Before we publish our definitive list of the top ten best restaurants in Kennington, we thought we’d shout out of some of those that didn’t quite make it for various reasons fair and foul.
Toulouse Lautrec – they just celebrated their tenth anniversary and we hope they last for many more decades, but when it comes to food, we were more Lobster Pot people (RIP).
Frenchie Bistro – great if you eat duck but not much good for vegans (Artworks where Frenchie Bistro was located has now closed permanently)
Dragon Castle – we once saw a mouse in the dining room and have never been back, but we keep checking the food hygiene rating in vain hope of improvement… what is it with Walworth Road establishments and their dire food hygiene ratings? How long can you be rated as “needing improvement” before the Food Standards Agency take serious action?
The White Bear – we like this huge pub with its theatre, garden, beehive and restaurant… We always feel like we’ve left London for a small town in Somerset when we go there. The food is decent but a little overpriced.
Rare Burger Co – a welcome addition to the Kennington restaurant scene, with friendly service and beetroot burger and shrimp burger options for non-meat eaters. It just didn’t quite make the top ten. We’re told, although we haven’t had a chance to check this, that Rare Burger Co has closed now – shame if true.
Above The Stag – the menu at this LGBT+ theatre looks appetising but the one time we tried to eat there, they were closed for a refurb.
Aobaba – really good Vietnamese food but the atmosphere is hindered by it being in a supermarket with plastic seats and strip lighting.
Nandine – we’ve heard great things about this shack on St George’s Road but decided to limit this list to places you can sit down and eat in the evenings. For places to eat lunch, check out our Top Ten Best Lunch Spots in Kennington list from a while back – most of the places are still open happily.
Theo’s Pizzeria – several people recommended this new pizza place where Mamuśka! used to be on the former Southern roundabout in North Kennington. We asked about vegan options and they said “Vegan customers have either or both of our house salad or a tomato based pizza to which they can add a range of veggie options. We don’t do a vegan cheese but customers often bring their own and we are happy to add that to pizzas”. We appreciate the reply but in an era when Pizza Express offer two vegan pizza options, this wasn’t quite enough to tempt us to Theo’s.
Amici – we do eat at Amici, and like their fish dishes, especially in summer in the courtyard, but atmosphere wise we preferred it when it when it was where Doost is now, and almost always full!
Perdoni’s AKA Riverside 2 – we also eat here, but feel it is a little overpriced.
Florentine – friendly but located in one of London’s worst looking buildings (the Park Plaza “Waterloo” hotel), and the food is too salty!
Di Lieto Bakery – this place sounds amazing for pasta but doesn’t qualify because not open in the evenings (yet?).
Café Van Gogh – we haven’t visited yet – no excuses as this sounds right up our street.
Jihwaja/Seveni/Daebak/CheeMC – we love that there are at least four Korean restaurants in the area but left them all out as there’s not much to choose between them. Seveni is probably our favourite for food, Jihwaja for karaoke, and CheeMC for chicken lovers including Jay Rayner.
24 The Oval – this is some people’s favourite restaurant in the area and understandably so, but we’d say it’s better for meat eaters and lovers of rich food. Plus it’s not cheap.
It does feel like you’ve excluded great places because they don’t have a strong enough range of vegan (never mind just veggie) options. I’d much rather a local establishment has a small but excellent menu than a two pager that caters to the masses.
Of course pizza express can afford to do more they’re a national chain with less wastage costs that hit that bottom line then.
And then weirdly you haven’t been to Van Gogh which is pure vegan, so you exclude it. Baffling.
We’re sure Theo’s is great, just not for us as one of us is trying to eat vegan, and actually we think any restaurant without a genuine vegan option at this moment in time is shooting itself in the foot slightly. Cafe Van Gogh we really want to go to! In previous years we’ve visited all the contender restaurants but it hasn’t been possible this year for reasons that will become clear, hence we thought we’d at least give them all (or most of them) a mention here.