London Bridge may be falling down, but its options for dining are well and truly on the up. Formerly a busy commercial centre dedicated to the production of leather, felt, pottery and soap (as well as a few more illicit activities), the area around London Bridge is now arguably most well known for its restaurants and food markets.
But with such wealth of options comes the paradox of choice, which can grip you so hard in this neck of the woods that you suffocate.
We’re here to ease the pain. We’ve slurped every strand of spaghetti, put away several tons of pilaf and got through our weight in guac, to bring you this; our guide on where to eat in London Bridge, and the best restaurants near London Bridge Station.
Santo Remedio, Tooley Street
Ideal for modern Mexican street food in a relaxed and eclectic atmosphere…
There’s been plenty of discourse in recent months about the state of Mexican food in the UK, made all the more fervent by a poorly-pitched episode of Great British Bake Off ‘celebrating’ the country’s cuisine.
But to be dismissive of the standard of Mexican restaurants here would be to do a disservice to Santo Remedio, a boisterous, beautiful place to enjoy some of the best food in the vicinity of London Bridge Station.
The first thing that hits you when you walk through the door is the noise, in the best possible way, of course. This is a restaurant where big groups congregate, converse animatedly and put away quite a few margaritas; if you ever want to witness the restorative nature of a busy, buzzing restaurant, you should head here, make no mistake.
The food certainly isn’t an afterthought to the atmosphere. The signatures here – a grasshopper topped guacamole, with the insect bringing both crunch and a distinctive, floral citrus hit, and a tempura soft shell crab taco, which is a textural delight – are just that for a reason. But don’t miss the sharing seabass a la Talla (a traditional dish from Acapulco) either, which comes adorned in both red and green salsas, and is delicious as it is eye-catching.
At the weekend between 12:30pm and 16:30pm, Santo Remedio does a popular bottomless brunch, which sees margaritas, wine, beer and cava freely flowing for two hours, for £33 a person. All you have to do is order a dish or two off the menu. Go on then, you’ve twisted our arm…
Address: 35B, Arch, 85B Southwark Bridge Rd, London SE1 0NQ, United Kingdom
Website: santoremedio.co.uk
Bar Douro, Flat Iron Square
Ideal for Portuguese plates and wine set inside an azulejos-tiled dining room…
It feels like London Bridge and Portuguese food have a natural affinity, with the beloved peri-peri chicken joint Casa do Frango (more of that later) and superlative (though now sadly closed) Londrino both finding their feet here. That should come as no surprise, with London’s very own Little Portgual just a 15 minute tube ride south to Stockwell.
London Bridge, Little Portugal or Leytonstone, our favourite Portuguese place in the whole of the city is Bar Douro, the superb small plates restaurant nestled under a railway arch in London’s vibrant Flat Iron Square.
This charming eatery boasts a stunning blue-and-white azulejos-tiled dining room, transporting you to the heart of Lisbon or Porto and those instantly recognisable streets. Pull up a pew at the counter here and enjoy the show; Executive Chef Neuza leads his meticulously drilled team in a kitchen that throbs with almost as much energy as the plates. Almost…
Of those plates, we’re enamoured with the grilled ox tongue, served with a piquant salsa verde positively humming with garlic (insert joke about ‘not eating this one a first date’ here). Even better is the luxurious arroz de pato malandrinho – a brooding little number of rice cooked in both duck stock and fat, served with slices of duck breast and a funky chouriço that’s closer to Toulouse sausage than a Spanish chorizo. It’s comfort food at its finest. Oh, and the salt cod fritters – let’s just say you’d be a fool not to order them. One of the best things to eat in all of London Bridge? We certainly so.
The winelist at Bar Douro is well worthy of note, too, with the restaurant boasting the largest selection of Portuguese wines in the UK. So of note, in fact, that in 2019 Wine List Confidential awarded Bar Douro ‘London’s Best Iberian Wine List’. The perfect excuse to have another glass, we think…
Address: 35B, Arch, 85B Southwark Bridge Rd, London SE1 0NQ, United Kingdom
Website: bardouro.co.uk
Kin + Deum, Crucifix Lane
Ideal for contemporary Thai cuisine and creative cocktails inspired by the bars of Bangkok…
Meaning ‘eat and drink’ in Thai, the restaurant’s name is a gentle, straightforward invitation that seems to translate to the wholesome plates, plant tonics and general easy-going vibe at Kin + Deum.
