London Bridge foodie guide

We sent our pro reviewer KS Tong to try it out, here are his thoughts: "The menu at Oma begins with a sneaky hero in the form of the wood-fired laffa flatbreads and açma verde (akin to a bagel twisted with wild garlic). These are made on-site in the basement bakery with wild-farmed British grains under the direction of Eyal Schwartz (the former head baker at cult favourite bakery E5 Bakehouse) to go with a selection of house spreads, including a salt cod XO labneh that was pure heaven. I could’ve easily just stopped here, via a few samples from the 23-page-strong wine list featuring 450-plus predominantly Greek producers, and left content. But to miss the crudo menu would be criminal (the name Oma draws from the Greek word for ‘raw’ after all) – and yellowfin tuna with zesty clementine ponzu and crispy garlic certainly delivered. Small plates of lobster bisque börek and spanakopita gratin, and skewers of dry-aged Cornish lamb chop (from renowned high-quality, high-welfare supplier The Cornwall Project) were a sensory slam dunk, each thoughtfully curated and purposefully executed. But the real centrepieces are the bigger clay pots, and the oxtail giouvetsi served with bone marrow and beef fat pangrattato was a worthy dish – rich, heavy and a striking contrast to the rest of the menu, which is much fresher and lighter. It’s the perfect dish to set you up for dessert, where the sticky date pudding is not to be missed and pairs nicely with an Oma negroni." oma.london

Lolo, Bermondsey

olive favourite José Pizarro has opened an all-dayer next to his tiny tapas bar José on Bermondsey Street, adding a few British and French elements to the menu. Breakfast on baked eggs with chorizo, croissants or kouign-amann. Snack on devilled eggs with anchovy, ham and cheese bikinis (bite-size sandwiches) with a cava, albariño or sherry, or try more substantial British cheeseboard or pork stew with mash. The room is warm and welcoming in pink tones, and with a stunning British art including pieces by Tracey Emin and Norman Ackroyd. josepizarro.com

AGORA, Borough Market

Agora means 'market' in Greek, which reflects the casual, buzzy style of David Carter's ground-floor restaurant below his hot opening OMA. Punters can soak up Borough Market’s buzz at window perches or sit inside the contemporary space that offers a layer of Greek taverna warmth thanks to the handmade rotisserie’s open flames.

Order a frozen margarita or paloma pepped up with lemongrass syrup while perusing the Mediterranean food menu. Flame-grilled bread, brushed with garlic butter, is perfect dipping material for fermented chilli erzu-topped tahini and silky hummus laden with hot crisp shards. The flatbread twist on a spanakopita is a must-order, it's graviera cheese layered with buttery, dill-flecked spinach and finished with grated parmesan and paprika crisps. Sardines are served simply with za'atar and a squeeze of lemon, while mushrooms skewers are given umami treatment with spring onion, soy and mirin. Turkish chilli and crispy capers add texture to braised fava beans and a crunchy cucumber and radish salad is brightened with sumac and lemon vinaigrette. Rotisserie stars include chicharron-style pork belly served with vibrant green herb, cornichon and pickled chilli sauce. There's only one dessert – a tiramisu that holds its own paired with a plum and mezcal margarita. agora.london

Nine Lives – for cocktails

This vibrant subterranean bar brings plenty of tiki-inspired fun and on-point cocktails to London Bridge, just minutes from the station. Hip interiors of rattan lampshades, lush hanging plants and upcycled bamboo furniture, are paired with pulsing beats and feel-good vibes. The new cocktail menu from award-winning bartender William Campbell-Rowntree (ex-Artesian Guards bar) stays true to Nine Lives’ Tropicalifornication roots with Don Julio Blanco tequila, Grey Goose vodka and fino sherry, mixed with an array of sunshine flavours including watermelon, hibiscus and kiwi. To help pique your interest and inform your decision, each cocktail is expounded with three key tasting notes. The Inner City 75 – a twist on the classic French 75 and topped up with crémant – is "velvet, floral and elegant", while sipping on their Plum 'n' Bass, you can expect to enjoy a "round, ripe and fiery" cocktail made with Martell VS cognac, plum, lemon and ginger beer. No- and low-alcohol options are available, as well as taco and bar food pairings for some of the serves. If you get hungry, impeccably made guacamole and flavoured-packed seasonal seafood tacos – including a vegan no-fish Baja – are available to order from Tigre Tacos' now permanent kitchen. ninelivesbar.com

