheBeggingBowl.co.uk
Forza Win
Forza Win was started life as a pop-up in 2012. It began as a woodfired pizzeria on a rooftop and went through several seasons and locations, always serving seasonal Italian food made to share. Its first permanent restaurant is located in Peckham and is open Tuesday-Sunday. The team serves Italian wines, beer and cocktails, alongside exceptional Italian dishes such as mozzarella with purple sprouting broccoli and anchovy; and panna cotta with Yorkshire rhubarb. Also, keep an eye out for Forza Wine, the team’s newer Peckham Rye spot, which serves small plates and snacks.
133 Copeland Road, Peckham, SE15 3SN
Visit ForzaWin.com
Coal Rooms
Within the former Peckham Rye train station ticket office, this much-hyped restaurant is perfect for a girls’ dinner. A refined yet relaxed bar, restaurant and café, Coal Rooms offers a gutsy menu of meat and fish cooked over a charcoal grill and oven. Think dry-aged duck breasts, Mangalitsa cowboy steaks, roasted cod heads and 40 day-aged Dexter sirloin and rib. An imaginative list of house sauces accompanies the mains, including red-eye gravy, crab apple jelly, jerk caramel and greengage and mead ketchup.
11a Station Way, Peckham, SE15 4RX
Visit CoalRoomsPeckham.com
Smokey Kudu, Peckham
Smokey Kudu is a small neighbourhood cocktail bar located under the arches by Queens Road station in Peckham. It is the first standalone bar from Amy Corbin and Patrick Williams and is a short walk away from their hit restaurant Kudu. The elegant, 37-cover drinking den features a central horseshoe-shaped bar topped with pink marble and a giant glass chandelier, which gives the room a luxe feel. The drinks list subtly draws on Patrick’s native South Africa with 15 cocktails (including non-alcoholic drinks) and fans of Kudu restaurant will be happy to see the ‘Smokey Kudu’ (made with Bain’s South-African whisky, rosehip, wormwood and smoke) has also made it onto the list here.
Arch 133 Queens Road, Peckham, SE15 2ND
Visit KuduCollective.com
Larry’s
The team behind Salon and Levan have just launched Larry's in Peckham. Taking cues from the corner bars, diners and cafes of New York, Larry's is open all day, kicking off with coffee and pastries, serving deli-style sandwiches for lunch and offering a concise menu of sharing plates for dinner. Larry’s is named for 70s dance music pioneer and DJ Larry Levan, and will stay open late into the night, playing music from its vintage sound system while guests settle in for dinner. Evening dishes are inspired by NYC’s diverse dinner scene: think devilled crab, brown crab mayo, pickled fennel and bruschetta; clams with cabbage and XO chilli sauce; and pig’s head ragù with pappardelle and Szechuan pepper.
12-16 Blenheim Grove, Peckham, SE15 4QL
Visit LarrysPeckham.co.uk
Peckham Cellars
Peckham Cellars is a neighbourhood wine bar, shop and restaurant featuring a seasonal and regularly changing menu and wine list. In the restaurant, diners can order small and large plates made with produce sourced from nearby suppliers Flock & Herd and London Smoke & Cure. Dishes include eel, ‘nduja and pickled green tomatoes; carrot and feta borek with red onion salsa; and Ironbark pumpkin with Roscoff onions and hazelnuts. Every Sunday the team serves its spin on a Sunday lunch, a family-style set menu with sides and optional desserts such as sticky toffee pudding or babka with crème fraiche. On any given night, guests will be treated to soundtrack of soul, disco, R’n’B, jazz and hip-hop, with the music turned up a notch on weekend evenings when the bar is open until 1am.
125 Queens Road, Peckham, SE15 2ND
Visit PeckhamCellars.co.uk
Artusi
Opened in Peckham in 2014, Artusi is an Italian-inspired neighbourhood restaurant. The simple menu, which sees changes throughout the week, reflects the best possible seasonal produce available, and always features pasta made that day. The kitchen sources its produce from select suppliers and London markets, and wine comes from a range of Italian regions. For groups of eight or more, there’s a delicious family-style sharing menu, plus there’s large table in front of the open kitchen which seats up to 18 people, where the team serves a selection of dishes from the day’s menu. Here, feasts such as shin of veal or suckling pig can be prepared with a little notice.