It’s a family-run affair. Led by three stylish Thai siblings from the Inngern family, there’s a real focus on nutrition and balance here; the restaurant doesn’t use refined sugars or MSG (for better or worse) and it’s a 100% gluten-free affair to boot. The paired back but gorgeous interiors of the restaurant further reflect this.
The recipes here are nominally based on dishes heralding from Bangkok, though really the menu spans the whole country, with laap salad from the North East, khao soi curry noodle soup from the North, and panang from the deep south of Thailand. Hey, there’s even a katsu curry, Kin + Deum style, if you’re hankering for it.
Regardless of origin, the cooking here is fantastic; though there’s a lightness of touch in the dishes, that isn’t in the name of sacrificing chilli heat or punchy acidity. Nope, it’s all here, and it’s all very delicious, indeed, making it one of the very best choices for great food in London Bridge, Thai or otherwise.
When it comes to the ‘deum’ side of the menu, you’ll find Thai Tea’s and terrific tonics like the their beautifully blue butterfly pea drink. If you’re after creative cocktails, then this is the place to come. The menu is inspired by the owners’ favourite cocktails found in Bangkok’s buzzing bar scene, and their coconut lychee mojito is excellent.
Speaking of Bangkok’s bars, we’re hoping that the owners will read this and try the ‘Go Nuts’ cocktail at BBK Social Club, which draws on the uniquely fragrant aromas of pandan infused whiskey, lemongrass and nutty hazelnuts – it’s worth flying to BKK for, but we’d rather hop on the train and try a version at Kin + Deum… Just sayin’!
Address: 2 Crucifix Ln, London SE1 3JW, United Kingdom
Website: kindeum.com
Padella, Southwark Street
Ideal for fresh, hand rolled pasta that makes up some of London’s most iconic dishes
Step out of London Bridge Station in search of good food, and you’ll be delivered from your tube trip and into Padella’s massive queue with barely a blink in between.
The queues snaking round the block tell you two things about Padella; firstly, you can’t reserve a place at this London Bridge hotspot. And secondly, the food is worth the wait.
Counter top seating overlooks enthusiastic young cooks caressing fresh pasta and charming punters in tandem, and everything feels right in the world. The bowls, fresh and ever so simple, celebrate the pasta first and foremost, with the pappardelle with beef shin ragu a rich and ribald affair.
The signature pici cacio e pepe, a riff on the Roman classic pasta dish but here using an unusually squat version of pici, is as good as when Padella first opened, not diluted an iota by the restaurant’s continued success, though it should be noted that its price has almost doubled (a sign of the times, no doubt) in just a few years.
Anyway, that continued success has led to a second branch in Shoreditch if you can’t get a seat at the mothership. Up across the river (take the bus to Curtain Road, leaving from London Bridge Stop M, if you’re asking) they even take bookings.
Address: 6 Southwark St, London SE1 1TQ, United Kingdom
Website: padella.co
Read: Where to eat near Shoreditch High Street Station
Sollip, Melior Street
Ideal for a subtle, seasonal and sophisticated tasting menu with influences from Korea…
One of London’s most interesting restaurant openings of recent years, Sollip is a subtle place in every way. From its unassuming location on Melior Street – a street that London Bridge estate agents will tell you is one of the most sought after in the area – all the way to the refined dining room and sophisticated cooking coming out of the husband-and-wife led kitchen, this is a place that oozes class.
Here, it’s a no-choice, tasting menu affair which blends ingredients and influences from the the owners’ homeland South Korea with French cooking sensibilities, with dishes regularly changing to reflect the seasons.
At £135 a head, it’s certainly not cheap, and though that price-point certainly falls into the ‘premium’ category, there are some seriously top-notch ingredients on that menu, with a pairing of wagyu beef – on our last visit, served Tteokgalbi-style, minced and in a patty – and Orkney scallop treated with real deftness.
A savoury daikon tarte tatin remains something of a menu mainstay, and for good reason; the pastry is delicate as you like and the daikon texturally alluring.
Sollip is a special occasion kind of place, for sure, but what a place it is.
Address: Unit 1, 8 Melior St, London SE1 3QP, United Kingdom
Website: sollip.co.uk
Jose, Bermondsey Street
Ideal for some of the best tapas you’ll find this side of Punta de Estaca de Bares…
There’s a heap of tapas options in and around London Bridge and Borough, but for us, Jose, in Bermondsey, takes the galleta. Jose Pizarro is something of a London celebrity, a chef of great geniality and generosity, and this translates itself into the warm welcome at any of his London joints.
