The never ending top ten list has now reached a glistening climax and multi award winner 24 The Oval has been overthrown by….wait for it…a Brewery! Yes, a tiny pop up in our very own Orbit Brewery in Walworth has stolen the crown. And trust us, we tried on a lot of crowns to anoint this little gem. And most had thorns.
The Dragon Flame is the latest food resident at Orbit and has an emphasis on smoked meats that carries through to the special Sunday Roasts menu that contains a number of smoked options alongside the traditional Sunday Roast trimmings. Our guest chose oak-smoked beef brisket (£24.95) on the basis that brisket is the most classic of smoked meats and a good measure of meat-smoking expertise. Also on the basis that it cost the most and they knew they were getting a freebie. But the freebie was a winner: generous strips of deeply, but not overpoweringly, smoked strips of brisket arrived draped over the classic vegetables. The brisket itself was soft and tender from a long session in the smoker.
Your scribe had the oak smoked half chicken roast (£22.50). Properly smoked chicken has a deep savoury, tender and intense flavour and this ticked all those boxes, in addition to being juicy and moist. The carrots and parsnips still had some bite and roast potatoes were flavourful. We were pleased to see braised red cabbage, its sweetness complementing the smoky meat well. Sealing the deal as a high quality plate were an enormous and perfect home-made Yorkshire pudding and generous red wine “jus” (that’s posh for gravy).
The Dragon Flame is a very hot new entrant to the Kennington Sunday roast scene and we hope it makes other pubs up their two overcooked veg stodge game. Of course, it’s not cheap: even the vegan option is £18.50. However, this strikes an excellent balance between taking a bit of a new direction (smoked meats) yet keeping all the crowd-pleasing Sunday Roast elements you expect. That you can enjoy this alongside one of Orbit’s excellent range of beers surely seals the deal. We’ve given a swerve around their tzatziki flavoured beer until they run out of all the others, but you might be more adventurous.
And the number 6 slot has been consumed by the cheery and eccentric Amici in Kennington Cross. After a post Covid stint looking rather like a charity shop, we can cheerily report that the ambiance is now dominated by plants, low lighting, a drinks trolley and contemporary art by Iranian artists. Amici prides itself on being a mixture of Persian and Italian dishes, which at first gave us a nightmarish vision of pomegranate pizza kebabs. However, co-owner Sethy informed us that the cuisines are kept apart, aside from the one ordered by our new intern Pippa.
Pippa pipped for the smoked aubergine and rose harissa rigatoni. The pasta was perfectly al dente with an earthy, smoky aubergine puree sauce. We would describe this as fusion although Sethy informed us that Iranians claim to have invented pasta before the Italians. We’re not weighing in on this as we have enough on our plate already. Your scribe opted for an Amici classic – the Koobideh, which consisted of two perfectly grilled skewers of seasoned (cumin) lamb, with abundant jasmine rice and a grilled tomato, which Sethy said to crush into the rice. And of course nothing in Persia is served without the national spice, Sumac. Of course if you don’t fancy Persian (but you should) they have a number of Italian dishes such as pizza.
We chose the house red wine which was totally drinkable as it should be at £29. As Sethy was pouring a glass Pippa observed that the wine smelled ‘amazing’ and had a beautiful crimson look. Nice try Pippa, but at the end of the day you’re only an intern and the freebies end with the meal. We’re sure she enjoyed her Pepsi Max. Our meal with one glass of wine came to £72
Amici generally have a quite bewildering array of theme nights and at the moment (2026) are having a ‘Valentines Challenge’ which entails, if we’re reading this correctly, eating a dish without cutlery, with others, and sharing it on Instagram. Photo below. Eating pasta without a fork is perhaps best undertaken after a drink, and they are having a two for £15 drinks deal Mon-Fri from 5-7 which we totally approve of. One event that keeps popping up is a cigar night. We’re not sure who these nights are aimed at, as we don’t see many people chomping down cigars up Kennington Lane. We suggest following their antics on Insta for a great laugh, but go for the great food.
