Bermondsey Street

Guest Post - SE1 resident and Team List regular Jane gives her top tips for eating out in Bermondsey:

I first got to know Bermondsey Street back in 2010 when Lee (currently team lister no. 6) moved here, before which I hadn't known what I'd been missing. After an unrivaled first meal at Zucca, we contemplated our opening local challenge - to complete the, then substantially smaller, restaurant list that Bermondsey Street provided. Three years later I'm a local resident and the Bermondsey Street phenomenon has evolved to include an even more exciting array of restaurants and cafes, which seems to have filtered into the surroundings with nearby Maltby Street market, Tozinos, 40 Maltby Street, the Bread Pedlar and a whole host of local breweries. A good website for keeping up to date with changes to the Bermondsey scene is London-SE1.co.uk. 

Zucca remains the stalwart of Bermondsey Street, providing fresh Italian dining in a clean cut, modern environment. Within weeks of opening this restaurant had gained top notch reviews from the best in the industry and had also topped the trip advisor London restaurant rankings. I've eaten here at least three times now and am never disappointed. The menu is changed daily and usually consists of the signature dish, yes it's zucca (pumpkin), a range of starters, a couple of pasta dishes and delicious mains of meat and fish. It feels like the prices have slightly risen over the years but the food's so good it's nothing to complain about. I'm told a new pizzeria and gelateria called Farina is being opened next door by the same owner, Sam Harris, in the coming year. I'll definitely be one of the first in.

Zucca

Jose and Pizarro are two equal favourites on the same street both run by the former Brindisa chef, Jose Pizarro. I think Señor Pizarro outdoes Brindisa in style and atmosphere with both restaurants and the food is outstanding too.

Jose Pizarro

Jose is a small (but perfectly formed) tapas and sherry bar, which is consistently overflowing of a weeknight. It has a busy, authentically Spanish feel. The no bookings policy means you might be hard-pressed to get an inch of space (let alone a chair) but that just adds to the charm. Tapas is reasonably priced at under £9 a dish and is original and seasonal. Pizarro is the restaurant counterpart to Jose, offering full Spanish mains and you can book in advance. The food and atmosphere here is similarly high quality, I particularly like the tables made from reformed sherry crates.

The latest addition to Bermondsey Street is Casse-Croûte, a french cafe-style restaurant. Following on from the authentic Spanish and Italian food in Jose, Pizzarro and Zucca, Casse-Croûte has a truly French vibe. Owner, Herve Durochat, greets local friends with kisses on both cheeks and exclamations in French, whilst the menu on the blackboard is written in French only (although the waitress was very obliging in explaining it to us). The popularity of this restaurant from day one means booking ahead is a must and on arrival you'll find your name scrawled across your tablecloth, a great touch. Meals are affordable and delicious, all of a French style. We visited shortly after it opened and couldn't resist ordering a full three courses despite intentions to be restrained. I'm hoping this will become a new regular for me.

The Garrison is a popular, longstanding gastropub of Bermondsey Street offering British-french cuisine in a friendly environment. Although it does feel decidedly more restaurant than pub... We were lucky enough to be seated at table sixteen which comes with small drawers filled to the brim with notes and doodles from previous customers - providing entertainment for the rest of our meal. I've only eaten here once; the food was acceptable but for me The Garrison doesn't match the quality or charm of the restaurants above. The restaurant also has a small cinema on the lower floor which you can rent for private viewings but also has free films on Sundays.

Antico is another Italian on Bermondsey Street. It offers some great deals for lunch and early dinner and I believe is also on the Taste card. I've eaten here a few times and particularly enjoyed the Sunday brunch. Others have been disappointed with the heat and acoustics (very 'buzzy') of the place but I like the atmosphere when full. The service and food is good but for Italian on this street I'd always preference Zucca.  Underneath Antico you can find 214 Bermondsey, a specialist gin bar - read more here.

