NEIGHBOURHOOD TOURS IS OUR NEW SERIES WHERE ONE OF OUR TEAM MEMBERS WALKS US THROUGH THEIR FAVOURITE NEIGHBOURHOOD IN LONDON.
Jake joined 7 months ago as a Business Development Manager and is responsible for selling our brands into new and exciting partners. He spends his free time thinking about food, eating food and sleeping as a result of all said food.
WHICH NEIGHBOURHOOD ARE YOU TAKING US ROUND?
Deptford
BEST PLACE FOR BREAKFAST?
First of all the coffee is amazing! But it's everything else that makes this place so good. The staff are great, lovely garden out back as well as having the best breakfast in SE. It's a vegan coffee shop and they have an assortment of breakfast bagels, using bagels from Beigel Bake, with some of the best meat alternatives I've tried. Their Chick'n Lick'n Bagel is something else. I don't know what the Chick'n is; could be just bread but I love it. It tastes like KFC chicken and comes with a solid hash brown. If that isn't your thing then the brioche buns are amazing.
I originally went there on one of my first dates with my now girlfriend. There is a big flea market near and popped in for some grub. In the summer, there are 4 seats in the back and because it's so intimate it actually feels like you're in someone's garden - a hot spot for the sun.
GO TO ORDER?
Flat White and the Chick'n Lick'n Bagel but of course.
Visit yourself:
This is the place to come for veggie and vegan food with the perfect amount of sass. Find meat-free burgers, subs, hot dogs, bagels and more on their menu as well as a perfect pouring of fine coffee. The cafe also offers a book exchange, they exhibit local art on their walls, and all in all is a very arty cafe!
134 Deptford High St
Deptford
SE8 3PQ
BEST SPOT FOR LUNCH?
It's a BYOB Vietnamese restaurant on the high street. It's got bags of character. One side of the restaurant is covered with a painting of Ha-Long Bay and the ladies who run it are crazy. My favourite place has closed recently and so we went here instead and to my surprise it was even better. There's a fish tank in the back, very authentic. I went to go to the loo and accidentally walked into a room with 10 Vietnamese men smoking altogether...
It is a Pho place. Your pho comes with noodles and protein (that you pick) inside and then you can tip in a tray of the herbs, beansprouts etc for £9. It is absolutely great on a hangover...
GO TO ORDER?
Beef Fried Garlic Pho
Visit yourself:
You'll easily spot Viet Rest in Deptford because of its hot pink exterior. The restaurant serves traditional Vietnamese food, preparing dishes with fresh and local ingredients. At this friendly spot you can try items like salads, spring rolls, bun cha, several types of pho, and fried rice or noodles.
113 Deptford High Street
Deptford
SE8 4NS
BEST PLACE FOR A BIT OF DINNER?
This is a great place for just a simple menu with homemade pasta and a curated wine list! It is minimalist with an open kitchen and extra seating in the wine cellar area. I wouldn't say it's expensive, maybe mid-range. They have mains but I would 100% say that you should go for the starters and the pastas. I had the tagliatelle with pheasant, wild mushrooms and tarragon and it was AMAZING. You can pick to have a regular or large dish but the more you try, the better so go for the regular!
GO TO ORDER?
Menu changes regularly but any of the pasta dishes!
Visit yourself:
With its white walls and very dainty, delicate ceramic dishes, Marcella is what some would call a grown-up Mediterranean holiday. Added to that, it is a place where picture perfect pasta is made. Ideal as a date night spot for food that’s prettier than you've ever seen before, or for as a place for a sophisticated gossip with friends and wine.
165A Deptford High Street
Deptford
SE8 3NU
BEST PLACE FOR A DRINK?
This is a cosy pub just by the river on a pedestrianised street where the staff are lovely and they also do great pub food. It is the type of pub that puts up the most insane Christmas decorations. Being hidden away down by the river - off the bottom of the high street - it is really wholesome. Walking towards it, from one side all you can see is stacks and stacks of barrels - what a great sight. In the summer you can stand and also sit outside but they do have a massive garden that sprawls out on the front. Of course, in the winter, they have heaters and covers in case it rains.
They do show sports but it doesn't really get rowdy just sort of busy. Make sure that you grab a bar snack like a scotch eggs as they are delicious.
GO TO ORDER?
Guiness and a Scotch Egg
Visit yourself:
Serving up good ale and good cheer from a quiet backstreet near the river Thames, you shouldn't miss this place if you are an ale lover. Sit outside on wooden benches in the picturesque alley outside, or warm up within by the gas fire. Special events including Wednesday folk nights, Sunday quiz nights, and the annual Pickle Festival each autumn.
116 Prince Street
Deptford
SE8 3JD
WILDCARD RECCOMENDATION
It's not quite Deptford but Skehans in Nunhead..
Voted the best pub in the London by Timeout, it's an Irish pub with a Thai kitchen. It's a great place to watch sport and also to see live music. In the summer we go sit on Telegraph Hill with a pizza from D4100, before heading to Skeehans afterwards. It is a tiered pub - the restaruant is below and you can order the food to any table upstairs. It is unbelievable Thai food. The drunken noodles were really good and the pad thai is also a great shout. It is relatively cheap food for like £8 you can get a massive plate of noddles.
The pints are cheap for London - £4.80/5 for a pint of Guiness. With live music, folk music, country music, open mic and a quiz there's always something to see or do. They also have 4 screens to show the football. If you can imagine, football on the tv while a band is playing and everyone eating Thai food is chaotic at best.
Visit yourself:
A fun, friendly neighbourhood pub that's as popular with Nunhead locals and dedicated drinkers as it is art school students and the Goldsmiths crowd. Karaoke, Irish trad music nights, quizzes, a perpetually popular pool table and great Thai food make it one of the best boozers for miles around.
1 Kitto Road
London
SE14 5TW