Akara, London Bridge – for West African fine-dining

Akoko’s more casual off-shoot lies in Borough Yards’s refurbed railway arches. Light pours into the contemporary space, where vibrant artwork is framed by whitewashed enclaves set into brick walls. Owner Aji Akokomi puts the spotlight on the namesake akara dish. This crisp, fluffy black-eyed bean fritter is stuffed with barbecue celeriac or prawns, served elegantly on a stone cube. Snacks include fried chicken nuggets with sosu kaani sauce and springy rice pancakes, with a hibiscus-flecked black-eyed bean hummus. Spiced coconut rice, a dish originating in southern Nigeria’s Efik communities, is served in a pot with a wooden spoon to scoop onto the side of mains. Slices of 24-hour slow-cooked short rib are topped with a Nigerian peanut-based sauce, and cabbage is cooked over charcoal until meltingly soft, then served with a vibrant Ghanaian abunu abunu (green green) sauce. Desserts hold their own – coconut and lime sorbet is creamy and zingy, while chocolate mousse is elevated with banana caramel and feuilleutine wafer crackers. A Ghanaian pineapple and passion fruit spirit is combined with rum, hibiscus and citrus for a tropical rum punch, while cacao-infused Campari and date vermouth lend richness to the negroni. akaralondon.co.uk

Elliot’s, Borough Market – for bistro vibes

Since opening in 2011 in the buzzing surroundings of Borough Market, Elliot’s has focussed on working with small-scale producers for both its drinks and produce, much of it sourced from the market itself. The bar adopted an all-natural or low-intervention wine list early on and has worked with Master of Wine Isabelle Legeron on its wine list.

All the wine producers share the same mindful approach to wine-making as chef-owner Brett Redman does to cooking simple dishes such as grilled sweet and sour squash with chicory and Tunworth cheese, or cauliflower caponata and flaked almonds. Elliot’s also makes its own soft drinks and seasonal infused spirits.

Click here for the best wine bars across the country

Stoney Street by 26 Grains, Borough Market – for seasonal small plates

Small plates that celebrate the very best ingredients is the order of the day at Alex Hely-Hutchinson's second outpost, but if you’re not sure what YQ pastry or Baron Bigod is, flip your menu over to read the page dedicated to the people growing the food. Cheeses are sourced from neighbouring Neal’s Yard Dairy, while YQ (standing for yield and quality) flour comes from Wakelyns, a Suffolk farm.

A good place to start is with a few slices of the soda bread – slather it first with whipped salted butter, then a top layer of punchy confit garlic butter. Share a wholegrain spelt tart, the nutty pastry crumbling under the weight of sweet roasted squash, Colston Basset stilton and shavings of russet apple. If you only fancy a nibble, there’s Greek unpasteurised olives and plates of silky charcuterie.

Click here to read our full review of Stoney Street, Borough Market

Trivet, Bermondsey - for high quality dishes and wine in an informal setting

Chef Jonny Lake, sommelier Isa Bal and team received their second Michelin star earlier this year. It’s the combination of creative, superbly cooked dishes and unstuffy ambience that makes this neighbourhood restaurant such a success. The likes of langoustine pici pasta, grilled sweetbread with smoked Maitake mushrooms and braised and roasted celeriac precede seasonally rotating desserts. A 450-plus wine list orders countries based on when they started making wine. trivetrestaurant.co.uk

Tatale, Southwark – for pan-African dishes

The mission of Akwasi Brenya-Mensa's restaurant is to tell stories through food. The Africa Centre provides a vibrant backdrop, adorned in hand-woven Ghanaian kente cloth fabrics and African art, while Akwasi stands at the pass to add finishing touches to his succinct selection of creative pan-African dishes. Crisp ackee croquettes contain creamy, zingy centres, while buttermilk fried chicken wings are coated in peanut-based chichinga spicing and served with lip-smacking Ghanaian chilli oil. The red red black eyed bean stew is a comforting favourite from Akwasi’s childhood; a perfectly riotous amalgamation of textures and subtle spicing – creamy black eyed beans, fermented locust beans, tart pickled onions, crushed plantain chips and lemon balm drops, topped with a whole caramelised plantain to break into the stew. The most unique dish on the menu is the omo tuo, a perfect cylinder of mashed rice topped with black and white sesame seeds in a rich, silky moat of groundnut soup laced with parsley oil.

