The best restaurants in Peckham, 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.

A new romantic comedy, Rye Lane, also puts the south-east London neighbourhood in the spotlight, capturing the charm and vibrancy of the area, directed by Raine Allen-Miller.

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

Where to eat in Peckham

Levan and Bar Levan

Best for: two lively locals with distinct flair
Location: 12-16 Blenheim Grove, London, SE15 4QL
Price: Small plates from 12.9 GBP at Levan; wines from 6 GBP

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). Keep an eye on their socials for special tasting menus that run for a few days at a time; these have included a menu centred on Basque cuisine, and a Something Fishy set menu that playfully explored the full possibilities of seafood. Before taking your seat, check out Bar Levan next door – the Levan team’s new wine bar. With dark red walls, dim 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.

Kudu

Best for: Cocktails and small plates for special occasions
Location: 119 Queen’s Road, London, SE15 2EZ
Price: Small plates from 10 GBP; large plates 28 GBP

With its dusty pink brick walls and velvet malachite-toned banquettes, Kudu charms from the off. Throw in a menu of South African-inspired cuisine, and you have one of the best restaurants in Peckham. The renowned Kudu brioche bread is served fresh from the oven with melted smoked bacon butter or garlicky seafood butter (we recommend ordering both). From there, it’s tender lamb, slow cooked over charcoal and served with smoked yoghurt, and skewers of peri peri chicken. Plant-based dishes are equally exciting, including carrots roasted in ras el hanout and burrata with walnut pesto. The restaurant is owned by South African chef Patrick Williams and his partner Amy Corbin, the daughter of renowned restauranteur Chris Corbin. The original Kudu restaurant is accompanied by Smokey Kudu, a cocktail bar beneath Peckham’s railway arches and the more casual Kudu Grill.

Jumbi

Best for: African-Caribbean soul food and vinyl records
Location: Unit 4.1, Copeland Park, 133 Copeland Road, London, SE15 3SN
Price: Small plates from 8.60 GBP

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. Well Fed Naz runs the kitchen, which serves Jumbi Lemak, a house spin on the Malaysian nasi lemak dish, which tops fragrant rice with crispy chicken, prawn or mushroom; plantain piononos pies with braised beef or black bean, and chunky Trinidad-inspired flatbreads with an array of fiery fillings. 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: Small plates from 8.50 GBP

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: Small plates from 8 GBP

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’s equally good sister restaurant, Forza Win, is based in nearby Camberwell.

Peckham Cellars

Best for: Excellent wine and a warm, relaxed atmosphere
Location: 125 Queen’s Road, London, SE15 2ND
Price: Small plates from 8 GBP

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: Dishes from 7.50 GBP

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: Bao buns from 4.70 GBP

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: Small plates from 5 GBP

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: Small plates from 3.50 GBP 

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.

Café Britaly, Peckham

Best for: British meets Italian cooking 
Location: 191 Rye Ln, London, SE15 4TP
Price: Small plates from 4.50 GBP; large plates from 14 GBP 

Peckham’s much-anticipated Café Britaly officially opened in May 2024, and if you hadn’t already guessed by the name, the food is a blend of British and Italian cooking. Brought to life by Richard Crampton-Platt and Alex Purdie – who first met in the kitchen of Soho’s Bocca Di Luppo – menus take inspiration from their shared love of 1950s cafe culture in London: think no-fuss breakfast sandwiches alongside grand evening specials. Be sure to try the extra-creamy carbonara served with a fried egg, and don’t miss the busiate pasta with asparagus, peas and broccoli.

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