Peckham restaurants that pull crowds in south London

Peckham in London is noted for its high-punching, diverse culinary scene, spanning independent restaurants and street food markets. Bijou bakeries, coffee shops and natural wine bars nestle beside African groceries and barbershops, or unfold from beneath railway arches. Much like Hackney and Brixton, Peckham has transformed over the past two decades, but it still retains a resilient community spirit, while its close proximity to art schools in Camberwell and New Cross draws a creative crowd.

From South African sharing dishes to African-Caribbean soul food and banging bao buns, discover the best restaurants in Peckham for every occasion.

The best places to eat in Peckham

Lai Rai

Best for: New School Vietnamese
Address: 181 Rye Lane, Peckham, London, SE15 4TP

Recognisable by its candy‑striped awning, Lai Rai is a newcomer to Peckham’s bustling Rye Lane. Embracing the Vietnamese culture of bia hơi – meeting for snacks and cold beers – the lunchtime menu centres on sweet and spicy bánh mì sandwiches, alongside Vietnamese drip coffee. A larger evening menu brings grilled steak bavette, fresh mussels in a creamy coconut broth and crispy tofu. Don’t sleep on the sides, like pickled chilli mustard greens and mung bean sticky rice. Perch on a metal red stool and order a Gái Nhảy cocktail – a floral lychee negroni served with elderflower jelly.

Levan and Bar Levan

Best for: two lively locals with distinct flair
Location: 12-16 Blenheim Grove, London, SE15 4QL
Price: ££

Levan has everything you want from a neighbourhood favourite: an open kitchen, welcoming team, smart interiors, great food, and banging 1970s funk and soul on the record player. The kitchen draws on modern European cuisine to craft a seasonal menu that changes every six weeks (but each meal surely has to begin with the comté fries, served with a saffron aioli). Before taking your seat, check out Bar Levan next door. With dark red walls, low lighting, more funky tunes, and an expert selection of natural, organic and biodynamic European wines, small plates and appetisers, Bar Levan fits in perfectly with the restaurant’s vision, which together form a fully fledged food and drink destination all of its own.

Jumbi

Best for: Jamaican-Turkish soul food and vinyl records
Location: Unit 4.1, Copeland Park, 133 Copeland Road, London, SE15 3SN
Price: ££

Jumbi is a rum bar and restaurant in Peckham’s Copeland Park and Bussey Building (also noted for its excellent nights out). Local musicians Bradley Zero Phillip and Nathaniel Williams are behind the venture, which celebrates the African-Caribbean diaspora through food and music. Nazli Ramadan, founder JURKISH, is in the kitchen, cooking fiery Jamaican-Turkish fusion food that slaps. Order jerk chicken shish with flatbread, curry goat mani with filled Turish dumplings and a garlicky yoghurt sauce, or try the epic Sunday roast. Jumbi plays host to a rotation of DJs, who spin vinyl records until late.

Peckham Bazaar

Best for: Middle-Eastern pan-Ottoman cuisine
Location: 119 Consort Road, London, SE15 3RU
Price: ££

This much-loved neighbourhood restaurant in Peckham serves Eastern Mediterranean and Balkan-inspired dishes in an unfussy, candlelit setting. The theatrical open kitchen creates a lively atmosphere, while the smell of smoke, spice, sizzling meat and vegetables hits you from the moment you walk through the door. Crusty bread piled with creamy baba ghanoush and za’atar is followed by grilled octopus and skewers of grilled Scottish sirloin with Greek fava and shakshuka. Food is accompanied by an Eastern Mediterranean wine list and there is an outdoor grill during summer. Peckham Bazaar is a short walk from Peckham Rye Overground or Nunhead railway station.

Forza Wine

Best for: Casual drinks and rooftop views
Location: The Rooftop, 133A Rye Lane, London, SE15 4BQ
Price: ££

Considered one of the best rooftop bars in London, Forza Wine sits atop the Market building, a plant-filled co-working space in Peckham. A concise menu of Italian-leaning grazing plates and flatbreads is accompanied by an excellent selection of aperitivo-style cocktails and wine, to be enjoyed as you gaze over South London’s crane-peppered rooftops. The team also has an outpost at the National Theatre in Southwark, which is equally feted.