161 Bellenden Road, Peckham, SE15 4DH
Visit Artusi.co.uk
Gosnells
London’s only meadery has launched a honey-focused bar – the perfect spot to show off its wares. Located in the old ticket office of Peckham Rye station, Gosnells has partnered with acclaimed restaurant Coal Rooms (located below) to create a selection of seasonal small plates to complement the drinks. The space focuses on Gosnells’ ferments, including the ‘original’ and ‘vintage’ meads, alongside a roster of experimental meads including pink hibiscus, salted, hopped, barrel-aged, gooseberry and non-alcoholic. Owner Tom Gosnell also uses this spot for a variety of honey and bee-based activities, including mead tastings and mead-paired suppers. We like the sound of the weekly tours of the meadery, held every Saturday at 1pm, which include a tasting flight back at the bar.
11a Station Way, Peckham, SE15 4RX
Visit Gosnells.co.uk
Pedler
Pedler is a vibrant neighbourhood eatery, set up by a team of Peckham natives. Offering a relaxed environment to enjoy brunch, lunch and dinner, the kitchen works with seasonal ingredients, guaranteeing quality and flavour for a daily changing menu: picture pan-fried swordfish with chimichurri and a bacon crisp; sweetcorn fritters with chipotle sour cream and avocado; and ‘frizzle chicken’ with spiced cheesy grits and parmesan. A distinctive wine list and impressive array of Little Bird Gin cocktails are also on offer, and the team can create food pairings to accompany the drinks list.
58 Peckham Rye, Peckham, SE15 4JR
Visit PedlerPeckhamRye.com
Frank’s Café
Frank’s Cafe was opened in 2009 by bartender Frank Boxer and chef Michael Davies. Set to relaunch in May for its 12th year – the rooftop venue closes in the winter months – Frank’s provides drinks for thousands of visitors each summer. The restaurant is open every day all summer long, which includes a popular brunch service on the weekends from 11am until 3pm. Children and dogs are welcome at any time and visitors are welcome to bring blankets if required.
95a Rye Lane, Peckham, SE15 4ST; opens 30th May
Made of Dough
In 2014, Made of Dough took its travelling pizzeria to Broadway Market. Since then, it’s won multiple awards for its pizza, opened a permanent pizzeria in Peckham and launched a number of pizza kiosks around London. Hits on the menu include the ‘Truffle’ (portobello mushrooms, white alba truffle oil, mozzarella, parmesan and thyme); ‘Spicy Lamb Sausage’ (Flock & Herd lamb sausage, house tomato sauce, cavolo nero, red onion, rosemary and mozzarella); and ‘Bloody Vegan’ (house tomato sauce, vegan cheese, kalamata olives, piquillo peppers & portobello mushrooms).
182 Bellenden Road, Peckham, SE15 4BW
Visit MadeOfDough.co.uk
Miss Tapas
Miss Tapas, aka Blanca Rowe, arrived in England in 2010 as an au pair. Missing the food of her home country, in 2013 Blanca started importing the finest jamón Seville had to offer, before opening her brick-lined restaurant Miss Tapas in Peckham. All products on offer are from Spain and Peckham: meat comes from Flock & Herd and beers come from Peckham Brewery. Expect to sample a selection of authentic Spanish classics such as padrón peppers; quail egg and chorizo; slow-cooked ox cheek; and chocolate and sherry cake.
46 Choumert Road, Peckham, SE15 4SE
Visit MissTapas.com
Slow Richie’s
Slow Richie’s is a Peckham-based street-food kitchen and condiments business run by brothers Richie and Alex Calver. You’ll find Slow Richie’s Hog Kitchen at Brick Brewery’s Tap Room, where the pair serves food packed with flavour and heat. We like the sound of the ‘Classic Hog’ (slow-roasted pork, Slow Richie’s Chilli Apple Sauce and crackling) and ‘The Beetroot’ (marinated raw candied beetroot, grilled goat’s cheese and homemade roasted tomato chutney.)
Blenheim Grove, Peckham Rye, SE15 4QL
Visit SlowRichies.com
Two Hundred Rye Lane
Two Hundred Rye Lane is a cocktail bar and small plates restaurant on Rye Lane, Peckham. The sister bar to Seven and Three Eight Four in in Brixton, here the team serves brunch every day from 10am. A boozy brunch package includes bellini on arrival, any brunch dish with two glasses of prosecco and an espresso martini to finish – all for £25. Elsewhere, happy hour runs from Monday to Thursday, when all cocktails are £5 until 8pm. Come the summer, its beer and cocktail garden is rightfully heaving.
200 Rye Lane, Peckham, SE15 4NF
Visit TwoHundredRyeLane.com
INSPIRATION CREDITS: ClaireMenary.com
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