LDNGuide
The Best Restaurants In Greenwich
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Greenwich is world-famous for its royal and maritime history. The prime meridian. The Royal Observatory. The Blackwall Tunnel traffic. But the restaurant landscape is still plagued by chain restaurants. Look beyond both Frankie & Benny’s sites (there were three until very recently) and you’ll find plenty of solid options. Here’s where to eat in Greenwich, from churchyard Jamaican street food to an abundance of excellent pizza, some of the best sushi in south London, and everything in between.
THE SPOTS
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Locals already know Wandercrust does some of the best pizza in London, but it still feels like a closely guarded secret from the rest of the city. Cooking from the kitchen at The Pelton Arms (a pub which also does a decent Sunday roast), Wandercrust specialises in Neapolitan-style pizzas, but the margherita and the American Psycho are the only two you’ll ever need. The dough is chewy with gorgeously blistered crusts, slightly soupy in the centre but just strong enough to eat without a knife and fork. And the tomato base actually tastes of tomatoes. If you can get a table, The Pelton Arms has a comfortable, old-fashioned pub feel, otherwise take away and perch on the wall outside the Cutty Sark pub overlooking the river.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
The Crown looks like just another high street pub from outside. But as well as easily having the best beer selection in Greenwich, a decent-sized garden, and heaps of old pub charm, it hits the right level of lively during the weekend (especially on vinyl night). Expect big crowds when the football’s on too. They also serve decent pizza. While Wandercrust’s pizza is arguably better, we reckon Flatboys slings its wood-fired pies from the better of the two pubs. The margherita is a must-try, but they also have some more unusual choices such as smoked chicken, avocado, and plant-based bacon.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
La Salumeria has been open for as long as we can remember, which is at least 20 years. It’s a tiny, old-fashioned, family-run Italian deli on Trafalgar Road—think more Satriale’s from The Sopranos than Eataly. Pick up dried pasta, soft drinks, and aperitivos, plus a fine selection of breads, cheeses, cold cuts, and sausages. Throughout the day, hot sandwiches are also served, rarely costing more than £3.50—so prepare to queue at peak lunchtime. We love the simple salami Milano, provolone, and artichoke on ciabatta. It’s toasted and tightly wrapped to allow the fillings to become better acquainted while you find somewhere to eat it. There’s not an option to sit in, but Greenwich Park is just a few minutes away.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Hut Negril is an absolute joy. Having taken over pretty much the entire car park outside the church on the corner of Trafalgar Road and Christchurch Way, the Jamaican street food stall has become a local landmark. The stall is run by chef Gino, who’s quite possibly the happiest man in Greenwich, and the food is even more joyous. All of the classics like curry goat, oxtail, rice and peas, and patties are available. But it’s the jerk chicken, slow-cooked on a drum barbecue, that sets Hut Negril apart. You can even smell it cooking from a few streets away. Portions are generous and all mains include rice and peas. Even the perfunctory side salad is rampant with flavour.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Out of a tiny, takeaway-only hatch on an industrial park in Greenwich—near the big IKEA—Alhaji Suya serves some of the best suya in London, if not the UK. Service is very functional and the whole cooking setup is hidden behind the pass. It’s much more like a ghost kitchen, with queues of delivery drivers waiting to pick up orders. Hausa cuisine (from northern Nigeria) is the speciality here, specifically that suya cooked on the barbecue and finished on an electric grill for efficiency—and to provide a crust. Everything is done well but the tozo suya is the real reason to visit. Fatty chunks of beef are deeply smoky with a fierce whack of spice, while the accompanying yaji is incredible.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
The gorgeous conservatory at the back of Japes is why you should visit the pizza spot rather than ordering takeaway. Light floods the space during the day and early evening, and at sunset it feels really quite fancy, somewhere you’d usually feel obliged to wear something nice. But really it’s just a fun, casual pizzeria with a tacky “How Deep Is Your Love?” neon centrepiece, and is ideal for low-key dinners, solo lunches, and early-in-the-game dates. The deep Chicago-style pizzas are great conversation starters with their thick dough and sweet tomato sauce lovingly evoking the American chain pizzas we’re so accustomed to in the UK. Some of the toppings are fairly polarising, such as carbonara (definitely a red flag) but the more classic choices such as the Chicago, topped with pepperoni and parmesan, are the best options.
