BERMONDSEY

Once a hive of industry in the 19th century (with large swathes of the area getting bombed in the Blitz and then subsequently sitting derelict in the 60s) Bermondsey has now become a buzzing little ‘hood and all those old wharves and warehouses have been converted into “industrial chic” flats and offices. As well as evolving into a hub for contemporary culture – White Cube and the Fashion and Textile Museum are just minutes away from each other – Bermondsey is home to some great places to eat from Robin Gill’s Bermondsey Larder to Jose Pizarro’s tapas bar to the French double act of Casse-Croute and Pique-Nique. And then there’s Maltby Street Market; it may not be the biggest food market in South London but it defo delivers when it comes to the goods.

If you don’t come to Bermondsey for the food, then you come for the booze. The Bermondsey Beer Mile, a must for any self-respecting beer lover, is a craft beer crawl that spans roughly a mile and a half and around 16 different breweries and taprooms including Partizan, Fourpure and The Kernel (you can even include stops at the area’s gin distilleries if you’re feeling particularly thirsty/hardcore). Do it on a Saturday as that’s when all the taprooms are open and remember to stay hydrated!

FOURPURE

Depending on which direction you go in, an escapade along the infamous Bermondsey Beer Mile either starts or ends in Fourpure’s taproom. And both options are pretty darn great – especially if you sling one of Oh My Dog!’s hotdogs down your neck while you’re there. We’d pair them with Fourpure’s juicy Easy Peeler citrus session IPA, a seriously easy drinker that saw us through summer in the park. But no matter what you fancy you’re well-catered for here, from the sturdy Basecamp pilsner to the dark and flavourful Last Train oatmeal stout. For something a bit more left-field, look to Fourpure’s Pioneer beers, which are a bit more experimental. Our favourite is the Peach State peach sour, made with 200kg of surplus bread from fellow brewery Toast. So the more you drink, the more food you’re saving from waste. We’ll take two.

THE KERNEL

Without The Kernel, the Bermondsey Beer Mile wouldn’t be a thing. This is the OG brewery, the Godfather of London’s craft beer scene, and the maker of single-batch pale ale as well as old school London Porters. Kernel’s super-low-abv Table Beer is one of their most popular and rightly so, but their Pils Pacifica and Foeder Beer slide down nicely too. On top of that, there’s a swanky two-level taproom just a few doors down from the brewery, so if you’re wandering down South, this is where you wanna stop for a bev or two.

PARTIZAN

This Bermondsey-based micro-brewery are all about diversity, identity and heritage (that’s why they called themselves Partizan) and they produce funky flavours inspired by culture and community. The Passionberry Citra Sour is a fusion of Ethiopian passion berries and Citra hops which is slowly fermented for a delicate but punchy pint. The Lemongrass Saison is as refreshing as they come, but our hero of them all is their hearty pale ale. It’s sessionable and moreish, and the perfect brew to drink at their taproom on Saturdays.

WATCHHOUSE

WatchHouse have set the standards for modern coffee, making it one of our fave places to enjoy a brew in town. There’s six different houses all serving the speciality stuff and good food, but we love the OG Bermondsey branch.

FLOUR & GRAPE

If you want your pasta fast-a and can’t wait in the queue for Padella, say hello to Flour & Grape, located not too far away on Bermondsey Street. There’s nine pasta dishes on offer and a handful of starters and desserts, with the most expensive dish topping out at £14.50. The tortelloni packed with roast pork shoulder and sage butter kicks ass and there’s also a decent pappardelle with beef shin and a cacio e pepe bucatini.

NEAL'S YARD DAIRY

17 Short's Gardens, London WC2H 9AT

A trip to a Neal’s Yard shop is heaven for fromage-ophiles – and yes, that is the technical term. Neal’s Yard is mainly all about British cheese, but you’ll find the odd French or Italian variety on offer, too. The company kicked things off in Covent Garden – in Neal’s Yard, natch – but went on to set up two more shops, one in Bermondsey and one in Borough Market, so all your cheese needs will be catered for. And it’s all about the experience: go in to buy one cheese but allow yourself time to linger as the cheesemongers – all dressed in wellies, white coats and hairnets – can talk you through your decision, cutting you little slivers to nibble as you go. That’s lunch sorted, then.

