The Best Restaurants in Putney | 6 Excellent Places To Try
A tall tale from Putney states that Sir Robert Walpole, having lunched with King George I, was in rather a hurry to return to parliament. Unfortunately for the Prime Minister, the Putney ferryman at the time was in no hurry to finish his pint at the Swan pub, and so Sir Robert was forced to find an alternative route.
The very next day, plans were drawn up for a bridge across the Thames.
Thankfully that bridge still stands, meaning that we can all take advantage of Putney’s fine dining establishments without being late back to making weighty decisions of state. So, here they are: the best restaurants in Putney…
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Home SW15
Home SW15 genuinely feels like a home from home for most locals – you can see that from the donation wall, where 200 sponsored bricks stand as testament to the way Putney residents clubbed together to keep the restaurant afloat during Covid. It’s an all-day, all-occasions spot, from breakfast through to last orders at the cocktail bar, serving smartly presented modern British dishes that are both comforting and innovative. The team are beyond fantastic, and the place is technically owned by Rebecca Mascarenas (the hospitality legend behind other stalwarts like Church Road and the Michelin-starred Elystan Street), so you know the quality will remain consistently high.
Details: 146 Upper Richmond Road, London, SW15 2SW | Book a table at Home SW15
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Another Brother
Another Brother is something of a growing West London micro-empire. Then again, they serve brunch all day – so it’s hardly surprising they’re popular. They’re run by a couple of Sheffield-born brothers, whose coffee obsession has spiralled into a trio of cafés. And we can all be glad it did – aside from beans roasted by Caravan and Curious Roo, they serve up sourdough toasties, Full English butties, freshly baked pastries and their signature F.A.T – feta, avocado and tomato on toast.
Details: 187 Putney Bridge Road, London, SW15 2NZ | No bookings
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Gazette Putney
This welcoming brasserie has popped up across south-west London with its smart, modern city take on French pastoral dining. Head chef Pascal Even has had the tutelage of Michel Rostang and Alain Ducasse to name but a few, so you can rest assured that the culinary work behind the scenes comes from good stock.
Out front the decor is laid back, fun, and fundamentally French: chequered napkins replace a full tablecloth, an old Aga is repurposed as a table, and the walls are furnished with shelves of wine, cookbooks, kitchenware, and accordions. The dishes are traditional (onion soup, steak tartare, snails) and presented with panache, served alongside cocktails as well as wine. They also do breakfast and brunch, where pastries and croissants sit alongside the highly tempting Full French. All in all: très bien.
Details: 147 Upper Richmond Rd, SW15 2TX | Book a table at Gazette
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The Telegraph
A proper country-style pub, nestled away in the wilds of Putney Heath. The Telegraph gets its name from the site’s former role as a telegraph station during the Napoleonic wars, and after a brief period when the heath was overrun with highwaymen and duels to the death, the pub’s now a restful end point for a stomp across the greenery. Inside it’s all smart Victorian interiors and roaring fires; outside is one of the most spacious beer gardens in London, complete with an outdoor pizza kitchen and a bar in a converted van. And the pub menu goes above and beyond the usual, with fillet steak sandwiches and five spiced chicken thigh pancakes.
Details: The Telegraph, Putney Heath, Putney, London, SW15 3TU | Book a table at The Telegraph
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Blades
A warm-hearted, unpretentious neighbourhood Italian that serves up laid back, authentic, and rustic cooking. Blades has been here in Putney since 1977, and the charmingly old-school wood-panelled space has barely changed since then. The centrepiece of the restaurant is the huge grill, on which the team cook most of their Italian menu. It sees a lot of action over the course of an evening, allowing you to sit back and watch the chefs cook up Italian sausage, swordfish, seabass, and steak before bringing it to your table. Alongside the grilled options there’s plenty of pasta, and of course antipasti – best enjoyed on the little street-side tables out front.
Details: 94 Lower Richmond Rd, SW15 1LL | Book a table at Blades
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Tomoe is fronted by a well-stocked sake bar, which leads onto a pretty spartan dining room. Simple wooden furnishings, cream walls and a long sushi counter don’t go out particularly out their way to impress. Instead the food is what dazzles, and the full array of Japanese fare on offer has won Tomoe numerous plaudits, putting it right up there with the best restaurants in Putney.
There is, of course, sushi, prepared for all to see behind the central sushi bar, alongside chirashi bowls and sashimi platters. Beyond that they offer up some excellent tempura options and deep fried chicken, and whilst ramen is a lunchtime-only option, the all day menu has plenty of soba and udon for those looking to get their noodle fix. There’s no song and dance about the place, and you can rest assured that all energy they do expend in Tomoe goes entirely into the food.
Details: 292 Upper Richmond Rd, Putney, London SW15 6TH | Book on 0203 730 7884
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Putney Pies
Overlooking the Thames, this independent pie shop has been a local favourite on the Putney restaurant scene since 2014 – and with a menu awash with pastry it’s not hard to see why. Each one is homemade and cooked to order. This is not a place for pacy food, but rather somewhere to sit and savour the true glory of pie and mash (or if you want to branch out; mini beef wellington, sausage rolls, pot pies, tarts, and quiches).
The classics are available but sit beside some more adventurous offerings like the Mediterranean (a beef, olive, and feta combo), and everything can be washed down with local craft ciders and a decent selection of plonk – which you’ll need when the DJs take over the brick-lined vault below towards the end of the week, and the tables are cleared away to make room for a dancefloor.
Details: 2 Putney High St, SW15 1SL | Book a table for 6+, smaller groups walk-in only
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Chook Chook
Putney’s answer to Dishoom and Bombay Bustle, Chook Chook is a lavishly dressed spot inspired by India’s golden era railway carriages. All wood panelling, marbled tables and forest green leather booths, the interiors fit the bill – but it’s the irresistible scents wafting onto the street outside that’ll pull you in. Embracing the travel theme, dishes are plucked from various regions across India, from Mumbai’s pav bhaji to Awadhi lamb chops, and even the potato & chicken curry traditionally served on Raj Era trains. And for dessert? Try their revolutionary chocolate samosa with vanilla ice cream…
Details: 137 Lower Richmond Road, SW15 1EZ | Book a table at Chook Chook
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Artisans of Sardinia
A smart little neighbourhood restaurant that gives the rest of Italy’s cuisine the boot, focussing purely on the recipes and traditions of Sardinia. As you’d expect from the name, ingredients are all meticulously sourced and assembled by a fleet of highly-trained chefs who deftly toe the line between authenticity and innovation. Try a bowl of Sardinia’s ancient semolina pasta, ‘lorighittas’, or the classic porceddu dish of roasted suckling piglet. Downstairs, behind a curtain crafted from wine corks, sits a private dining room that’s excellent for a big special occasion dinner in Putney.
Details: 16 Lacy Road, SW15 1NL | Book a table at Artisans of Sardinia
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River Cafe
Not The River Cafe (the two Michelin star restaurant just down the river), but a brilliantly old-fashioned British caff, just opposite Putney Bridge tube station. Like any good greasy spoon, it has a serious breakfast menu. For lunch, hearty English favourites are the fare of the day including shepherd’s pie; ham, egg and chips; and few choice specials. The price for everything is more than fair, and the whole experience exudes retro charm with the formica tables, blue and white tiling, and seascape paintings on the wall transporting you back to a simpler time, when your nan was young, and an egg bap was a luxury.
Details: 1A Station Approach, Fulham, London SW6 3UH | Walk-ins only
Making a day of it? Check out these excellent Putney pubs while you’re down there (and be grateful there’s a bridge to get home on).