With brilliant chefs heading up ventures on almost every corner, this southeast London neighbourhood has become a foodie paradise – here are the best restaurants in Bermondsey
By Abbie Schofield
Loyal Tavern
Loyal Tavern focuses on seasonal, British produce in a relaxed neighbourhood setting. Chefs Tom Cenci (former executive chef at Duck & Waffle) and Adam White (Riding House Café) have created a vibrant menu of simple, produce led-recipes full of flavour. Dishes include slow-cooked pig cheeks with fresh black pudding, buttered mash and peppercorn sauce, and a vegetarian baked celeriac with mushroom broth, parmesan and truffled breadcrumbs. Loyal Tavern is the place to catch up with friends and enjoy delicious, non-stuffy dining.
Café Murano
Angela Harnett, former protégé of Gordon Ramsay, has opened Cafe Murano, an elegant restaurant serving up classic Italian cooking. Diners can begin with antipasti dishes like octopus carpaccio and whole globe artichoke before enjoying an indulgent pasta course of gnocchi with pumpkin or seafood linguine. Mains are rich, homely meat and fish dishes like lamb neck stew and hake in tomato sauce, and of course, an Italian feast wouldn’t be complete without a sweet tiramisu to finish.
Hakata Ramen + Bar
Named after a neighbourhood in the Japanese city of Fukuoka, Hakata Ramen + Bar is the izakaya-style eatery bringing the best of informal Asian dining to southeast London. The upper level serves steaming bowls of ramen, whereas the basement bar, Izakaya, serves Japanese pub-grub in delicious style; dishes including prawn gyoza, soy garlic tebasaki and pork ribs. The extensive cocktail list includes a Tokyo negroni and a yuzu mojito as well as an impressive array of saké to accompany your meal.
Pizarro
Bermondsey is host to not one, but two of José Pizarro’s restaurants. The first is José Tapas Bar, a small, bustling venue specialising in Spanish small plates and sherry. The second is Pizarro, a full-size restaurant an olive stone’s throw away from José Tapas Bar, fit with a long communal table as well as more intimate seating for small groups. The food menu offers everything from pica-pica (nibbles) to main dishes, but everything is designed to be shared. Fish features heavily – from cod cheeks poached in beef sauce and black radish to Norweigan cod with spinach and piquillo pepper – as does the famous Ibérica ham.
Dandy
Dandy on Maltby Street, with critically-acclaimed chef Dan Wilson in the kitchen, has a frequently-changing all-day menu that prides itself on good-quality produce and warm hospitality. They also work closely with local and independent brewers to bring diners the best local beers and serve a killer brunch and Sunday lunch on weekends – we recommend the breakfast burger with drippings.
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