Having written various pieces on our personal connection with food, we thought it would be good to share with readers our favourite places to eat in London. From Chinatown to Dalston, we take you through our own recommendations.
Sammy, Editor:
Pepe’s Piri Piri, Brick Lane – 82 Brick Lane, E1 6RL
My first place is Pepe’s, the one on Brick Lane; it’s never let me down. I probably go once a week, but sometimes I’ll go more.
I’ve been begging my family to try it, but they always want to go to Nando’s! I discovered it when I came back from uni a couple of years ago, as they had one near me on Holloway Road. I went in one day with no expectations, got the chicken and rice box and thought “this is mad”.
Recommendation: I get a chicken and rice box; it’s massive, almost like 2 portions, but I’ve noticed a big price difference in different places.
Gokyuzu, Green Lanes – 26 Grand Parade, Green Lanes, N4 1LG
The second place is Gokyuzu in Green Lanes. It’s Turkish; the kebabs and chicken shish are 10/10. I’ve been going there since I was younger; there are loads of places on Green Lanes, but this is top tier.
Recommendation: They have a meat platter, it used to be like 30 pounds but it’s more expensive now. It would easily feed 5 or 6 people, with leftovers. You get a massive bowl or rice and bulgur wheat, obviously well-flavoured, and mountains of meat at the top; chicken shish, lamb shish, kofte, doner, chicken wings…it’s very good.
Hadia, Multimedia Editor:
Yasmina, Shepherd’s Bush – 18 Western Avenue, W3 7TZ
The first place that comes to mind is Yasmina, a bakery and restaurant in a very residential area. We came across it when working on the podcast; we were looking for the best mana’esh, a kind of Middle Eastern, Turkish and Armenian flatbread.
It’s so small and cosy, and it just feels like one of those places you can go and speak Arabic. The décor is very Lebanese, they play Arabic music, so it feels like it’s clearly set up for the Arab community; the food clearly reflects that. If it was closer, I’d definitely go every week.
Recommendation: They had a crazy menu; I’d recommend the flatbread but anything really.
Imad’s Syrian Kitchen, Soho – 2.14 Top Floor, Kingly Court, Carnaby Street, W1B 5PW
The second place is Imad’s, a Syrian Kitchen which is in Soho. It only opened recently, maybe last year; it’s near Carnaby Street in a place that looks like a little inside mall. I went for my birthday; it’s a good place to explore Syrian food in an accessible way, because they have authentic Syrian dishes but also with a twist, so it has a fusion element to it.
Recommendation: If you go there, you have to get the Syrian ice cream; they make it from scratch. It’s not soft serve, it’s kind of like cake, and they put candy floss over it which is really cute.
Chandni, Features Editor:
Balans No. 34, Soho – 34 Old Compton Street, W1D 4TS
It’s called Balans; there’s one in Kensington and there are 2 in Soho, but the two in Soho have very different menus. The one I like is the one that has an All-Day-Breakfast menu.
I had been to Kensington Gardens for a walk with a friend of mine, and she said: ‘let’s go to this place that I like’. I’d just moved to London, it was my first month, and I went there and thought it was so good. I’ve been about 7 or 8 times. I suddenly came across the one in Soho…every time I’m in Soho I go along!
Recommendation: You get all kinds of food there, but my eyes never went any further than eggs benedict. It’s easy to mess up an egg’s benedict; the hollandaise needs to be just perfect, and these guys do it so well. Every time I’ve eaten it it’s been for dinner!
La Tua Pasta, Borough Market – Borough Market Kitchen, Winchester Walk, SE1 9AG
The second one is called La Tua Pasta, it’s in Borough Market. It’s the very first place I went to after my quarantine when I came over, but by the time we went to the market the stalls had closed. I’ve been so many times, I’ve lost count. Sometimes I just have a craving and I go there and eat by myself. If my friends from India come, we’ll go.
Recommendation: There’s this one pasta there, the black truffe pasta…if you go there towards the end of the day, you’re never going to get it, it’s always sold out. It should be eaten with the butter and sage sauce.
Isabella, Design Editor:
Feijão do Luis, Oxford Street – 35 Oxford Street, W1D 2DT
I would definitely recommend Feijão do Luis because it’s just such a nice little place. It’s on Oxford Street, but it feels like a homely café that you can pop into, despite being on such a busy street. They do lovely snacks, all the food is quite cheap, and you can tell it’s been made fresh.
Recommendation: Although the feijoada is nice, I would definitely recommend the coxinha. The guarana as well; it’s a fizzy drink, they don’t really sell it in the UK or Europe at all. It doesn’t really taste like anything you’d know, but it’s really nice.