Jose has the feel of a San Sebastian pinxtos bar, with plenty of standing and bar stools, and chalkboard menu to match. You wouldn’t feel out of place dropping in here for a glass of wine and one plate. Equally, you can have a feast of tapas classics and a few larger, ingredients-led plates, all detailed on the restaurant’s blackboard.
If there are clams on the menu, order them. Here, they’re often done in the ‘marinera’ style; that is, in light, acidic sauce made from white wine, chopped tomatoes, smoked paprika and plenty of garlic. Perhaps even better are when it’s served as those from the Basque country do, with salsa verde. Either way, it’s a reliably fantastic order at Jose, one of London Bridge’s best places to eat.
Address: 104 Bermondsey St, London SE1 3UB, United Kingdom
Website: josepizarro.com
Read: Where to eat on Bermondsey Street
Casa do Frango, Southwark Street
Ideal for Portuguese plates and a true taste of the Algarve in a light, bright room…
You’ll find a Nandos just a five minute walk away from London Bridge Station on Clink Street, sure, but even closer (and quite possibly, better) is Caso Do Frango, whose grilled chicken qualifies as truly top notch. Considering half a chicken is only a couple of quid more here than the cost of a ‘cheeky’ one, Caso Do Frango feels like a fairly thrifty treat, too.
At the restaurant, chickens are grilled over wood-charcoal, ensuring a smoky finish and blistered skin, with their secret Piri-Piri blend providing a satisfying kick of chilli.
It’s not all about the chicken, though; the supporting acts and side dishes are fantastic, too, particularly the rice with crispy chicken skin and chorizo, rounded off with plantain, which is an inspired touch. We’re also big fans of their charred cauliflower, which is marinated in honey, lemon and piri-piri, and served smothered in coriander yoghurt and topped with pistachios.
Housed in a converted 19th-century industrial warehouse, the dining room at Casa do Frango is a feast for the eyes as well as the palate. Vaulted ceilings, arched windows, and exposed brickwork create a warm and breezy atmosphere, while greenery draped skylights add a touch of whimsy to the space.
That said, it’s a dining room where you can often feel a little exposed. For a more intimate experience, venture into The Green Room, a speakeasy-style bar hidden behind an unmarked door. Here, you can indulge in creative cocktails infused with Portuguese spirit; the properly pert Piri-Piri Margarita is excellent.
Casa do Frango’s commitment to authenticity extends beyond their food, with an entirely Portuguese wine list featuring rich reds from the Douro Valley and effervescent Vinho Verde from Monção. For those with a sweet tooth, the dessert menu celebrates national culinary icons like Pastéis de Nata, made fresh on-site daily and wonderfully wobbly in all the right places.
Address: 32 Southwark St, London SE1 1TU, United Kingdom
Website: casadofrango.co.uk
40 Maltby Street, Maltby Street Market
Ideal for smart, seasonal dishes from one of London’s most beloved wine bars…
Nestled between London Bridge and Bermondsey stations, 40 Maltby Street is a gem that many in the know call their favourite London restaurant. To be fair, it’s actually kind of hard to call 40 Maltby Street a restaurant – it’s a wine importer and bar first and foremost, with a kind of spare tunnel of a dining room tacked onto its kitchen, built into the railway arches it calls home.
The wine bottles that line the walls form the backbone of visual intrigue here, shaking ominously every time a train rumbles above. Not that any of this distracts from things; here, it simply allows the focus to fall firmly on the ever-changing, seasonally-appropriate chalkboard menu of around 12 dishes.
Though it’s rendered in a scrawl almost illegible, what a menu it is, with the kitchen thriving under the culinary direction of head chef Steve Williams, who is celebrated for his judicious use of British produce. Williams creates dishes that are both simple and spectacular, boasting a refined touch recognisable from his time leading the Harwood Arms kitchen when it became the first pub in London to win a Michelin star.
The tarts here are, quite simply, must-orders, with elegant pastry work and seasonally appropriate, expertly judged fillings leading to some truly masterful creations. A recent quiche-adjacent asparagus and bacon tart, with a salsa verde-dressed watercress salad on the side, was wonderful, the egg custard set just right – not too firm, certainly not too runny – and its piquant salad sparring partner the perfect foil to the tart’s richer, saltier tones.
Even better, slices of roast beef that are warmed gently so the yellow, sweet fat is melting but the rest remains blushing, are served with fried Jersey Royals and a properly piquant horseradish number. Yep, this is a glorious expression of late spring produce, and with that tart clocking in at £11 and the beef at £26, you’ve got yourself a damn good, light meal for two for under £40.