Run by a Turkish-Cypriot family, The Golden Chippy is a fish and chip shop that serves fish cloaked with brittle, greaseless batter that actually tastes fresh rather than being masked by day-old oil or by being overzealous with the salt and vinegar. All of the classics are available, including somewhat less common skate and halibut, and there’s also an option for the fish to be grilled instead of fried. Queues often snake out of the door on the weekend, and while you could eat in at one of the few tables in the basic restaurant area, we prefer ordering to take away.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
This spot is Temporarily Closed.
A 15-minute walk along the river from North Greenwich station, Brew By Numbers is a huge, sprawling modern brewery at Morden Wharf. Its taproom serves decent beers, especially the Orangina pale ale and kiwi and lime radler. It’s often quiet during the week but gets surprisingly busy at weekends given its remote location, with its huge outdoor terrace overlooking the river bustling on sunny days. To soak up the beer, a Freewheelin’ Pizza van is on site. The margherita is a decent benchmark, while the Meaty McMeatface (terrible name, we know) is also worth ordering, topped with salami and fiery sobrassada.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
The Guildford Arms masquerades as a pub, although it’s definitely more of a restaurant. It’s a fancy, village-esque situation set across two floors with a huge garden and a gastropub-y menu. During the week the restaurant has a mixed crowd of couples, families, and groups of friends, but on Sunday it’s far more family-friendly. Plus the Sunday roasts are the main draw. Meats are served with all the trimmings, plus thin sauce that’s more jus than gravy. But it’s each roast’s side dish that really stands out. Think garlic and herb breadcrumbs with the chicken, or quinoa, sage, and apricot stuffing with the pork belly. Book an early table to make sure all the better options don’t sell out and take somebody you’re hoping to impress.
The Hill is one of those neighbourhood restaurants that deserves more recognition, but also one you’d rather keep to yourself. On the corner of Royal Hill, it’s cosy with gentle lighting, Peruvian frazada table runners, and sharp bursts of colour from the many Ecuadorian paintings. Service is warm and charming, and the menu is vast to the point of obscenity. A book of broadly Mediterranean dishes includes tapas and pizzas, plus the odd South American dish which are the star attraction. Peruvian ceviche comes with an acerbically acidic leche de tigre and fistfuls of sweetcorn alongside the fresh raw fish; tamales are wrapped in banana leaves and generously filled with shredded chicken and olives; and the Ecuadorian cariucho de pollo is an expertly balanced dish of chicken and peas cooked in peanut butter sauce.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
A tiny takeaway spot neighboured by chicken shops, K Kitchen serves a relatively compact menu of broadly Korean and South East Asian dishes. The bibimbap is fine (although we suggest preparing your own egg at home to prevent it overcooking in transit), but it’s the Korean fried chicken that leaves the local competition in the dust. Boneless thigh fillets are cloaked with crispy batter, then glazed with a choice of four sauces. The plum and garlic has a perfect balance of pungency, sweetness, and lingering spiciness.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Before being welcomed by the friendly staff at Nepali spot Mountain View, you’re greeted by the enticing scent of spices and meat cooked in the tandoor. Far more casual than the white tablecloths and leather-backed chairs suggest, Mountain View is one of those restaurants that’s perfect for any occasion, whether a romantic date night, casual dinner with friends, or a big family dinner. Expect to see couples fighting over the last lamb-stuffed momo or families doling out ladles full of Malabar fish curry rampant with coconut. A strong selection of curry house classics are on the menu, but it’s worth trying some of the chef’s specials. Think mis mas korai combining king prawns, lamb tikka, and chicken tikka in a sauce spiked with red wine. The coconut rice and garlic naan are also excellent.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
This small shop is one of the only places to eat good food near Greenwich train station, located on a back road near one of the entrances. There’s a decent selection of Vietnamese noodles and rice dishes but the bánh mì are worth missing your train for. The egg omelette is a great vegetarian option, but the chicken and grilled pork special is an absolute game-changer, bundled into crispy ciabatta with mounds of pickled veg, fresh coriander, and thick homemade pork liver pâté. The beef stew bánh mì is another standout, but prepare to make a mess and for the bread to disintegrate if it’s not unwrapped instantly. Some seats are available for dine-in, more ideal for the noodle dishes, but it’s fairly cramped and basic.