Village East offers an English-French menu and has been here for some time. It has a good bar with cocktails, is open late and has a decidedly city-ish clientele. My dining experience here was satisfactory for the money (around £16 for a main) but did not stand out.

Tanner & Co has recently opened in the former premises of Delphina. Whilst I haven't managed to make it to eat here yet, I did pop in for a quick drink the other day. The place is decked out like an old school gym with ropes hanging from the ceiling and vault horses for seats. Drinks include the standard cocktails, beers and wine and the food is of a reasonable price.

Last but not least, B Street Deli opened at the end of November. As well as offering up cheeses, hams and pastries throughout the day it's open late into the night (11pm) for drinks and platters. The drinks selection, chosen by their head provisioner, is very interesting. We tried a couple of good red wines but also a Pineau and a fantastic Cognac, aged for 35 years, from Grande Champagne. They also stock the excellent local Jensen's Gin and Volcano Coffee, based in SE21, which makes a nice change from the now ubiquitous Monmouth. I'd thoroughly recommend a stop by for a glass of wine and a cheeseboard to be followed by some of that delicious Cognac.

If you enjoyed this, why not check out these Bermondsey related List posts:

Breweries and Bar Tozino
Maltby Street Market
214 Bermondsey Gin Bar

The Refinery - London Bridge Pubs - Katzenjammers - 214 Bermondsey

Friday April 12th - Sam and I planned to play some tennis in the afternoon, but a combination of the rain and Sam's drinking of two pints over lunch led us to skip the exercise and move straight on to The Refinery near Southwark.  The Refinery is a pub for city boys (lager-fest on tap) and a cocktail bar for city girls (ludicrous cocktails on offer) that can either be packed and unpleasant, or relaxed and enjoyable depending on when you go.  The bar is run by Drake and Morgan who are behind The Anthologist (Bank), The Folly (Monument), The Drift (Liverpool Street) and The Parlour (Canary Wharf) and The Happenstance (St.Pauls).

The Refinery

Sam headed to the empty bar to get us a couple of Brewskis (beer cocktails).  Sadly for Sam, the cocktail menu has just been revamped, so it took the barman longer than usual to make the drinks.  Meanwhile, a crowd of lager-drinking blokes built up behind him, getting progressively more annoyed by Sam's order as the barman went back and forth to find the odd ingredients and garnishes - "Oh, he's gone to get another bloody flower!" etc.

The cocktail list is impressive and fun, with several made to share in quirky containers which you can actually buy to take home. The most interesting one on the menu is Goldfish in a Bag which includes pink grapefruit 'fish' and edible lily pads, presented in a goldfish bag.  If we had been hungry, we would have gone for a Beer Flight - 3 beer samples each served with a miniature canapé version of a classic dish (fish and chips, burgers etc) - or one of their three types of fries (Roman, Samurai or Cowboy?).  We also liked the flavour wheels for wine, beer and cocktails included in the menu.  It's a good looking place with a really great choice of food and drink, but go at the wrong time and it will seem like an ordinary banker bar! Time it carefully.

We moved on and had a quick drink at 3 of London Bridge's best pubs - Brew Wharf, The Rake and The Wheatsheaf.  If you are not a beer fan - skip ahead. Brew Wharf is tucked down a cobbled side street near Borough Market, and has a wide selection of Meantime beer alongside a couple of its own home brewed beers. Sit outside with the wonderful umbrella art installation, if the weather allows!  Wine Wharf is next door of that doesn't take your fancy.

We wandered a few yards down the road for our next stop.  The Rake is owned by Utobeer, who run a fantastic beer shop at Borough Market.  On certain days you can fill up your own Growler (0.5 litre bottle) with their beer to takeaway (at the shop that is).  The tiny pub has an excellent selection of beers and a wall covered in friendly notes from brewers that have visited the pub over the years.  As we were leaving we were joined by one of Sam's flatmates, Henry, making his List début.