As we put the final touches on our profoundly scientific yet utterly subjective rundown of the top 10 list of best places to eat in Greater Kennington (plus 1 Sunday Roast), we wanted to give an honourable mention to the cafes and coffee shops which weren’t eligible for the noble accolade but we were nevertheless loving in 2025.
Italo Vauxhall – Cozy Italian café and shop nestled in the heart of Bonnington Sq.
Ahead of our highly scientific yet wholly subjective countdown of the Top Ten Best Places to eat in Greater Kennington we recently revisited Mc & Sons in Vauxhall with our self appointed ‘one man party’ Phil from accounts. Mc & Sons if you’re reading this (and if not you’re missing out) we love your dark woods, quiet atmosphere, and maximalist design aesthetic as it brings to mind a trad pub in Dublin and is possibly the most visibly appealing joint in our manor. Well done.
Phil was invited on this excursion primarily because a pub was involved, but also because he’s been banging on about his recent trip to Thailand on an almost daily basis. And Thai street food is indeed the cuisine of choice at Mc & Sons and your scribe ordered the stir fry duck. Served in a lovely pewter bowl, it came with fresh basil and chilli blended with a fried egg mixed with very sticky rice. Flavour profiles included hoisin and plum sauce, orange, honey, and a fare shake of black bean. It was plentiful, not too spicy, and a good sweet/sour Thai balance.
Phil ordered the drunken noodles and upon ordering flashed us a cheeky smile and said ‘what do you thinks in it. Vodka? Gin?’ When we pointed out that the name pertains to curing hangovers and there’s no actual alcohol in it, Phil appeared at once crestfallen and perplexed. Nevertheless, he enjoyed his noodles with a refreshing pale ale(s) that took the edge off the heat. Overall, Phil thought Mc & Sons offered a good approximation of the drunken noodles in Thailand: thick rice noodles with chicken, prawns and vegetable stir fried in a sauce with all the classic spicy-salty-sweet elements. You have to be a spice-lover to enjoy this dish.
Mc & Sons is a nice, cosy spot to spend time even if you’re not eating. We noticed a high proportion of the clientele were drinking Guinness, which is fitting as the surroundings feel like a proper, cosy family pub which doesn’t scream “check us out we’re IRISH!” like an O’Neill’s chain pub; this is done with a bit more warmth. Just don’t expect to get tipsy from the noodles.
In our furious pursuit of gastronomic excellence ahead of our Top 10 Best Places to Eat in February, we’ve decided to visit a fast food joint in Elephant and Castle. Filishack is a Filipino street food outfit in Sayer St. The tale begins with two brothers and a food truck situated outside Peckham library in 2014. After seven years of serving Fili burritos to passing pedestrians they opened their first bricks and mortar in 2021 followed our branch in 2024. 2025 has even seen them opening at White City, which we hear is a shopping mall. Or something.
Joining us was our in house Ombudsman Diane, who selected a burrito on the basis that she enjoys Mexican food and wanted to see if the Filipino take on a burrito was any different. Diane proclaimed regally, after her signature hair flick, “while this conforms approximately to the size and shape of a Chipotle style mega-burrito (burritos are not a particularly Mexican thing but Diane didn’t need to know this), this Filipino burrito has a distinctly different flavour profile”. Diane put this down to her choice of chicken adobo filling. Generous chicken thigh pieces were smothered in a prolific spicy sauce with a slight vinegar and soy kick. If that sounds odd, it’s actually delicious. Some salad and garlic rice filled out the burrito but it was the abundant chicken adobo that dominated.
Your scribe opted for the grilled chicken inasal ricebox. Inasal is a Filipino chicken that’s been marinated for hours giving it a distinct orange hue and a citrussy, almost lemongrass hit. You can choose from a range of salad additions including onion, cucumber, and lettuce. And of course the sauce on top is king, and a yougurt/garlic was chosen. Everything mixed together swimmingly and was almost too much to consume. At £7.95 for a medium box or burrito, this is very reasonable. Going for the large is unnecessary unless you haven’t eaten in a couple of days or have a tapeworm. And if you want to research ‘inasal’ by Googling, try to be VERY careful how you spell ‘inasal’ as the results might be more than you bargained for.
