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 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 a number of different breweries and taprooms (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!
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.
WatchHouse have set the standards for modern coffee, making it one of our fave places to enjoy a brew in town. Born in Bermondsey (inside a former shelter, or watch house, for men guarding the graveyard of St Mary Magdalen’s Church) the biz has now several houses across London, plus a roastery on Maltby Street, all serving the speciality stuff. Many of them do food too, including baked goods, eggs, pancakes and other brunch dishes.
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.
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.
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.
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.
There is something special about dining in Bermondsey – almost like you’ve wandered onto a movie set, even though you’re only a few steps from the rush of central London. Lolo is one of three Jose Pizarro restaurants on Bermondsey Street, and Jose’s first all-day dining spot, serving weekend brunch too. We’d say Lolo is a blend between neighbouring sites Jose and Pizarro – it’s got the elevated dining experience and bigger plates of Pizarro, along with some standout tapas favourites of Jose. If you’re an art aficionado, there are multiple iconic artworks from big-name artists hung amongst you, like Tracy Emin, Norman Ackroyd and Sam Emming, to name a few. Their new seasonal menu is a work of art too, with hearty Spanish dishes like a melt-in-your-mouth presa with confit red peppers, and a roasted squash with pisto and pickled walnuts. All this washed down with a glass (or bottle) of their house Cava, and you’re in for a Spanish treat.
The St. JOHN Bakery arch in Bermondsey slings 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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Grocery shopping becomes a pleasure rather than a chore at this cute shop on Bermondsey Street. As well as having nostalgic charm, Giddy Grocer is filled with some of the finest artisan produce from around Britain, so you can shop from seasonal fruit and veg, fresh meat and fish, deli items, breads, pastries, wines and more. There are also cakes and other goods on the counter that are made in-house using any produce that’s nearing the end of its life.
Bermondsey Antique Market has been running for over 75 years, and though it’s changed a bit over that time (it now starts at 7am every Friday rather than 4am like it did in the sixties), it’s still one of the best antiques markets in the capital, if not the country. You can find a mix of veteran traders and antique shop owners alongside a younger generation of sellers, and with many of the stall holders running antique businesses outside of London, there’s always an influx of interesting items to browse.
The section of railway arches around Spa Terminus has become a hub for food and drink businesses to run their wholesale and distribution operations from. Open during the week for wholesale trade, many of the producers open up to the public on Fridays and Saturdays so you can buy direct from them. And with the likes of the Fresh Pasta Company, Maltby & Greek, Little Bread Pedlar, The Kernel, Ice Cream Union, Natoora, Poon’s, Neal’s Yard Dairy, London Smoke & Cure and Mons Cheesemongers there, you won’t be short of delish produce to pick up.
