LDNGuide
The 11 Best Restaurants In Brixton
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Brixton gets plenty of richly deserved restaurant credit. But it’s also an area of London that needs its heritage and restaurants to be protected and preserved. From brilliant neighbourhood Caribbean and Colombian restaurants, to natural wine hangouts and Japanese hand rolls, Brixton is a mix of the old and new that represents every side of London.
THE SPOTS
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
This unique sushi omakase experience mixes Japanese cooking with chef Chris Restrepo’s Thai-Colombian heritage, genuine brilliance, and inimitable made-in-Brixton charm. You’ll be amazed at what you’re tasting at Kurisu Omakase, but also what you’re sharing as an experience. There’s 18-times-scored scallop from Hokkaido topped with yuzu juice and there’s theatrically smoked trout finished with lime zest from Sainsbury’s around the corner. It’s £155 for 18 courses and a handful of the chef's one-liners to retell down the pub. Worth it. Just make sure you turn on reservation notifications—this experience books out quickly.
photo credit: Jake Missing
There are plenty of homely-feeling restaurants in London, but Maureen’s Brixton Kitchen is quite literally in her home. The Jamaican spot feels like a Caribbean takeaway first and foremost, and somewhere to watch EastEnders second. You’ll find smoking jerk pans in the front garden, giant pots of fluffy rice and peas and, in the heart of it all, Maureen herself. This home chef makes restaurant-quality food. Her jerk chicken is expertly smoked and tenderly collapses from the bone and the fried chicken is some of the finest around. Not quite a restaurant but nor a casual home kitchen, the cooking at Maureen’s speaks for itself.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
On the edge of Brixton Village, Bottle + Rye is a teeny, tiny wine bar where knees touch, hands are held beneath tables, and stories are shared over London’s most sensational anchovy toast. This petite slice of Parisian charm is perfect for sharing secrets between sips of a skin-contact moscato. The dark oak bar that snakes around the open kitchen serving French food is somewhere you’ll want to sit for hours, romancing or reminiscing, while picking at terrine and taking on the broody personality traits of a ‘20s Left Bank novelist.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
At Enish, a dressed-up gathering never feels out of place next to a couple on a casual midweek date. In the evenings, loud afrobeats play over the airwaves while plates of Nigerian staples like jollof rice and suya fill tables. It's worth getting specialties like isiewu (a spiced goat's head stew which is traditional to eastern Nigeria), as well as spicy pomo (cow skin). Like you would a sommelier for wine recommendations, ask the staff for their best swallow pairing—be it pounded yam, eba, amala, or a mix.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
El Rancho De Lalo is a buzzing restaurant making delicious home-cooked stews that’s all about wonderful Colombian hospitality. Chicharrón and steak and a lovely, varying selection of meat and carbs are going to arrive at your table and you’re more than likely to be very happy with all of them. Portions are bulging, the room is usually full of family and friends, and its empanadas are one of the best snacks around.
Seaweed is the ultimate vehicle for rice. At Temaki it’s also the perfect vehicle for some BBQ eel that we would ghost a BBQ chicken wing for. We truly mean that. And yes, we are as shocked as you. The affordable temaki is so good that we no longer accept handshakes, just otoro handed over from the chef. A sleek, minimalist restaurant hidden in Brixton Market, this is the kind of low-key, counter-only spot that you desperately want to drag that person you’re seeing to just so they know that you’re very, very cool.
photo credit: Karolina Wiercigroch
If you’re heading to Brixton specifically to find Caribbean food, Fish, Wings & Tings is a good place to start. The vibes are chill and the food is solid. Jerk chicken, curried goat, and salt fish fritters are all on the menu, all served with deliciously sweet mango sauce. On a warm sunny day, there is nothing better than finding a spot on the outside benches with a few of your mates, ordering some food and cocktails, and just hanging out.
photo credit: Rob Greig
This Brixton spot is set into an archway, but with bright orange, neon signage, there’s no way you’ll miss it. The menu is simple: chicken burgers, wings, or strips, plus sides and sauces. Everything is great but the burgers are the reason you should come here. They’re the kind you can’t fit your whole mouth around and instead require nibbling away at until you can take a perfect bite with a bit of everything. The juicy chicken, with craggy, crunchy edges, is the perfect shade of golden brown, and spills out of a soft, sturdy bun. Our favourite comes slathered in garlic butter mayo and showered with parmesan.
photo credit: Giulia Verdinelli
If you’re planning on being around the main strip in Brixton, your first idea probably won’t be to hike all the way up Brixton Hill to this straightforward Caribbean spot. It’s worth it though. And not only for the menu of comfort food classics like saltfish fritters and jerk chicken with rice and peas, but also for its calm terrace, which can easily handle large groups.
photo credit: Naughty Piglets
Naughty Piglets is a brilliant neighbourhood restaurant that anyone would be chuffed to have down the road from them. It serves little sharing plates of creative French food, paired with natural wines, and it’s the sort of place that will both impress a date and make your mouth happy. We love its intimate atmosphere and genuinely friendly service, and even if you’ve crossed London to get here, they’ll make you feel like you’re part of the neighbourhood. Order the crème caramel for dessert.
Beb’s is a homely Indian restaurant that serves an excellent range of curries, including some Goan specialities, in a caf-like room with red gingham tablecloths. Whether you’re eating in or taking away, friendliness and comfort is the number one priority. Rose tea will be offered as you wait, complimentary cassava cake will come out, and the distinct feeling that you would like to be adopted by this lovely couple will occur. The food will also make you feel all warm and fuzzy: lamb xacuti is rich and spiced, and even if you’re just popping in for some samosas, they are expertly made too. Needless to say: the big BYOB sign is also very welcoming.
