Balham is a place difficult to define. Though your office BFF has moved there to escape Clapham – it’s not what it used to be – and residents of Tooting start to feel homesick as soon as they cross the A214, this area once deemed ‘’up and coming’’ still doesn’t feel like it’s quite come up.
That’s not to say that Balham, with feet planted in both Wandsworth and Lambeth, struggles with its identity. There’s a good buzz about the place, with great transport links into both the city and out to the ‘burbs bringing in a young, upwardly mobile demographic.
More still come to eat, drink and make merry. We’re here to focus on the former today, and explore the area with fork and knife firmly in hand. Here are the best places to eat in Balham, South London.
Burning Rose
Ideal for Kingdom-spanning, fully-flavoured Thai food from an Aussie chef with some serious pedigree…
Yep, for many, Balham is the place to be, and such is the demand for property in the area that you’ll find a whole row of estate agents happy to rub shoulders with some of the best restaurants here.
And one of those restaurants is Burning Rose, an open and amiable Thai joint just a stone’s throw (or, in their own words, 8 seconds) from Balham Station that’s making all the right noises about its cooking from the Kingdom.
Originally conceived as a Deliveroo-only affair serving locked-down Londoners during COVID, Burning Rose expanded into a restaurant-proper in June of 2021, and locals can’t get enough of the assertive Thai food here.
The chef at the Rose, Australian Matthew Albert, brings with him some serious pedigree, having spent time in Bangkok heading up the kitchen at the influential Nahm.
This experience can be seen in a carefully composed Royal Thai snack of miang, a tumble of treats including deep fried shallots and toasted shredded coconut, served on a ‘betel’ leaf and all pulled together with a galangal-forward caramel. It’s that ‘sweet/sour/salty/spicy’ thing John Torode might mention everytime Thai is served on Masterchef, all in one bite.
That Royal theme continues with a rich and indulgent massaman, accompanied by flakey, just-slapped roti in the Phuket-style. In fact, this roti is the best bite we’ve had here – you could even say it slaps. Wash this one down with a few Beer Lao (surely the finest of the South East Asian lagers?) and you’re good to go.
Though perhaps the flavour profile at Burning Rose leans a little too heavily on the sweet side of the spectrum on certain dishes (laap, we’re looking at you) for our taste, there’s no denying that this is one of the best restaurants in Balham, and a great place to get your Thai fix south of the river.
If we lived in the area, we’d certainly be calling this one our local. *dials estate agent*
Website: burningrose.co
Address: 7 Chestnut Grove, London SW12 8JA, United Kingdom
Read: Where are the best Thai restaurants in London?
Milk
Ideal for South London’s best brunch…
Has a London district truly arrived unless its premier brunch joint takes great pleasure in experimenting on its residents?
The menu at Milk, a beloved Balham breakfast institution since 2012, feels wilfully obtuse – does anyone really need to be negotiating dehydrated miso, zero waste barista milk snaps, and nutzilla first thing in the morning?
Fortunately, the plates plonked down here don’t take these frivolous descriptions too literally. Instead, Milk’s brunch dishes are poised, playful and perfectly formed, with a lightness of touch that belies the menu’s verbosity.
If you’ve had a long night on the sticky tiles of Infernos, then the must-order here is certainly the Convict (nope, us neither), which features a pork patty of premium Gloucester old spot, streaky bacon, scrambled egg and a secret hangover sauce, all crammed lovingly between the halves of a toasted muffin. Sure, this is a supercharged Sausage and Egg McMuffin, but we love it.
Now, go and have yourself a lie down; you deserve it.
Website: milklondonshop.uk
Address: 20 Bedford Hill, London SW12 9RG, United Kingdom
Gurkha’s
Ideal for intricately spiced, always generous Nepalese food…
We can’t be sure quite when this Balham stalwart lost the word ‘Diner’ from its name; the transition to the more prosaic Gurkha’s was as seamless as yours from Balham’s Overground to under.
But the change does make sense; Gurkha’s, open since 2004, isn’t really a diner at all, instead knocking out Nepalese dishes full of flavour and heart, all in a room defined by starched white tablecloths, a keen sense of grandeur, and the odd nod to the eponymous soldiers’ role in the British Army during the Second World War.
A favourite of the legendary chef Michel Roux Jr. (who lives in the area), this is Nepalese cooking with a sense of occasion. The intricately plaited momo cha that grace just about every table here looking like a choir singing ‘ooooooh’ is a case in point, with these famous dumplings having just the right amount of bounce and plenty of delicious fatty minced lamb within.
That’s all offset with a spicy tomato and sesame dipping sauce that’s both familiar and alluring, and all presented in a swipes-and-splodges style that would’ve been more home a couple of decades prior… In the best possible way of course.
There are some excellent curries at Gurkha’s, too, all designed to be mopped up with the restaurant’s superb bread – the guliyo roti, sweet with raisins and toasted nuts, is perfect for pulling through the rich, nuanced sauces.
For something more assertive, mayur lamb – a piquant, mouth-puckering curry given zip and zest by tamarind and lemon – is properly sour and properly spicy, and calls out for several ice cold Khukuris. It’s an addictive combination.
Website: gurkhasbalham.co.uk
Address: 1, The Boulevard, Balham High Rd, London SW17 7BW, United Kingdom
Read: Where to eat the spiciest food in London
Bucci
Ideal for a rambunctious, vivacious flavour of Italian hospitality…
Bucci made headlines in 2018 for its apparent historic links to Italian organised crime, but there’s nothing criminal about the cooking (sorry) at this fine neighbourhood restaurant.