Looking into our cracked Observer crystal ball, we have a feeling that once the shopping centre opens the rents in Sayer Street with skyrocket, pricing out small businesses such as Filishack. But of course, if having two outlets of ‘Joe and the Juice’ in the same street is your vision of paradise then you might just be in luck.
It’s the weekend after Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring as they’ve had too many Ferrero Roche, Lambrini, and M&S mini chorizo bites. Well were going to get that metabolism going again by taking a stroll down the fascinating Renfew Road on the Kennington/Elephant border. Care to join us?
On the eastern side of Renfrew Road there remains a cluster of buildings which reflect a variety of life in our patch in the late 1800’s. The first offering off Kennington Lane is the Grade II listed old fire station. Built in 1868, the station served an area which was by that time bursting with industries that needed fires, such as kilns. In an era before IPhone 17’s and Snapchat, a turret was the quickest way to detect a local flame and it still exists. Although expanded in 1897, by 1920 there must have been a few too many fires in Greater Kennington as it was abandoned and used by the Guardians for the Poor in St. Mary’s Parish. Presumably to assist those who had been turfed out of the recently closed Workhouse next door (we’ll get to that).
Next we move merrily along to Lambeth Magistrates’ Court, which from 1978 has been home to Jamyang London Buddhist Centre. Built in 1869, it’s also Grade II listed, designed in the Gothic Revival style, and is the earliest surviving example of a Criminal Magistrates Court in London. In the 1960’s it was converted to a maximum security court for special remands, including IRA terrorists, the Kray twins, and members of the gang who seized the Iranian Embassy. If you look closely you can still see bars on some of the windows (not used for unruly Buddhists). Some might recall that in 2021 part of the courthouse housed a lovely café owned by the folks who run Little Louie in Elephant Park. We reviewed glowingly it in 2021 and it then promptly closed. We like to call this the ‘Observer effect’.
Moving on, behind the Courthouse we see the remains of the once mighty Lambeth Workhouse. It moved to Renfew Road in 1871 and was once the home of Charlie Chaplin and his mum. The place was a refuge, especially for women, and in spite of its reputation provided healthcare and job training. However, many tasks were degrading and intended to get people out of the Workhouse as quickly as possible. The former Governor’s house remains and is now home to the delightful Cinema Museum. The water tower which remains was built because such institutions needed water storage in the event of fire. Its unrecorded how the poor firemen next door felt about this. The tower undertook a bonkers renovation in 2012, and was featured on Grand Designs. In the video the new owner speaks lovingly about jumping off the building if it doesn’t work. We would too if we had to walk up 100 feet to get to our living room. For a deeper dive into the Workhouse we wrote about it in 2019.
This is not the actual house, just A house in Vauxhall
Vauxhall of the 1880’s was a functional and dirty place; where London relegated the things it didn’t want but nevertheless needed. This included timber wharves, vinegar works, potteries, breweries, and lead works. In a true example of history repeating, Vauxhall is once again filled with things it doesn’t need in the guise of £15,000,000 flats, but we digress. And a dark and wet Vauxhall in 1880 is the perfect guise for a Christmas ghost story. We bring you The Old House in Vauxhall Walk.
For those of you who prefer your ghost stories on the move, it’s also on Spotify. For a more immersive experience, listen to it while walking in front of Fire nightclub in Vauxhall at closing time, where you can also see hallucinating, ghostly figures emerging and stumbling into the night. And we hope your Christmas is more prosperous than ours, as when we inquired about our Christmas bonus, head of Finance Steve lobbed a handful of Celebrations into our cubicle and proclaimed ‘there’s your bonus’.
Orchestral music is often inaccessible to many people for a variety of reasons, but this weekend we’re about to be blessed yet again in the Brandon and China Walk estates for Christmassy concerts which are free and open for everyone (that means you)!
Brixton Chamber Orchestra is a diverse group of 25 Brixton based instrumentalists who provide and create music across a range of genres including…wait for it….classical, disco, gospel, grime, rap, swing, pop, drum & bass and others, and often have guest vocalists. They usually ply their trade in community halls and churches in Brixton, but two times a year they hoist their trumpets northward to grace our soil.
