From historic riverside pubs overlooking the River Thames to Michelin-star restaurants offering panoramic views of Canary Wharf’s skyscrapers, SE10 has a lion’s share of great places in which to grab some grub after a day of sightseeing. After all, you’re bound to feel peckish after exploring the iconic Cutty Sark or the Old Royal Naval College. Here’s a rundown of fourteen of the best restaurants in Greenwich to track down if you’re feeling a tad hungry:
1. Goddards at Greenwich
We couldn’t start this list of Greenwich restaurants without mentioning Goddards. A Greenwich establishment and frequently dubbed the best pie and mash shop in the whole of London, this friendly spot is the place to come if you’re looking to delve into the city’s culinary history. Open since 1890 and run by the same family since then, you’ll be able to tuck into a traditional meal of pie, liquor and mash with a side of jellied or stewed eels.
Aware that this isn’t to everyone’s taste, they’ve also whipped up a range of steak, chicken, lamb and vegetarian options as an alternative to the standard filling of minced beef with added stock. If you’ve still got room you can indulge your sweet tooth with handmade fruit crumble with custard – you can’t get more British than that.
22 King William Walk, SE10 9HU.
2. The Golden Chippy
Back in 2016, this beloved spot was voted London’s best restaurant on TripAdvisor – beating the likes of fine dining establishments and Michelin-starred spots – and it’s easy to see why. Open since 2005 and run by a lovely Turkish-Cypriot family, the emphasis here is on the great service and the quality of ingredients used throughout each and every dish.
Haddock, plaice, skate, halibut, rock and cod are all covered in a light and crispy batter, and each plate is adorned with chips, a Mediterranean-style salad and a drizzle of olive oil, lemon and tarragon. All large fish can be grilled if you’re looking to be slightly more healthy, and spicy bean burgers, tuna mayo jacket potatoes and even a whole roast chicken are also all on the menu. No wonder then that this neat little spot often tops the list of the best restaurants in Greenwich and the best fish and chips in London.
62 Greenwich High Road, SE10 8LF.
3. Sticks’n’Sushi
More fish on the cards with this Greenwich restaurant – though this time it’s of the sushi and sashimi variety. Sticks’n’Sushi Greenwich is part of a chain which counts six other restaurants within its London roster, but you can’t beat this one for the location. Just a stone’s throw from the Cutty Sark, close to Greenwich Park and right across the road from the National Maritime Museum, this is a great option in which to replenish yourself after a day of ticking off all the sites.
Generous platters of sushi, sashimi and nigiri are perfect for sharing with friends and are designed to not break the bank, and meat eaters will love the fiery beef yakitori with crunchy chilli and fresh garlic. Sake and Japanese beer are a great accompaniment to wash all of this down, and they also do takeaway options if you’re in a hurry.
1 Nelson Road, SE10 9JB.
4. Taksim Restaurant
A firm contender for being one of the best restaurants in Greenwich, this Turkish spot is all about the warm atmosphere, affordable prices and expertly-cooked food. Equidistant between Greenwich, Deptford and Blackheath and situated just off Blackheath Hill, it’s an easy spot to find and is the place to come for Turkish food in SE10. Succulent lamb and chicken shish kebabs are grilled over piping hot charcoal, and doner kebabs, falafel and halloumi wraps and grilled sea bass are also all on the menu.
Portions here are generous and come with sides of rice, chips and salad, and if you’re coming with friends or family, don’t miss the chance to try the massive sharing platter. For just £69, you can gorge on lamb ribs, chicken wings, mixed starters, and doner, shish and beyti kebabs – time to loosen off that belt buckle.
7 Blackheath Hill, SE10 8PB.
5. Pho Street
Situated just across from the National Maritime Museum, this affordable spot is one of the best Vietnamese food options this side of the river. Their signature dish is – no surprises here – their ‘pho’ which consists of a warming broth, flat rice noodles, herbs, bean sprouts and either chicken, beef, prawns, tofu or a combination of all of the above. Brewed over eight or so hours, it’s a flavoursome dish and is the perfect thing to warm you up after wandering through Greenwich’s pretty cobblestone streets.