Peckham Cellars

Best for: Excellent wine and a warm, relaxed atmosphere
Location: 125 Queen’s Road, London, SE15 2ND
Price: ££

Located within cork-popping distance of Queens Road Peckham station, Peckham Cellars has built a reputation for its excellent curation of far-reaching wine, with a focus on small-batch, organic and sustainable producers. Perch on a bar stool at the wooden counter for a front-row view of the action in the open kitchen, as chef Pablo Urain Alfonso cooks modern seasonal dishes, like pork ribeye in a pool of herby butter and lamb cabbage rolls with richly spiced labneh. The restaurant hosts regular events for fellow wine aficionados, and there is also outdoor seating for balmy evenings.

The Flygerians

Best for: Nigerian street food and Afrobeats music
Location: Peckham Palms, 14 Bournemouth Close, London, SE15 4PB
Price: £

British-Nigerian sisters Jess and Jo Edun are behind The Flygerians, noted for its authentic Nigerian street food. Following a series of pop-ups, the duo moved into Peckham Palms, a mini-mall led by Black female entrepreneurs. The relaxed all-day bar and restaurant serves sweet and seriously hot wings drenched in ‘Mama’s forbidden sauce’; Jollof rice with fish, chicken or beef, or a ‘naughty pot’ of crispy cassava chips. Add in an Afrobeats soundtrack and a party-starting rum punch and you have one of the best spots in Peckham for laidback good vibes and serious flavour.

Mr Bao

Best for: A ‘neighbourhood Taiwanese’ in south London
Location: 293-295 Rye Lane, London SE15 4UA
Price: ££

As its name suggests, Mr Bao by Peckham Rye excels in light and fluffy bao buns, filled with slow braised pork with peanut; crispy chicken and wasabi mayo, or tofu with ginger and house kimchi. There is also a weekend brunch menu, served with bottomless Bloody Mary cocktails, stirred with a kick of wasabi. The restaurant’s Taiwanese influence extends to the decor, inspired by the docks of Taiwain, with framed antique maps on the wall.

Artusi

Best for: A pocket-sized Italian for perfect pasta
Location: 161 Bellenden Road, London, SE15 4DH
Price: Small plates from 8 GBP

Artusi is a minimalist Italian restaurant on Peckham’s popular Bellenden Road. A confidently concise menu of pasta dishes includes bright green spaghetti with wild garlic and ricotta salata, and chunky twists of casarecce with venison ragu. You might also find whole seabream, braised rabbit leg or beef rump on the menu, which changes regularly. Dishes are accompanied by an all-Italian wine list, and leave room for a scoop of homemade ice cream. Artusi’s sister restaurant, Marcella in Deptford, is also worth a visit.

Persepolis

Best for: Relaxed Persian mezze platters in a corner shop
Location: 28-30 Peckham High Street, London, SE15 5DT
Price: £

The much-loved Persepolis is a sunny yellow shop and restaurant that has brightened up a residential corner of Peckham high street since 2001. Shelves are stacked with Iranian herbs and tins of spices, which flank the deli cafe. Here, owner Sally Butcher serves Persian mezze platters of roasted cauliflower, flatbreads, za’atar and silky dips, followed by homemade ice creams. Persepolis does not serve alcohol but operates a BYOB policy.

The Begging Bowl

Best for: Thai sharing dishes with a Bangkok bang
Location: 168 Bellenden Road, London, SE15 4BW
Price: £££

The Begging Bowl on the corner of Bellenden Road is a Peckham stalwart, celebrated for its transporting plates of Thai cuisine ranging from aromatic curries to crispy chicken wings, hispi cabbage and fiery salads. You can’t book at The Begging Bowl, but put your name on the waitlist and enjoy a drink across the road at the Prince Albert pub until your table is ready.

Still hungry? Continue your culinary tour of London with our insider city guide, from essential restaurants to the best places to eat in Hackney.