Though matching wine with asparagus can be a tricky ask, the Potron Miney Pari Trouillas Rosé, which is currently being poured by the glass, pairs beautifully with the tart, its fresh acidity just the right foil for the asparagus’ more vegetal notes. So, pour one up and luxuriate in some sunshine, both on the plate and just outside 40 Maltby Street’s flung-open doors.
Open from Wednesday dinner to Saturdays for both lunch and dinner, 40 Maltby Street does not accept reservations, ensuring a spontaneous and vibrant atmosphere reflective of the bustling market area it resides in.
Address: 40 Maltby St, London SE1 3PG
Website: 40maltbystreet.com
O’ver, Southwark Street
Ideal for gourmet pizzas made with premium ingredients…
Would you like some seawater with your pizza, sir? Rather than being poured by the glass by a very confused sommelier, ‘O Ver’s USP is that they are the first restaurant in the UK to use 100% seawater in their dough, with the stuff imported from the Bay of Naples to hammer home those authenticity chops.
That seawater is said to lead to a light, digestible dough, and whilst we can’t speak with authority on why that might be the case scientifically, from a diner’s perspective it’s hard to argue with the claim. These are wonderfully airy – and yes, digestible – pizzas, hitting the table with a canotto that seemingly inhales and exhales whilst the requisite photos are taken (why have people started saying “the phone eats first” quite so much, by the way?).
Pizza is meant to be eaten fresh and hot, so fuck the phones. Ours has come from the ‘gourmet pizzas’ section of the menu, which is a joy. Rather than experimental affairs, it’s simply a roll call of some of the finest ingredients that could be imported from Italy, with the spaccanapoli pizza brimming with the sweet, bitter minerality of only the best Vesuvio tomatoes and the milkiest burrata straight from Puglia. What a joy this pizza is, and so it should be for £20.
Though there are two branches of ‘O Ver, one in London Bridge and one in St James’s, it’s the former that’s the original, and the outpost that was recently named in the top 30 pizzerias in Europe. It’s easy to see why.
Address: 44-46 Southwark St, London SE1 1UN
Website: overuk.com
Read: The IDEAL 22 best pizzas in London
Trivet, Snowsfields
Ideal for Michelin-starred plates of pedigree and precision…
A short stroll from London Bridge, Trivet offers a sophisticated dining experience that has earned it two Michelin stars in just five years of doing business. It’s arguably the best starred experience in London Bridge, which should come as no surprise when you consider the pedigree behind the operation.
Founded by chef Jonny Lake and sommelier Isa Bal, both alumni of the legendary Fat Duck, Trivet opened its doors in October 2019 and has somehow managed to both earn accolades and keep things relaxed and refined, without an unseemly hype machine forever circling, reeling and story-ing.
The restaurant’s design, crafted by Umay Çeviker, helps emphasise this elegant understatement, blending natural wood textures with Mediterranean, Japanese and Nordic influences. The menu at Trivet continues this theme, and is a testament to Lake’s and Bal’s extensive experience, featuring dishes that are both highly inventive and strangely comforting, with premium ingredients treated with the most delicate of touches.
A little less delicate, admittedly, are the a la carte prices – you’ll be paying nearly £40 for a dish of stuffed morels, crispy chicken oyster, wild garlic and parmesan, whilst a main of grilled Cornish turbot with leek ragu is in the mid-sixties, but boy will you get clarity of flavour from your investment. If you’re simultaneously baulking at those prices and salivating at the idea of such pristine ingredients not getting fucked with, then fear not; Trivet also offers a ‘Lunch at Trivet’ situation where things feel eminently more reasonable.
Running from Wednesday to Saturday, from midday to 3pm, you’ll find the same star-quality cooking, but with dishes a little lighter and prices accordingly lower. The hot tongue brioche bun with anchovy mayo, fermented blueberries and blackcurrant mostarda is, quite frankly, a masterpiece (and just £14).
Notably, the wine list at Trivet is uniquely arranged in chronological order based on the earliest mentions of wines in literature, showcasing a deep respect for historical richness and gastronomic storytelling. And with our own gastronomic storytelling in danger of getting a little chronologically confusing, we’re returning to the food menu for dessert, which has got to be Trivet’s iconic baked potato mille feuille, which is layered with an intoxicating sake and white chocolate mousse. Christ, it’s good, and we’d appreciate being left alone with it now. Byyyeeeee.
Address: 36 Snowsfields, London SE1 3SU
Website: trivetrestaurant.co.uk