Humble Crumble, Borough Market, Southwark – 8 Southwark Street, SE1 1TL
The second place is in Borough Market; I came across it because usually when I travel to North or West London, I change at London Bridge. Nowadays, sometimes I’ll have half an hour to spare, so I’ll go there. It’s not just shops; it’s restaurants, stalls and fresh produce too.
Recommendation: They literally just serve bowls of apple crumble and custard. It’s really nice (I love custard); you can get all sorts on top too, toasted marshmallow for example.
Val, Picture Editor
House of Momo, Dalston – 52 Boleyn Road, N16 8JP
The first place is called House of Momo and it’s in Dalston. I went there with my friend from Manchester a few days after moving to London. We went out for a few beers, and then got hungry. It’s very close to all the bars in Dalston, which makes it a good place to go before going out or while you’re out. It’s quite a small place, and they serve momos, which are Nepalese or Tibetan dumplings; they’re quite similar to Chinese ones, but they’re a bit spicier.
The atmosphere was really nice; we had to queue a bit before getting in, and you share a table with other people. We shared a table with two other queer couples, which was great. You just order at the counter and the kitchen is open view, so you get to see the chefs cooking the food. Then they call your number, and you go collect it. I think the thing I liked the most was that it was cheap, you get to eat relatively healthy food, there are vegan and vegetarian options, everything’s very nice, and the atmosphere is fun.
Recommendation: We got a thali: a full platter of rice, dahl, breads and chutney. We got one of those each, plus some spicy dumplings.
Panella, Notting Hill – 15 Golborne Road, W10 5NY
The second place is Panella, a Sicilian restaurant in Notting Hill. I was craving some caponata, a traditional Sicilian dish made of fried aubergines in a sour-ish tomato, olives and capers sauce. It’s usually eaten cold with some type of bread or crostini. It would be cheap to make at home, but it’s a lot of ingredients. My friend and I just googled “best Sicilian restaurant in London”, but we googled it in Italian, so that we’d get an authentic place. My friend is Sicilian, so she was the judge, really.
It’s a very homely place; it’s owned by a lovely couple, and the chef personally serves you the food. It wasn’t busy on that day, so the chef came to chat with us. I’m actually vegan, so I was asking if they could make some dishes without cheese; Italian chefs can sometimes be like “no, that’s not the way we do it”, but they were very accommodating. And everything was delicious.
Recommendation: We had panelle, Sicilian chickpea fritters. We had that with caponata and we also had a very nice espresso at the end.
Amarachi, Managing Editor :
Cummin Up Caribbean, New Cross – 265e New Cross Road, SE14 6AR
My first recommendation would be a place called Cummin Up. It’s on New Cross Road; I basically go there religiously. I’ve been so much that I almost got sick of the food, so I had to take a break at one point and come back to it! Every time I go there there’s a really friendly host who comes up to me and gives me a hug, she’s so sweet!
Recommendation: You can get a plate of jerk fried rice or chicken fried rice for £2.50, so it’s really cheap, really quick and easy.
Blue Anchor Fish & Chips, Bermondsey – 49 Blue Anchor Lane, SE16 3UL
My other place is Blue Anchor fish and chips, in Bermondsey. You can go there and get a box of fish and chips for £7; you can only pay in cash! It’s kind of nice; I go there so often that I’ve just become a regular; it’s nice to have someone asking how your week is going, things like that.
Recommendation: Classic fish and chips!
Chris, Sub-Editor
Wong Kei, Chinatown – 41-43 Wardour Street, W1D 6PY
Apparently once known as “the rudest restaurant in London”, Wong Kei is one of the largest Chinese restaurants in the UK, with a seating capacity of 500. The restaurant has ditched its reputation for rudeness, though a no-nonsense, pragmatic attitude remains amongst staff (probably fair enough due to having to deal with so many clueless Brits and tourists).
I only really discovered this place as a good friend always goes with his family, and so he took me there for the first time when we were at school. We’ve been together a few times as its influence has extended into our friend group. The food is typical of what we in the UK expect from Chinese food, but is done really well and for a good price, all while in a relaxed environment.
Recommendation: Beef Noodle Soft and any Duck
Made in Italy, Battersea – 59 Northcote Road, SW11 1NP
A fairly basic ‘favourite’ for a list such as this, but if you ever go, you’ll realise why. Service is good, they have a wide-ranging menu, they cater to allergens and they have outdoor seating, so they have the basics covered.
In truth, the menu and the food itself are again similar to what most UK people would expect when they go to an Italian restaurant. I’d hesitate to say it’s ‘authentic Italian’ without being Italian myself, but the twenty-three pizza offerings and wide range of antipasti certainly give an authentic feel.
Recommendation: Burrata is always nice if you can overlook its often-ridiculous price; they’re fairly cheap here. Otherwise, it has to be pizza; try the Carbonara pizza for something a little different.