Whether you’re dropping in for a quick bowl of the restaurant’s spaghetti al pomodoro (which clocks in at under a tenner) and a glass of house red, or you’re seeking primi, secondi and the rest, you’ll receive the same warm welcome from the vivacious Luigi, all open arms and complementary limoncello. Who can argue with that?
Be warned; Buccis sure do pack them in, and if you’re one of those diners who likes to complain about the acoustics, this one probably isn’t for you. But if you relish the rolling boil of a dining room in full song, then you’ll feel very much at home here.
Make yourself heard over the clamour and clatter and assertively order the restaurant’s fritto misto, which is fried to order and arrives as light as you like. Follow that with saltimbocca alla Romana – the beloved Roman dish of breaded, fried veal escalope with sage – and then a big ol’ block of tiramisu because it’s that kind of place, and you’ll leave Bucci with your ears ringing but an itch very much scratched.
As with the three restaurants that have preceded this one on our list, Bucci boasts a couple of terrace tables ideal for a spot of alfresco dining, something that seems to be mandatory for Balham eateries on the main drag.
Not at all of them, though, will you find the same atmosphere and great food that you do at Bucci. The restaurant claims to be Balham’s longest running, and long may it continue.
Website: bucci-restaurant.com
Address: 195 Balham High Rd, London SW12 9BE, United Kingdom
Seventeen Fish & Chips
Ideal for fish and chips done right…
Fans of Netflix’s divisive, charming Somebody Feed Phil will know that the best fish in chips in London are found south of the river. Indeed, Ken’s Fish Bar, where restaurant critic Jay Rayner takes Phil on Season 3, Episode 3, is only a couple of miles east of Balham, over in Herne Hill.
Such is the quality of the south London chippy that you won’t even have to hop on the 155 out of Balham if you’re keen to have a damn good fish and chips in this neck of the woods. Just up the road and within walking distance, there’s Moxie’s Fish Bar, and even closer, you’ll find Seascape Fish Bar and Ocean Fish Bar, all three of which do an expertly realised chippy tea for around a tenner.
If you’re looking to sit and luxuriate a little longer in the experience, however, then it’s the Seventeen Fish & Chips you should head. With its white tiled walls, grainy wooden tables, and plank floors illuminated by dangling lights, there’s a charming, clinical vibe to proceedings in the dining room, which is kind of what you want from your chippy, don’t you think?
On the menu, the usual suspects of cod, haddock and plaice are deep-fried to a rich golden hue, the chips are just the right side of soggy, and the saveloys, Pieminister pies and vinegary sides are all present and correct.
Seventeen is licensed too, with Camden Hells, Red Stripe and a couple of other lagers sold here. That’s our dreary Tuesday evening sorted then.
Instagram: seventeenfishandchips
Address: 17 Chestnut Grove, London SW12 8JA
Taro
Ideal for a light and luxurious Japanese lunch…
The Balham outpost of Taro is the sixth brand of this mini-chain, its ‘everyday’ Japanese food offering and overwhelmingly extensive menu seemingly catnip to busy Londoners who still care about flavour.
This restaurant, which once operated as a café, has retained its dark walls and one massive stretch of green leather banquette seating, but now has some sake bottles adorning the open shelves, making it feel like a very narrow pub or, you know, an izakaya that’s making the best of a small space, as they do in the motherland.
The menu sprawls to over a dozen pages, with sushi, ramen, stir fries, yakitori and more all making an appearance. Ordering a little erratically can quickly add up. It’s best, then, to pitch up at lunch and order a bento box, which is remarkably good value at around the £10 mark. For that half sheet, you’ll get a generous helping of teriyaki chicken, salmon or duck, all glazed beautifully with rice, mixed salad, edamame and miso soup. For just a couple of quid more, the sushi bento boasts two rolls, two nigiri, and several slices of freshly cut salmon sashimi. Lovely stuff.
Though not quite our favourite ramen in town, Taro certainly do a fine bowl of the good stuff, the pork ramen replete with three massive slices of tender, fatty chashu, and a thin, revitalising soya broth. Yours for just £11.90. Throw in a glass or two of dry, chilled Ozeki sake to cut through the spice, and you’ve got yourself one of Balham’s best lunches. Kanpai!
Website: tarorestaurants.uk
Address: 193 Balham High Rd, London SW12 9BE
Lahore Karahi
Ideal for trying one of London’s most cherished curry houses…
Okay, we admit that we’re stepping just a few hundred metres out of Balham for our final restaurant entry, but we had to end our list on a high, and Lahore Karahi, Tooting’s cherished Pakistani curry house (in reality, more of a canteen) definitely provides the necessary endorphin rush.
Read: 7 dishes to try on your holiday to Pakistan
Not that we’re complaining about the simple surrounds in which you can get stuck into a vast array of chops, chaat, kebabs, dhal, biriyani and the rest. Serving up the good stuff since 1995, this place is a South London rites of passage for a reason; it’s just the place to eat heaps of keenly priced, keenly spiced food, and is absolutely hopping every night of the week.
Yep, that’s right; every night, and every day too actually, as Lahore Karahi opens from 10am to midnight daily, with what we can only assume is an industrial-sized kitchen out back cooking up massive vats of their famous chicken tikka masala karahi and mutton dopiaza.
Sure, the service here might be a little haphazard and the elbow room scant, but that all adds to the charm of the place. Oh, and it’s BYO, too. What’s not to love?
Website: lahorekarahi.co.uk
Address: 1 Tooting High St, London SW17 0SN, United Kingdom
Room for one more? Haul yourself over to the Tooting Broadway next, hop on the Northern Line, and head to these great restaurants near London Waterloo. You know you want to!