Funded by Arts Council England and, surprisingly, by Lambeth Council, BCO is in the midst of a Christmas estates tour of 11 estates in Lambeth. They will be gracing us with their presence on Saturday at Jack Hobbs Hall in Brandon Estate (those large buildings at the back of Kennington Park) and inside Chandler Hall in Lambeth Walk.
BRANDON ESTATE Sat 20th December @ 3:00 PM Jack Hobbs Club Hall Maddock Way, London SE17 3NH
CHINA WALK ESTATE Sat 20TH December @ 7:00 PM Chandler Hall 15 Lambeth Walk, London SE11 6DU
These events are indoors but might be chilly so dress accordingly and buy your warming tipple from a local corner shop.
We attended this event in 2023 and it was great fun. Each show is unique and they’ve been known to feature guests musicians. They also encourage folks to get up and sing along, which should be made easier with that bottle you bought from the offie. And if this is sounding like a kids event, trust us it isn’t. Not that there is anything wrong with kids, as a few Observer staff were once kids themselves. If you can’t make it or shockingly don’t live in Greater Kennington there are more dates on their website.
Did we mention it’s free? Did we add that we love free? The clip below is the streetband gigging around Brixton recently, which we equally love.
Before we commence our mega mix of how you can buy gifts for people you love/put up with this Christmas, let’s think about the Greater Kenningtonians out there who are struggling to put food on the table in these difficult times. This year we’re again supporting the Secret Santa campaign run by our friends over at the Kennington Association. Last year KA raised funds to give shopping vouchers to 140 local households, with the families chosen by local early needs professionals. To find out more and to donate, click here. If you like the more hands on approach, Tesco in Kennington Lane has food and collection boxes located handily next to the exit.
FOOD AND DRINK
Italo Vauxhall and Nosh at Marcellos (formerly Mimi’s Deli) both have a range of Italian foodie gift ideas including wines, beers, spices, panettone (that’s Italian for ‘stale cake’), oils, spirits, cheeses and even posh sauces. Mimi’s and Italo also can concoct a mean Italian lunch if you’re shopping feet get tired. Mimi’s also do custom made hampers. As you can see below, both joints are rammed with goodies.
Oval Farmer’s Market Ever thought about buying an edible Christmas gift from our own beloved country market? They stock many things that won’t perish under the tree such as chorizo, chocolates and wine. We’re also concerned that the Market is kind of dying and we need to prevent this. You have two Saturdays before Christmas!
Beefeater Gin Distillery has a lovely but totally deserted gift shop offering unusual, limited run gins and gin accessories. You can also buy a gift voucher to tour the distillery (we can confirm it’s great fun). Perfect for your loved one who likes a nice holiday tipple or to get your annoying uncle Fred to nod off before the turkey is served. We understand Beefeater’s parent company Pernot Ricard is the opposite of independent, but it’s Christmas so don’t judge us.
Orbit Brewery is our own hidden away little gem of a brewery in Walworth. Online or in person you can buy a range of their lagers, cioders, ales, porters, and even socks. And the rumour is true, they sell tzatziki flavoured beer that we can only describe as, well, ‘adventurous’.
Didi and Franc have gone full tilt in 2025 and are selling custom made hampers to fill with their gorgeous goods. But if, like us, you don’t fit their demographic, you can just buy one of their baskets and fill it with things from the corner shop. And while you’re there you can pick up a panettone at I due Amici next door. Panettone being of course the food that you never actually eat, but just regift at a Christmas party you’ve been invited to.
NON FOOD
The Book Elephant For those of you young enough to never buy anything in an actual shop, new kid the Book Elephant in Sayer Street can probably get a book in quicker than you can buy it online. Its also a fun place to get inspiration. Plus they also sell coffee and wine. Need we say more?
Castle Square When you think of Christmas shopping the first thing that springs to mind probably isn’t ‘ooh, lets go to the place behind Elephant Station where they keep the bins’. But if you venture there you’ll discover a clutch of independent shops that used to exist in the shopping centre. Great for your younger folk looking for baseball caps, hoodies, clothes, or undergarments to make your bum look either smaller or larger. While there pop over to the retro video game emporium 4 Quarters?
