North vs South: From Restaurants To Bakeries, Which Is Best In London?

North: The North has been bolstered recently by a few buzzy openings. There’s the Iberian-inspired Tollington’s in Finsbury Park and the restaurant-slash-wine bar Goodbye Horses in De Beauvoir, two of the biggest hits of the past year.

These add to one of the main players in the small plates boom – Stoke Newington’s Jolene – and Trullo, a good shout for the best fresh pasta in London. Other highlights include Mangal 2 – a wildly delicious Turkish success story – and Caravel, which managed to turn a converted barge into an intimate, romantic destination serving a quality bistro-style menu.

South: The South encapsulates Borough market, which feels slightly unfair. There’s Kolae, serving some of the best Thai food in the city, Akara, a casual sister restaurant to Akoko that maintains the quality, and the current feather in its cap, Oma, which is a strong contender for the best new opening of 2024 and just received a Michelin star.

Beyond that, the South has even more Michelin-starred muscles to flex, from Trinity in Clapham to the two-starred Restaurant Story and Trivet. Plus, it also has a showstopping omakase in Kurisu, one of the few outside Mayfair.

Perhaps the South’s greatest strength is its diversity, however. Fancy London’s best Korean? Head to Morden and choose from any number of great spots. West African? Head to Peckham or the underrated Sikatio in Brockley. Or head to Brixton for some creative Caribbean cooking.

Verdict: For the sheer variety, creativity and diversity, not to mention Michelin-starred glamour, South comes out on top here.

North: If bakeries were judged on how frequently one saw their tote bags while walking around London, the North would win in a landslide. In Jolene and Pophams, they have two of the biggest in the game. Oh, and they’re also excellent bakery spots. From classics like croissants and pan suisse to signature cardamom buns, and even rogue creations like buns with Earl Grey and fig competes.

Beyond that, Tarn Bakery does a mean Guinness cake, and Sourdough Sofia makes pastries so aesthetically pleasing you’d almost feel bad eating them.

If bakeries were judged on their tote bags, the North would win in a landslide

South: TOAD is the heavy hitter down South, with shops in both Peckham and Camberwell and a cult following. Fun fact – it used to be called Frog before pivoting under threat of being sued by a big chef with a restaurant of the same name. Somewhere in the past few years, perhaps because it was one of the few things you could actually do during COVID, it became socially acceptable to queue for 45 minutes to get your hands on a Danish pastry. TOAD is one of the places few people actually feel like it was worth it.

Other favourite spots are Aries in Brixton, Eric’s in Dulwich and Bunhead in Tulse Hill.

Verdict: A close one, about a 55-45 split, but we’d just about head North on Westminster Bridge if we were in the mood for a rhubarb and jasmine doughnut.

North: A hike and a pint on a Sunday is one of life’s great pleasures, and while London doesn’t have any mountains, a natter around Hampstead Heath is as close as you can get. The excursion part might be lacking, but the pub front certainly isn’t – The Spaniards Inn, The Holly Bush and The Southampton Arms are all on the fringes of the heath, and all some of the best in London.

If you’re looking for a Friday Night vibe rather than a Sunday afternoon one, The Queen’s Head in Angel and The Auld Shillelagh in Stoke Newington, meanwhile King’s Cross might be London’s most underrated drinking neighbourhood.

King’s Cross might be London’s most underrated drinking neighbourhood

South: Skehans, with its ivy-drenched exterior, hilltop view of the city, regular gigs and independent Irish ownership, is probably my personal favourite pub in the city. It also forms part of what is a Nunhead stronghold of great pubs, backed up by the likes of the Pyrotechnist’s Arms and the Old Nun’s Head.

Effra Hall Tavern in Brixton is also great for an event – they have something on every night, from comedy shows to Jazz sets – and the Bermondsey Beer Mile is a favourite night out. Venturing closer to the river, The King’s Arms is a classic slice of history amid London’s urban modernisation.

Verdict: For volume and greater options depending on your drinking mood, the North wins out.

North: The true neighbourhood favourites. The places people feel an immense sense of pride over, that non-locals don’t know and, if they do, envy. In the North, Sonora Taqueria serves up the best tacos I’ve eaten in the city, and the only tacos I’ve ever specifically travelled 45 minutes for. Xi’an Impression is also a Northern gem, intrinsically tied to match-day going Arsenal fans and offering respite from their ongoing injury crisis.

One of the most unique – although currently in a winter hibernation – is Baltic Sea Food, a roving, moving canal boat that also happens to serve some of London’s freshest fish.

Sonora Taqueria serves the only tacos I’ve ever specifically travelled 45 mintues for

South: Some of the South’s best food is found where you least expect it – like, for instance, in somebody’s back garden. Maureen’s Kitchen serves Caribbean classics like jerk chicken, curry goat, and oxtail stew from the owner’s kitchen, Maureen, and it’s some of the best in London.

There’s also Nigerian takeaway spot Alhaji Suya and Chatsworth Bakehouse, a legendary sandwich shop that almost makes us want to move to Crystal Palace. Such is the insane demand, they only accept pre-orders – every Monday at 12:30pm, when you can pick either the meat or veggie option for the following week.

That’s before we even get back to Borough Market, where The Black Pig is our current favourite takeaway spot.

Verdict: Another close one, but we’re sticking with the South here – being able to walk into a backyard and eat some of London’s best food is tough to top.

North: Still think it’s just restaurants that serve the best food in London? You’re wrong. Now, many of the dishes are found in pubs. London’s best burger? It’s in a pub. Best Indian? In a pub. Best seafood? You guessed it, it’s in a pub. 

Up North, get yourself to The Tamil Prince in Islington for the ultimate Indian gastropub experience, The Parakeet in Kentish Town for wood-fired cooking combined with outstanding Guinness, and The Red Lion & Sun, recently ranked as the 6th best Gastropub in the UK. The Bull & Last, The Baring, The Draper’s Arms and The Eagle all also cracked the top 50.

South: The volume is admittedly less in the South, but at the tip of the iceberg, the quality is just as high. The Camberwell Arms, tucked inside a 19th-century pub, combines informal service and seasonal, produce-first dishes. Meanwhile, the Canton Arms in Stockwell offers a menu of traditional British dishes with a rustic charming interior.

If you want Thames-side action, The Waterman’s Arms in Barnes is your best bet, or the unique White Cross in Richmond, also known as ‘the pub that floods’. Quite literally, when the tide is in the whole outside area becomes submerged in water and yet, somehow, it works.

Verdict: As much as we like the idea of being flooded mid-meal, the ability to drink Guinness with a paneer butter masala, and the creative cooking from the likes of The Parakeet and Red Lion & Sun, we’re venturing North.