We all love a good grocery store. But if we had to name one that tops the lot, it’s Gladwell’s. A deli-cum-butcher counter-cum-florists: Gladwell’s even hosts a weekly collab sandwich extravaganza.
Down the road from The Camberwell Arms, Theo’s is one of those pizzerias that is hard to fault. It’s busy every day of the week, but not so busy you can’t get a table. Locals working from home will slide onto the wooden benches for lunchtime wood-fired panuozzo sandwiches filled with sausage and cime de rapa, or an aubergine- and pecorino- topped pizza. The menu is reassuringly short and uses the best ingredients. Afterwards poke your nose into Lala Books, serving coffee for browsers.
Grove Lane Deli is cosy in every sense of the word. From its townhouse exterior and open windows, it's mismatched stools which in the summer claim the pavement, to the insanely good deli bakes it serves. Cakes, cookies, quiche slices, to its sandwiches smothered with toppings, stop on by and join the troops of locals basking in the sun (London weather permitted)!
When Islington-favourite The Baring announced they were opening a sibling pub south of the river it was a bit of a coup for Camberwell. Joining stylish neighbours Lala Books and Theo’s pizzeria on Grove Lane, the team have found a clever spot for their plates of top-tier taramasalata, wild nettle malfatti and skewers of Cornish squid with lardo. A stripped-back smartened-up boozer that also serves an excellent Sunday roast.
Located where Peckham Road meets Camberwell, this is one of our top pubs in London, and the food is always outstanding. Even if you’re here for a quick Sunday roast (made for sharing), kick off with a white port and tonic and a hunk of house-made focaccia. Roast chicken might come with chilli yoghurt and cavolo nero, slow-roasted spring lamb with anchoïade and golden chips. Chef Mike Davies is a quiet hero of the city’s food scene, as is his Scotch bonnet and pork fat on toast.