The Pho Street special lobster dish is a real standout, and the rare beef option is also a great choice. Elsewhere on the menu you can tuck into light and fluffy bao, slurp on hot and spicy bun hue noodle soups or try the lemongrass chicken or tofu and mushroom banh mi baguettes.
17 King William Walk, SE10 9JH.
6. Zaibatsu
This tiny spot is easily one of SE10’s best-kept secrets and earns its place as one of the best restaurants in Greenwich. Just around the corner from Maze Hill station, it offers pan-Asian fusion cuisine, affordable prices and, best of all, a corkage-free BYOB policy. The food here is melt-in-the-mouth good, with sashimi and sushi being the star attractions, but the crisp, zesty salads and sizzling tempura are also well worth a look-in.
Elsewhere there are classic Chinese dishes including piping-hot duck sze-chuan, and desserts include green tea ice cream and mango and coconut mousse. Note that given its small size, you may need to wait for a table at dinner – good job that the BYOB policy kicks in as soon as you step indoors.
96 Trafalgar Road, SE10 9UW.
7. The Hill
With its owners hailing from Ecuador, Greenwich favourite The Hill serves up an eclectic range of Mediterranean-style dishes all with a distinctly Latin American twist. Fruit di mare linguine and traditional Valencian paella sit alongside cooling Peruvian ceviche, and calzone, pan-fried duck breast with a redcurrant sauce and Argentinian rib-eye steak with chips and salad are also all on the menu.
The jewel in this restaurant’s crown though might just be the smorgasbord of tapas on offer – don’t miss trying the grilled octopus, the juicy tiger prawns or the chorizo cooked in a rich red vino. If you’ve got room for dessert, you can indulge your sweet tooth with Spanish churros, sticky orange and chocolate cake or coconut-dusted cookies with vanilla ice cream. Food aside, the restaurant itself is warm and friendly and is decked out in contemporary artwork by the renowned Ecuadorian artist Alívar Villamagua.
89 Royal Hill, SE10 8SE.
8. Champagne+Fromage
Though technically not a ‘restaurant’ per se, we couldn’t compile a list of the best restaurants in Greenwich without mentioning this gem, which featured on our list of reasons to visit Greenwich you never knew existed. Whipping up cheese boards with charcuterie and various different types of bubbles, Champagne+Fromage is a great spot in which to put yourself in a food coma after exploring all of the borough’s sites.
Sharing boards are the most popular thing here and they come with a choice of up to five different hard and soft cheeses, charcuterie meats, olive tapenade and mini gherkin cucumbers. Other things on the menu include a truffle-infused baked camembert, oozing raclette on a bed of potatoes and salted caramel canelés – come on, you’re here now why not spoil yourself? Wash all this down with a glass or two of fizz or an ice-cold negroni.
34 Greenwich Church Street, SE10 9BL.
9. Peninsula
This is the one to come to if you’re looking to treat yo’self or your other half – or if you’re trying to impress a date. Overlooking the towering skyscrapers of Canary Wharf and the River Thames, this Greenwich restaurant is certainly impressive. The fact that it has been awarded three AA Rosettes and featured in the Michelin Guide for both 2020 and 2021 consecutively doesn’t harm it either. The food here is, as you would expect, fine dining at its core.
Dine on oak smoked salmon with a yuzu crème fraiche and fennel sauce for starters, then savour the flavours of butternut squash risotto or slow-cooked feather blade beef for your main course. Compliment this with fine wine and a delectable cherry and chocolate tart for dessert and you’ve got yourself a meal for the memory books. Note that the restaurant is only taking private bookings at the moment, but this may change. Keep your eye on their website for further details.
2nd Floor, One Waterview Drive, SE10 0TW.
10. Heaps Sausage Café
More deli-come-takeaway-diner than restaurant, this neat little spot is the place to come if you’re looking to fill your boots with hearty British grub. The star attraction here is, as the name would suggest, the succulent English sausages which are flavoursome and come with buttery mash, bread or brioche baps and sides including coleslaw, Garamond masala, tzatsiki and potato cakes.
