London Camberwell Restaurant Guide

2022 Review: “Splendid flavours, lovely service, and reasonable prices” are, say fans, a “perfect combination” at this affordable Ethiopian restaurant in Camberwell.

The “doughy, chewy, charred base is a winner” at this “excellent quality” pizzeria duo in Camberwell and Elephant & Castle, whose “pared-back toppings deliver great tastes”. They’re backed up by a short but sharp selection of cocktails, craft beers and organic or skin-contact wines.

The “seasonal, generous and top-notch food” at this “great local” in Camberwell is delivered via “laid-back but professional service that exudes cool – much like the local clientele”. Having established itself as one of the capital’s best gastropubs over the past decade, there are no signs of easing off. Top Menu Tip – “get the pork fat and Scotch bonnet toast”.

This “rapid-fire” canteen in Camberwell serves up “pungent and fiery spiced dishes” from Xinjiang in northwest China, homeland of the Muslim Uigurs. The food is “relatively cheap” and “a cut above” what you might expect – which makes a visit “well worth sharing a table and being hurried out afterwards”.

2023 Review: “One of the very finest gastropubs in South London”, this handsome Camberwell tavern is a “really solid and enjoyable local”, and is run by landlord Hector Skinner, who set it up with three pals a dozen years ago. “If it was in Clapham it would be very famous and utterly heaving”. Top Menu Tip – “the sharing roast chicken and the rabbit pie are the best mains”.

The name means ‘kitchen’ in Kurdish – Pary Baban’s Camberwell café reproduces the dishes of her homeland, to the satisfaction of reporters. Top Tips – brunch is a highlight; you can BYO at her simpler nearby outlet at 82 Vestry Street (but the branch at Peckham Levels is no more).

2023 Review: “The chargrilled onions and flatbreads to start soon grab the attention” at this popular family-run Anatolian in Camberwell, founded across town in Islington more than 25 years ago. “The grilled lamb that follows is still as good as ever. Thankfully!”.

“Inventive and delicious Italian cooking in a cheerful trattoria” is the straightforward but engaging offer at Bash Redford and Michael Lavery’s Camberwell newcomer, relocated from its former well-known Peckham location in late 2022. Top Menu Tips – “the homemade focaccia is the best, either plain or with a dipping sauce such as nduja, wild garlic pesto or crab and lemon; the antipasti are so varied and good and – if you have room – the signature dessert, custardo, is terrific”.