Brixton may be the bottom of the Victoria line, but it’s top of the pack when it comes to restaurants. Whether you’re on the hunt for a little Japanese soul food, Caribbean roti or a couple of Indian small plates, Brixton is jam-packed full of great places to eat.
Check out our favourites below:
–
Fish, Wings & Tings
Trinidadian Brian Danclair is the chef-owner of Fish, Wings & Tings, an eternally packed-out Brixton restaurant. It’s hard to miss, blasting out reggae right by the entrance of Brixton Market, with punters spilling out onto the kerbside to cool off with Red Stripe and rum punch in the sunshine. The food menu – divided into Small Tings and Big Tings – covers all kinds of Caribbean classics, from fried plantain and cod fish fritters to curried mutton roti and jerk chicken. It’s a taste of classic Brixton, and it’s excellent.
Details: 3 Granville Arcade, Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9 8PR | Walk-ins only
–
Danclair’s Kitchen
Look, we’re just fully paid-up members of the Danclair fan club, ok? Brian’s second Brixton Village spot is a touch more formal than FWT (although that still means vibrant murals, great tunes and super-friendly wait staff). There’s loads of veg-friendly dishes on offer including empanadas and veggie stew, but meat-eaters can get their chops around BBQ’d pork ribs, pepper prawns, and Brian’s cod fish fritters, all washed down with suds from the local Brixton Brewery.
Details: 67-68 Granville Arcade, Coldharbour Lane, London SW9 8PS
–
Okan
Okan actually has two restaurants in Brixton; one on Coldharbour Lane and another close by in the market. Both specialise in the home comforts of Osakan cuisine. Named after the regional slang for ‘mother’, Okan’s star dishes include ‘mum’s ramen and donburi’ – steaming bowls of pure warmth and flavour – but the real draw is the okonomiyaki; a savoury pancake style dish that’s slowly becoming easier to find in London… but Okan does some of the best.
Details: 338 Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8QH | Unit 39, Brixton Village, SW9 8PS | Book here (Brixton Village walk-in only)
–
Bottle & Rye
Bottle & Rye comes to you from Robin Gill, the mastermind behind lauded venues like Sorella, Darby’s and Maria G’s. His Brixton restaurant and wine bar is located by the entrance of the market, sporting a similar appearance to the sort of bistro you’d imagine is the norm in Paris (blackboard menu, bentwood stalls, a tall dark wood bar… you know the drill). Even if you’ve arrived with the intention of ‘just one glass’, don’t be surprised when you’re still sat on one of those bentwood stools hours later, two bottles in. Currently former Typing Room chef-founder Lee Westcott is in residence in the kitchen, turning out a brilliant menu of coastal French dishes including sardines on toast and bouillabaisse to share until the end of May.
Details: 404-406 Market Row, SW9 8LD | Book here
––
Naughty Piglets
Husband and wife duo Joe and Margaux Sharratt had long wanted to open a restaurant, and Naughty Piglets is the realisation of their hambitions. The French restaurant and wine bar has an intimate feel, serving up small plates like fried duck egg with apricot and girolles alongside carefully-selected wines and homemade damson gin. And for a nightcap, slip downstairs to the candlelit cellar…
Details: 28 Brixton Water Lane, SW2 1PE | Book here
–
Kricket Brixton
The Kricket team ran their first ever pop-up restaurant in Brixton, so this Atlantic Road restaurant is something of a homecoming for the now-cult eatery. It’s an unexpectedly romantic spot, with soft leather banquettes and mismatched wooden furnishings nestled in an industrial railway arch space. The dishes are all ‘Anglo-Indian’ in style, so expect innovative numbers like Goan sausage croquettes; spiced cod roe on telicherry paratha; and Keralan fried chicken with curry leaf mayo…
Details: 41-43 Atlantic Road, SW9 8JL | Book here
–
Three Uncles
Three Uncles specialise in Hong Kong style siu mei (literally ‘roasted meats’ in Cantonese). You can get absurdly succulent duck still on the bone, char Sui BBQ pork, or Hainan-style spiced chicken all piled onto bowls of rice or delicate Lo Mein noodles. Their Brixton restaurant is a small space, and it’s highly casual, but if you’re after a first-rate lunch, or a lovely light dinner, then you can’t really beat it.
Details: 19 & 20 Brixton Village, SW9 8PR | Walk-ins only
–
POP Brixton
Pop Brixton is a pop up village constructed entirely from disused shipping containers, bursting with greenery and strung up with festoon lighting, that’s home to impromptu jazz concerts, DJ nights and weekend markets. Peruse the dozens of independent boutiques and vintage stores before exploring the alleyways lined with street food vendors hawking stacked burgers, sizzling jerk chicken and Gambian Jollof rice.
Details: 49 Brixton Station Road, SW9 8PQ | Walk-ins only
–
Temaki
Charlie McKay
At Temaki, chef and rice expert Shaulan Steenson will feed you until you ask him to stop. And we mean that quite literally, because he’ll happily serve you an omakase selection of sushi hand rolls over the counter of his minimalist, teeny tiny bar in Brixton Market…
Details: Unit 12 Market Row, Brixton, SW9 8LD | Book here
–
The Laundry
Given Brixton’s famously buzzing nightlife, you’re unlikely to see too many early risers seeking out brunch on a weekend. But those that do are probably crawling towards The Laundry, a New Zealand-run restaurant set in an old Edwardian laundry building. There are great options here for lunch and dinner, too – the Sunday roast is well worth seeking out – but it’s the Antipodean attitude to brunch that makes it a must-visit restaurant while in Brixton. Come here for sausage brioche bap with Bloody Mary ketchup, spritz cocktails, and the juice from the night before.
Details: Walton’s Lodge, 374 Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8PL | Book here
–
Maremma
This restaurant opposite Brixton staple Hootenanny’s is a celebration of both food and drink from the Maremma region in Tuscany. It’s a bright and airy neighbourhood restaurant serving a short menu of seasonal Tuscan dishes – fresh pasta, fresh fish, and game – alongside an unusual and well-researched wine list, filled with wines that are hard to track down anywhere else in the UK.
Details: 36 Brixton Water Lane, Brixton, SW2 1PE | Book here
Since you’re in the area… check out these great things to do in Brixton