Where to eat in Peckham
10 places to eat in Peckham, each one on the Guide on merit.
Bà Ba
Vietnamese restaurant · Asian
Five Nguyen siblings cooking their grandmother's Saigon recipes, now built around rarely-seen Vietnamese sharing plates rather than pho. The plywood room is warm and stylish, and the plant-based dishes pull their weight.
Book ahead at weekends and order to share; the room is small and fills fast.
Bara
Welsh bakery & café · European
A Welsh bakery and cafe in Peckham from a MasterChef: The Professionals alum. Focaccia sandwiches, proper bakes and a neighbourhood-canteen warmth that put it on the critics' radar within weeks of opening.
Go for the Caerphilly cheesesteak on their own focaccia, made fresh that morning.
Ganapati
South Indian restaurant · Asian
A snug South Indian on a quiet Peckham side street, going strong since 2004. Come for the flaky Kerala paratha and the weekday thali, and grab the glass-roofed room when it rains.
Order at least one Kerala paratha each, and come at lunch for the thali (under £15).
Hanar
Kurdish grill · Middle Eastern
A railway-arch Kurdish grill on Peckham Rye: smoke, pomegranate molasses, candlelight, and a crowd that knows.
It is BYOB, so bring your own bottle and order every dip on the menu.
Kruk
Southern Thai · Asian
A railway-arch Thai from ex-Som Saa chefs. A Bib Gourmand within months.
It is closed Monday and Tuesday and only does lunch at weekends, so check the day before.
Lai Rai
Vietnamese restaurant · Asian
The Bà Ba family's tiny Rye Lane sibling, doing new-school Vietnamese small plates and cocktails in the coolest little room in Peckham. Bib Gourmand. No pho by design, so come for the snacks and the prawn lollies.
Come by day for the banh mi and sweet Vietnamese coffee before the evening crowd packs the tiles in.
Levan
Neighbourhood bistro · European
A railway-arch bistro by Peckham Rye station that runs loud and slightly chaotic, built on a low-intervention wine list people come back for. The three-course set lunch is 25 pounds.
The set lunch is two courses for 20 or three for 25. Closed Monday.
Melange Chocolate
Artisan chocolatier
A one-woman chocolate obsession in Peckham, with a hot chocolate worth crossing town for.
Come Friday or Saturday evening when it turns into a chocolate-and-cocktail bar.
Mr Bao
Taiwanese restaurant · Asian
The original Peckham bao room, bare brick and good cocktails. The mushroom bao is the one worth crossing London for.
Come for the weekend brunch when the kitchen plays loosest with the buns.
Peckham Cellars
Wine bar & restaurant · European
A neighbourhood wine bar and restaurant with a serious low-intervention list and modern European small plates. Built for a long, unhurried table.
Bottles from the shop wall can be drunk in, so browse the shelves rather than just the wine list.
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