Beef and lamb burgers or full English fry-ups are also available, and homemade cakes, sweet treats and ice creams are all great options if you’re looking for something sweet to complement your main. For something with a bit more of a kick, indulge yourself in a ‘Lethal Lucifer’ – a spicy jumbo hot dog covered with lashings of coleslaw – or try the ‘Bhaji Burger’ made with kohlrabi, carrots, coriander, onion and fresh mint for a twist on the regular burger.
8 Nevada Street, SE10 9JL.
11. Banh Mi Leo
Tucked inconspicuously away on a side street not far from Greenwich DLR station, this cutesy Vietnamese eatery is one of the areas best-kept secrets and one of the best restaurants in Greenwich. The menu is displayed above the kitchen counter as you come in and displays local delicacies such as prawn satay noodles, vegan spring rolls, tofu and aubergine with steamed jasmine rice and freshly-made salads.
But the real deal here are the banh mi baguettes – ciabatta rolls chock-a-block full of tasty goodness such as five-spice grilled chicken with homemade mayonnaise, pork live pâté, pickled vegetables, fresh salad, chilli sauce, daikon and coriander. They also cater well to both vegans and vegetarians, and gluten-free brownies and plant-based, oat chocolate chip cookies are a nice little touch.
19 Lovibond Lane, SE10 9FY.
12. The Gipsy Moth
This compact little pub is smack bang in the middle of Greenwich’s centre, right opposite the iconic Cutty Sark. It’s named after the small boat in which Sir Francis Chichester used to sail around the globe back in 1966 and 1967, and being this close to the river, more than earns its name. Though small in size in its interior, it has a sprawling beer garden which we think is one of the best in the whole of London.
The food on offer here is a combination of pub classics – like pale ale battered cod with triple-cooked chips and juicy sausage and mash – along with fine dining options such as grilled seabass fillets and shredded duck salad. Gluten-free options are available, and vegans and vegetarians are more than catered for here. Oh, and did we mention that this Grade I-listed spot does its own craft beer residency every year? We’ll cheers to that!
60 Greenwich Church Street, SE10 9BL.
13. The Guildford Arms
Off-the-beaten-track down a small side road, this beloved, three-story Georgian tavern definitely earns its spot in this list of the best restaurants in Greenwich. Headed up by chef Guy Awford, the food served here is all about simplicity, seasonality and naturalism.
All the ingredients used are sourced from local farmers and producers committed to sustainability and high welfare, with suppliers including Natoora, Neal’s Yard Dairy, Ellis & Jones and The Sauce Shop. You’ll be wining and dining here on the spacious ground floor, which has views of the chefs cooking up a storm in the kitchen and of the gorgeous garden. All the vino is provided here by small, family-run wineries, and there are a whole host of craft beers for you to work your way through – after lunch pint in the sunken garden, anyone?
55 Guildford Grove, SE10 8JY.
14. Greenwich Market
Ok, so we’re technically cheating here. Greenwich’s market – established all the way back in 1736 – doesn’t contain just the one restaurant. There are 46 different spots here in which to gorge yourself silly, ranging from lip-smackingly good soft-shell crab burgers to spice-infused Indian street food. Stalls change on a regular basis, so on the one day you might be treated to vegetarian fare hailing all the way from Ethiopia, the next you could be biting into empanadas straight outta the Andes in South America.
There’s a fantastic choice of vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and organic options here too, and coffee shops and juice stalls will keep you replenished as you go make your way round. With this many options, it’s easy to while away the hours slowly ambling around here keeping yourself fed and watered at some of the best restaurants in Greenwich. Don’t miss a chance to come here during the Christmas period when it becomes festive AF decked out in twinkling lights and shrouded with the aromas of mulled wine.
5B Greenwich Market, SE10 9HZ.
So there you have it – a rundown of the best restaurants in Greenwich. You best get yourself down to SE10 and try them out!