SoLo Craft Fair is a collective of online artists and creatives who run a bricks and mortar shop in Elephant Park. Sixty small businesses have their work shown on rotation and in 2025 they are again stocking affordable jewellery, handbags, baskets, cards, scarves, bath salts, prints and T-shirts. And as Elephant is now trendy in a non-ironic way they even sell Elephant and Castle merch.
Hound Hut TRIGGER WARNING. If the dog in your life is vegan or interested in becoming vegan then this not the place for them. Known by us as the ‘Harrods of doggie treats’, here you can treat your pooch to doggie spag bol, camel wraps, cow hooves, snouts, and the deliciously sounding bladder twists. And they also have a lot of leads and things to throw at/to your pooch. And for those who obtained a pooch during lockdown but now find they have to be in an actual dog free office, there is doggy daycare.
Pretty Shiny Shop sits next to the Hound Hut and they swaggeringly claim to be Greater Kennington’s Christmas Shop (steady) and they stock a range or cards, houseware items, and Christmas tree goodies, and small pieces of jewellery. It’s like a giant Christmas explosion in that place. They have loads of fun, subversive Christmas cards.
Windmill Flowers stocks not just flowers but also collectables and houseware accessories and Mary is in charge to show you the way forward. Mary also has some Christmas trees and accessories for those who haven’t got their s*it together quite yet.
Jumping Bean is another gift shop new to the 2025 Greater Kennington scene and a great place to inspect for gift inspiration. They have everything from Christmas baubles to clothes, toys, pencils, games, cards, more toys, hand cream, self heating patches, and cheesecake nail filing sets. Whew.
The Cafe @ Park College is a little known veggie lunch spot that we visited a few months ago. it resides inside Park College next to Kennington Park. The cafe is staffed by young people with additional needs such as autism, and they have an adorbs selection of homemade cards and other crafts on sale. And you only THINK you don’t need a handbag fashioned from Walkers Crisp bags. They’re also having a Winter Fair on Friday (the 12th) and we’re all invited.
Vanilla Black in addition to books also has some nice gift ideas such as cards and stockings and a few food items. We think VB secretly hate us but we’ve moved on with our lives and are plugging them anyway because this is the time for charity. Or something.
QueArts is a sterling little arts and crafts store across from Kennington Park and they also undertake framing. Great for your creative or just bored friends.
Bee Urban is bee based charity in the middle of Kennington Park (behind the cafe) selling all sorts of honey and honey related things such as candles, fragrances, soaps and even cards. An interesting place to check out even if you don’t buy anything. And they sell Kennington honey!
Walworth Garden and Urban Botanica While perhaps not the easiest thing to wrap, have you ever considered the gift of houseplants? The charity and juggernaut of horticulture, Walworth Garden are selling cacti, cards and other things in their geodesic dome. While over in Kennington Cross, UB is one of the few places on earth where you can sip your Minor Figures chai latte while browsing Boston ferns.
Umber Works We’ve never seen an actual human being inside Umber Works in Kennington Park Road, but accordingly to their website they run a range of pottery workshops and offer gift vouchers. Of course, the downside of this is that you might be getting useless ceramic ashtrays for the next five years.
If there’s one phrase we love to hear in the office it has to be ‘free wine tasting’. On Monday, 8 December, Friends of Durning Library will be hosting a festive wine show judged by Stuart George, MD of Arden Fine Wines. This will accompany a blind wine tasting competition and a Christmas raffle that may or may not involve wine. We can think of fewer classy things to do than sip a festive Malbec in a library while saying ‘Hmmm..I’m getting notes of citrus and sweaty socks left on a hot radiator’.
The event is 6:45 for 7:15. While this event is technically free, they suggest a £3 donation and considering that £3 will just about buy you a Coke Zero at the Tommyfield it’s a pretty good deal. Plus, money raised supports the library and the many fine things that they do. Like just staying open, which is a perpetual concern. You can book a place here.
Stuart can’t sell wine on the night but we’re sure he can guide you into what to buy and where for a perfect pairing. Of course we always accept free gifts and bribes, if only you knew who we are.