Chin chin is a favourite sweet snack in West Africa, that makes its way into dessert as a crumbly topping to a deconstructed apple cheesecake, that we recommend to share. Finish (or start) with a nectar negroni, that uses Bayab burnt orange and rose gin for a sweet and floral twist on the classic. tataleandco.com

Santo Remedio, Tooley Street – for vibrant Mexican cooking

This lively Mexican restaurant bursts with colour and fun vibes, from the uplifting Latin beats bouncing off walls papered with tropical patterns to the multicoloured broken tiles creating a focal point in the mezcal and tequila bottle-lined bar. Go classic and order a zippy margarita, or be adventurous and try the delicate hibiscus or smozy mezcal varieties, the latter complete with zingy chilli salt round the rim.

Start with guacamole topped with fried krickets (think crispy onions more than critters!) and a citrusy tuna tartare on crunchy tostadas, finished with creamy chipotle mayo. Next, order a one of the slow-cooked, bone-in sharing dishes for the table (fall-apart lamb barbacoa, short ribs slathered in an intense mole negro sauce, or whole grilled mackerel with pineapple) to shovel into soft, handmade corn tortillas along with refried black beans, crunchy slaw and jalapeño potato salad.

santoremedio.co.uk

Padella, Borough Market – for pasta

Padella’s short menu features eight handmade, fresh pasta dishes, inspired by the greatest hits that have made Padella’s sister restaurant Trullo in Highbury one of the most accomplished and respected neighbourhood restaurants in London. With a laidback atmosphere and reasonable prices, Padella is the perfect place to escape the tourists at Borough market.

Showcasing classic Italian techniques, the simple menu is built around slow-cooked sauces and ragus from the owners’ travels around Italy. Traditional pici cacio e pepe, a simple, yet brilliantly executed dish of parmesan, lemon and black pepper is an example of how confident the team are in their products. Made without egg, for a slightly doughier texture, the pasta acts as a magnet to the sauce. We loved it so much we asked them for the recipe, try it here.

Padella’s signature dish though, is pappardelle with eight-hour Dexter shin beef ragu, and it’s easy to see why. The rich and succulent flavour of the slow cooked, fall-apart beef combined with the juicy fresh tomatoes and just the right amount of garlic makes the sauce the real hero here.

With traditional Italian flavours at the heart of the menu, from Dexter beef carpaccio to bruschetta with baked borlotti beans, there’s plenty to please. Burrata fans won’t be disappointed – the Italian classic is sourced by artisan supplier L’Emporio fine foods and simply drizzled with Tuscan Chiarentana estate olive oil.

Finish off with an espresso, the only coffee Padella serve, or add a shot of grappa or sambuca for a caffe corretto, in true Italian style.

Click here to read our full review of Padella, Borough Market

Bar Douro, Flat Iron Square – for Portuguese small plates

This wine bar/restaurant fuses traditional Portuguese cervejaria interiors with original industrial features from the London Bridge railway arches – pretty blue and white tiles line the marble-topped bar that provides the only barrier between diners and the small open kitchen, while exposed aluminium piping in the curved railway arch roof becomes part of the decoration. A mezzanine level cleverly utilizes the space at the top of the arch’s curve to showcases the owner Max’s impressive Portuguese wine collection.

Max speaks with great knowledge and enthusiasm about wines from Alentejo, Lisbon and The Douro Valley, along with lesser-known Portuguese winemaking regions that he aims to put on the map.

Small plates at Bar Douro are true to Portuguese traditions, with a few of chef Tiago’s modern twists – tender grilled octopus tentacle was served with sweet potato as it is in tabernas across Tavira in the Algarve (try our Portuguese fish stew for a taste of this kind of cooking), bitter grelos (turnip tops) were sautéed with wafer-thin slices of fried garlic, and suckling acorn-fed Bisaro pig was cooked sous-vide then pressed and served, true to tradition, with homemade crisps. Another standout dish was a delicate mix of wild mushrooms (king oyster, Portobello, shiitake) served with roast chestnuts on a silky chestnut purée and topped with a delicate tempura spinach leaf.

Save room for pudding. We had a preview of a super light olive oil cake, beautifully presented with jewel-like pieces of quince and swirls of whipped requesón (a Portuguese ricotta-like cheese). But, go all out with baba de camelo, a bowl of thick, creamy dulce de leche mousse decorated with wafer thin pieces of dark chocolate, or keep it traditional with gooey warm pastel de nata and lightly spiced cinnamon ice cream.

Click here to read our full review of Bar Douro.