The Rake

On our way from The Rake to The Wheatsheaf we passed by The Wheatsheaf (yep, that's what I said), a refurbished pub on Stoney Street next to Borough Market that has a beer garden complete with a hipster street kitchen van.  Also nearby is The Wine Pantry, an interesting little shop where you can sample many wines on tap, and match them with cured meats and cheeses. There is another one in St.Pancras station.

The Wheatsheaf - Stoney Street

The Wine Pantry

We then moved on to the other Wheatsheaf on Southwark Street, a great underground pub that is free of Borough market crowds due to it's unimpressive exterior. Here we were joined by Sam's other flatmate, Tom Rex (T.Rex - best name ever?), completing our team for the evening. They had a great selection of ales on, and it was the perfect place to stop off before heading to Katzenjammers next door.  You are really spoilt for choice for drinking around London Bridge if you know where to look.  If those pubs aren't enough, head over towards Tower Bridge to find The Dean Swift, The Draft House and Simon the Tanner.  Has anyone completed that dream of a pub crawl in one day? 

The Wheatsheaf - Southwark Street

We moved on to Katzenjammers, an underground Bierkeller (German beer hall) on Southwark Street.  It's a fantastic place to go any night of the week, but on Fridays they don't take any bookings as drinkers in the know jostle for space to see the Oompah Brass band.

Get there as early as you can so that you can get a table near the band, order yourself some steins of Bavarian beer and settle in for the entertainment. Oompah kicked off with a traditional German brass tune before powering through an incredible range of pop covers (they describe themselves as the world's leading exponents of 'Oom-pop') from Britney Spears to Queen that got everyone singing along and swinging their steins left and right.   If you sit right next to them, you will probably have a french horn on your head at some point, or a trombone slide poking you in the face. They will also happily drink any beer that you send their way.  Their trumpeter may be related to Maynard Ferguson?

It was whilst Sam was swinging his glass (imagine the Stonecutters scene in The Simpsons) that I suddenly found myself covered in Henry's beer and broken glass.  If this was any old English pub, an argument would have probably broken out with the people sharing our table, but our neighbours were so friendly (as I often find in the German pubs in London) that they just cheered and cleared it up for us!  The long bench seating arrangement always leads to this sociable atmosphere.  I have had similarly fun times at Bierschenke in Temple, and the Bavarian Beerhouse in Old Street - both of these would be great places to go and watch the upcoming German vs Spanish Champions League semi-finals.  I can't personally recommend any Spanish venues although apparently Bradley's Spanish Bar in Tottenham Court Road is a good place to start.  Any insider tips from Spanish Londoners?

We were eventually kicked out of Katzenjammers at closing time, but we still had one place left that was handily open late and situated en route to Sam's flat.  214 Bermondsey is a gin and cocktail bar hidden underneath the Antico Italian restaurant on Bermondsey Street.  It has only opened recently (having previously been a bar owned by Antico) and so hasn't been discovered by the masses yet.  T.Rex and I both went for their Gin Flight Tests - you are given three gin and tonics (making use of their homemade tonic) with tasting notes, and are invited to guess which is which, with the answers provided in a sealed envelope.  It's a clever way to introduce drinkers to a few of the daunting 50 or so gins on offer, and might even tempt some non-gin drinkers to convert.  Gin Mare was the standout from the 6 that we tried.  Head down there before it fills up!

Thanks to Sam for a big effort (6 places if you count all the pubs), and to his flamates Henry and Tom, who pick up 4 and 3 points respectively.  The beer and gin clearly had an effect - Henry, Tom and I tried to play Fifa when we reached their flat but found ourselves 7-1 down to Napoli at half-time, at which point we gave up.  We covered all of the London Bridge places currently on The List - if anyone has any other suggestions, please leave a comment.

Last but not least, the London Marathon is on Sunday and my flatmate Ali is running it as part of her 3000 mile project for Save the Children and the Motor Neurone Disease Association - head over to her blog here to support her insane effort.