40 MALTBY STREET

40 Maltby St, London SE1 3PA

Owned by Gergovie Wines, 40 Maltby Street stocks a range of low-intervention wines, mainly from France, Italy and Slovenia, which you can buy to take home or to drink in. And you’ll want to drink in because the kitchen at 40 Maltby Street turns out some great grub, with the same ethos that’s applied to the wine. The European-influenced menu changes regularly with dishes like salsify fritters with aioli, pork terrine with pickled prunes and plaice with carrots and crab butter sauce appearing in the past.

JOSE TAPAS BAR

This is the original spot from one of London’s best, and nicest, chefs – José Pizarro. José Tapas Bar is all about simple dishes made with great produce and you can’t go wrong with a plate of Iberico ham and a glass of sherry to kick things off. From there, we can highly recommend the pan con tomate; croquettes filled with rich squid ink and prawn; tortilla; and beautiful boquerones, practically swimming in olive oil, garlic and parsley. There’s also larger plates such as thin slivers of Iberico pork neck, cooked medium rare and served simply with a sprinkle of salt and a few red peppers, and baked vegetables in tomato sauce, topped with a fried egg and goat’s cheese. And a cheeky side of patatas bravas never goes amiss too.

ST. JOHN BAKERY

3 Neal's Yard, London WC2H 9DP

As well as a perm home in Neal’s Yard, there’s a St. JOHN Bakery arch in Bermondsey too. Both sling out Eccles cakes, sourdough bread, rye loaves, raisin loves, those MEGA doughnuts and a range of other tasty pastry treats, and you can also pick up some of that St John wine too. Brownies and vino…don’t mind if we do.

MALTBY STREET MARKET

Nestled under some railway arches in Bermondsey, Maltby Street Market might not be the biggest but it definitely delivers when it comes to the food. There’s jamon from Bar Tozino, arepas from La Pepia, steak & chips from The Beefsteaks, dumplings from Gyoza Guys, freshly baked doughnuts from St John Bakery and fruit & veg from Taylors of Maltby. And don’t forget the bevvie from Little Bird Gin.

BERMONDSEY LARDER

We were all very sad to hear in 2020 that The Dairy in Clapham was closing but that only lasted a week as Robin Gill moved the restaurant to the Bermonds Locke Hotel (and also changed the name to Bermondsey Larder). We’re not quite sure what went on with the name but suffice to say, it doesn’t really matter, as Robin’s food is always brilliant, whatever the restaurant’s called. The room itself maybe isn’t the best designed restaurant around, feeling more like a cafe than a proper restaurant, but what the surroundings lack in cosiness, the food more than makes up for with dishes like Dexter rump beef tartare with shallot & thyme buttermilk, smoked eel brandade tartlet, whole mackerel with clams, mussels & samphire, toasted bread with fig jam & melted truffled Baron Bigod, and malt barley choux bun with chocolate salted caramel. There’s a very solid list of natural wines on offer too and staff are very knowledgeable about what’s on offer – the team often make visits to visit producers so they really know their stuff.

FASHION AND TEXTILE MUSEUM

Founded by Dame Zandra Rhodes, the Fashion and Textile Museum is the only museum in the UK dedicated to contemporary fashion and textile design, so if you’re into your clothes this place is a must-visit. The collection features pieces from 1947 up to the present, including designs by the likes of Christian Dior, Balenciaga, Biba, Mary Quant and Vivienne Westwood, and the museum has held exhibitions on everything from Peruvian textiles to Orla Kiely to t-shirts.

CASSE-CROUTE

For a taste of rustic French cooking you don’t have to cross the Channel, just the Thames (and that’s only if you’re not already in South London) to get to Casse-Croûte in Bermondsey. It’s classic bistro vibes, including checked tablecloths and a menu du jour, in French, chalked up on a blackboard. Expect dishes like rabbit with mustard, bavette with green beans & bernaise sauce, sole meuniere, vanilla mille-feuille and tart au citron, and French (what else?) wine to wash it all down with.

PIQUE-NIQUE

Pique-Nique is from the same people behind Casse-Croute and it’s literally just up the road, housed in an old repurposed kiosk on the edge of Tanner Street Park. Like its big sister, Pique-Nique serves up simple and rustic French fare but here it’s split into small plates and sharing dishes, like langoustine bisque and mushroom vol-au-vent, and chateaubriand with dauphinoise potatoes and bar en croute.

WHITE CUBE

The contemporary art gallery became famous for exhibiting the YBAs and since it moved to its huge Bermondsey location it’s hosted exhibitions on Tracey Emin, Cerith Wyn Evans, Damien Hirst, Antony Gormley and Sarah Morris.