Bancone Borough Yards – for elegant pasta

Popular pasta joint Bancone opened its third restaurant in buzzy Borough Yards. It's a buzzy, lively restaurant with a small but well executed menu and a great selection of drinks. The renovated railway arch allows lots of light to shine through onto diners, while the open kitchen and bar add a familiar but unobtrusive clatter of pasta tossing and cocktail shaking to the buzz. Kick off with a negroni – classic, white or floral orange blossom. There is something for everyone – good range of antipasti to start, the creamy burrata and confit tomatoes are rich and sumptuous. The crispy fried oysters are excellent but a small portion for £16. The silk handkerchief pasta is the most celebrated dish here and for a good reason. Salty, umami, perfectly al dente pasta with the crunch of walnuts is a definite winner. The mafalde with 'nduja was well seasoned and a generous portion, but the pasta was perhaps a touch undercooked. New on the menu is the borlotti bean ravioli with chicken butter – it is beautiful to look at and is a tasty plate of pasta. Come to Bancone for a reliable and speedy meal with efficient and polite service – get a seat by the kitchen if you enjoy watching the kitchen at work. bancone.co.uk

Casse Croute, Bermondsey Street – for French bistro vibes

You'll be lucky to bag a table at this tiny French bistro on foodie Bermondsey Street. From the moment of calling up to book, you're greeted with French charm and a friendly "Bonsoir". Bookings are scribbled across white paper covers to save the gingham table cloths beneath from crumbs and butter. Which the chefs at Casse Croute don't hold back on. A whole sole comes drizzled in the stuff, lamb shoulder with slow-cooked ratatouille has a generous helping, and the mash is whipped up with more butter than potato, just how we like it.

In true neighbourhood bistro style, a short menu of French classics is chalked up on the black board. The selection of three starters may feature refreshing salades nicoise, chunky game terrines and silky salmon rillettes. Mains are simple yet well executed, focusing on the classics – bavette with creamy gratin dauphinois potatoes, hake on a bed of fennel, roast chicken with crunchy green beans – while the indulgent, cream-heavy desserts are worth leaving room for. Try mille feuille, crêpes suzette, apple tart, and luxurious chocolate fondant.

Nestle in to a red leather banquette, sink a carafe of French wine, and give an in-the-know nod of appreciation to your neighbour (you may be touching shoulders, after all).

cassecroute.co.uk

José Tapas Bar, Bermondsey street – for tapas

A sublime, if tiny, tapas bar where compulsive ham croquetas are creamy and full of jamón, this was the first of chef José Pizarro’s growing stable of Spanish restaurants. Find a corner to burrow in and enjoy a glass of sherry and a game of padron pepper roulette (who will find a spicy one?), along with some patatas bravas and tortilla for good measure. The blackboard menu’s daily selection might include rich, boozy chorizo al vino, crisp baby chicken and potatoes with punchy Romesco sauce, and fresh pisto with delicate duck egg. Puddings are excellent – try the creamy rice pudding or the rich, velvety chocolate pot that’s given a savoury finish with olive oil and sea salt.

josepizarro.com

Where The Pancakes Are, Flat Iron Square – for brunch

This is a pancake house with serious style. Following various residencies in London, Patricia Trijbits is happy to finally welcome diners to her first permanent space in Flat Iron Square, a collection of newly converted railway arches near London Bridge. A custom-built oak bar and kitchen area along with wooden tables and seats based on retro Dutch school chairs give the space a calming Scandi feel. The railway arch is warmed up with a whole wall of white felt cut outs and ceiling planters that brim with greenery to intermingle with modern light installations.

As it says on the tin, this clean and bright spot specialises in stacks of buttermilk pancakes. Where The Pancakes Are takes pride in its sourcing of ingredients, with high welfare eggs from Kent, organic flour and 100% pure maple syrup, hand-tapped in Quebec, Canada (plus, it’s packed with minerals and antioxidants). Try the popular savoury dish found within the section titled 'Dutch babies' – an American interpretation of a 17th century German oven-baked pancake recipe, it's a Yorkshire pudding-esque pancake layered with asparagus, goat's and cheddar cheese, decorated with roast thyme and rosemary sprigs with a side salad of fennel, rocket and kale.

Click here to read our full review of brunch at Where The Pancakes Are

Hawksmoor, Borough – for a special occasion

Although he worked at Michelin-star level with the likes of Marco Pierre White and Pierre Koffmann, former British soldier Richard Turner’s name is now synonymous with barbecuing. “I first started cooking over live fire 10 years ago in the gardenof my pub, The Albion in Islington,” says the executive chef of the Hawksmoor restaurant group, which has sites in London and Manchester.

“I bought a huge barbecue to cope with the seasonal fluctuations of the pub and acquired a reputation as a live-fire cook.”

He prefers to use fruit woods, particularly apple and cherry, although the restaurant group’s decision to cook this way was “a happy accident” as their original Spitalfields site inherited a charcoal grill from the previous Turkish restaurateurs.

“To be honest, as a business, it is rather expensive. A live-fire restaurant needs state-of-the-art extraction and filtration, which can add hundreds of thousands of pounds to the cost of your kitchen build.”. thehawksmoor.com

Click here for more of our favourite BBQ restaurants in the UK

Vinegar Yard, London Bridge – for al fresco drinking and street food

This amalgamation of drinking terraces, bars and street-food trucks is a great al fresco hangout and handily located right next to London Bridge station. There's a large inside area in winter (plus covered canopies and heaters outdoors), and in summer the large buzzy terrace is a suntrap for groups of friends and after-work hangouts.

Take your pick from multiple bars and several different street food stalls – whether you fancy a fully stacked burger, slice of pizza or Indian or Asian-inspired snacks.

vinegaryard.london

Bala Baya, The Old Union Yard Arches – for Middle Eastern food

Tucked down The Old Union Yard Arches, in a brick-exposed railway arch, Bala Baya is a new Tel Aviv-inspired restaurant in Southwark. It’s the first solo venture from Eran Tibi, who cut his teeth at Ottolenghi. Like Eran, who had us ‘sampling’ bitter orange vodka shots on a school night, it’s lively and energetic, and I have no doubt that over time the restaurant will become a staple on the London dining scene.

Click here to read our full review of Bala Baya

Arthur Hooper's, Borough Market – for market produce

Set up in a former Victorian fruit and veg wholesaler’s premises, known by the same name, restaurant and bar Arthur Hooper’s celebrates what once was with innovative fruit- and veg-centric European small plates, with ingredients sourced from and via the market on its doorstep.

Under arches, on the periphery of London’s Borough Market, Arthur Hooper’s small restaurant and bar spills outside to a seating area facing energetic street vendors and the general market area. Inside its tall ceilings, illuminated floor-to-ceiling glass cupboards, cool grey and black walls and dimly lit decor sets the scene. Black banquette seating with separate tables are surrounded by high tables and chairs, while at the corner bar you can grab a drink or dinner.

Having cut her teeth at London Italian minimalist restaurant Zucca, chef Lale Oztek's menu suits the venue to a tee with a selection of 15 or so small plates divided into meat, fish and vegetables with the latter holding the most options and variety, as well as permanent cheese and cured meats plates and ‘bites’; buttery Nocellara olives, Vinci olives, smoked almonds for £3-4, and a short specials board.

The cheese and cured meats plates serve two-three slices of each with a couple of pieces of crostini and a pickle or chutney made in house. There’s a choice of four cheeses and the same number of meats, and the selection is a cut above the norm: we had Welsh blue cheese Perl Las and a Welsh salami-like lamb merguez.

Changing around four times a season, the menu takes into account what’s available in Borough Market and includes a wine list detailing mostly European wines with some interesting choices from Slovenia and Portugal.

Click here to read our full review and menu must-orders at Arthur Hooper's

Shangri-La at The Shard – for a special occasion with city views

If The Shard had toes, they would tickle Borough Market, from where the splendidly high-rise hotel sources much of its produce. Initial impressions of main restaurant, TING (on level 35), are magnificent: the lift doors open onto a spectacular and uninterrupted panorama of London, dominated at first by St Paul’s Cathedral. Low tables and armchairs are sensibly arranged to soak up as much of the view as possible.

The food lives up to the view: Dorset crab, cucumber, mango, passion fruit and tomato to start; organic lamb loin with sake, soy, Erengi mushroom, apple and shiso to follow. Sommelier Anne Lomas is unstuffy and approachable despite the glam surroundings. The ground floor’s Lang sells yuzu cheesecake to eat in or take away.

Don’t leave without visiting Gong, the highest bar in London; and with a pool, too. Try The Big Smoke, a gin, sherry and vermouth cocktail served in a dramatic, smoked-at-table martini glass.

TING at Shangri-La also does a fabulously exotic twist on afternoon tea. If you’re open-minded, enjoy Asian food, and would prefer to gaze across a sparkling city rather than a Victorian dining room, then you can’t get much better.

Diners have the choice of a traditional afternoon tea or an ‘Asian-inspired’ afternoon tea… the latter reigns supreme, with fat, moreish steamed prawn dumplings and delicate crab soft rolls in place of finger sandwiches. Service is spot on – after loudly complimenting our dumplings, we were quickly presented with another piping hot batch to enjoy.

Click here to read our full review of afternoon tea at Shangri-La at The Shard

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