OMOIDE

Omoide specialises in Shokuji, a popular Japanese meal of rice, pickles and soup, and is headed up by chef Angelo Sato. He’s gone back to his roots (he used to prep fish for takeaway bento boxes in Tokyo’s fish markets as a teen) with his signature chirashi rice bowls, which include Yuzu Salmon (with sushi rice, avo, cured cucumber ginger, goma wakame, pickles and crispy shallots), Gift From The Garden (with miso aubergine, tofu, yuzu avo salad, 5-grain sushi rice, charred broccoli, edamame, pickles and crispy sahllots), and The Humble Chicken (den dashi chicken, five-grain sushi rice, umami mushrooms, shichimi mayo, spicy beansprouts, pickles and crispy shallots). As well as the option to customise your own rice bowls, you can also get dashi with udon noodles and a ramen egg. This is a banging lunch spot in Bermondsey.

CAFE MURANO

Cafe Murano Bermondsey is Angela Hartnett’s third outpost of her Michelin-starred Murano brand and this site feels very different to those in St James and Covent Garden. It features an open kitchen front and centre with dining counters overlooking the bar, kitchen and Bermondsey St itself. The menu features some new additions as well as the much-loved classics – there’s our favourite chicken Milanese, but also the likes of guinea fowl agnolotti, hake with mussels & n’duja, and delicia pumpkin tortelli. The all-Italian wine list is pretty impressive too, championing low intervention varieties. And if you’re really not sure what to choose, you can’t go wrong with Angela’s own Rosato.

HAKATA RAMEN

If you find yourself in the mood for Japanese food and you’re down Bermondsey way, you have to head for Hakata Ramen + Bar. This restaurant serves up a range of tonkotsu and other ramen plus small plates like chicken wings, bao buns and katsu sandos, all made with premium Japanese and British ingredients. You can pair all that with Japanese craft beer, sake or whisky, and Hakata also has a vegan wine list that features predominantly organic and biodynamic bottles from small producers. There’s even a dive bar in the basement if you want to make it a late night.

PIZARRO

Just down the street from Jose Tapas Bar is Pizarro, Jose Pizarro’s second London restaurant and it’s named after his grandfather in a nod to his bar named Pizarro in Talaván. It’s not a formal spot by any means but more of a proper restaurant set-up than the tapas bar, with small plates and more substantial dishes like skate wing in adobo with burnt butter mash and Castilian leg of suckling lamb. Naturally there is a big selection of Spanish wines and sherries on offer too alongside a gin & tonic list.

BACCALA

baccalà, Bermondsey Street, London

Named after the famous Italian salt cod dish, Baccala is the creation of four friends; sommelier Fabio de Nicola (previously of Hovarda, Oblix & Zuma Istanbul), head chef Moreno Polverini (previously at Four Seasons Hotel Group at Park Lane in London), Fabio’s designer wife Ilanit Ovadya, and Elif Taner Polverini, who is married to Moreno. It’s an intimate and charming restaurant of 30 covers, with an extra 20 in their downstairs space, counter seating at the open kitchen so you can see the chefs in action, and 14 seats outside for alfresco goals. The premise is simple, Italian seafood dishes made with love using the finest locally sourced produce. Baccala’s signature dishes include roasted octopus with colonnata lard on marinated bell peppers, olives & basil; roasted aubergine salad with walnuts & Vesuvian pink tomato; the mezze maniche with mussels, courgette flower & black cuttlefish; and the salted cod with sautéed escarole & yellow datterino.  

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BERMONDSEY BOXING CLUB

Bermondsey Boxing Club is the third and largest site in The Boxing House collection, which also includes Camden Boxing Club and Rathbone Boxing Club, and brings that same boutique boxing vibe south of the river. The Club is home to a custom-built 18ft boxing ring and is kitted out with a range of Everlast punch bags and self-training equipment, so you can drop in for a solo session or take part in one of their weekly group classes like BOX!BOX!BOX!, Fighting Fit, Boxing Medley, Boxing Tactics, and Circuit Blast. The changing rooms are fully equipped wit Bjork & Berries toiletries and hair appliances, and there’s a cafe serving energy drinks, protein bars, coffees and smoothies so you can refuel after your session. Whether you’re a first-timer or a boxing pro, Bermondsey Boxing Club has everything you need to practice your technique in style.

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