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Best restaurants in Deptford: a local shares her favourite spots

Side by side images of a red and orange wine in front of a bar in a converted railway arch

Best restaurants in Deptford: a local shares her favourite spots

Tamarah Green

Published: August 10, 2026 at 12:57 PM

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From life-changing croissants and ice cream to laid back spice bags and hand-pulled noodles, read this insider's guide to where to eat in Deptford

Looking for the best places to eat in Deptford and the surrounding area? Local resident and expert Tamarah Green shared her must-visit recommendations, from a Sichuan noodle house to a chic natural wine bar.

For more south London food recommendations, check out our reviews of the best restaurants in Crystal Palace, best restaurants in Peckham and best restaurants in Tooting.

Cantina Boccone – for natural wine and tapas

A new addition to Deptford's buzzy Market Yard, Cantina Boccone brings together the Italian and Portuguese heritage of its founders to create a chic, inviting bar and kitchen.

Everyone talks about the deep-fried gordal olives – order these the moment you sit down, salty and satisfyingly plump with a crisp, golden crust. From there, let your hosts guide you through the menu. Their knowledge is staggering, and they generously share wine recommendations along with the origins and suppliers behind each dish. The wine list is a standout, not least because it has its own special board, but also for its trendy, thoughtful curation. We tried a fresh, fruity chilled red and a gently tannic orange wine from Cinque Terre as we settled into this ace people-watching spot.

The meat and cheese boards celebrate small suppliers and off-beat varieties. The orange wine paired neatly with a pecorino washed in white wine and olive oil, its rind lending a subtle tang. There was a gorgonzola too, younger than what's usually served, prized at Boccone for its milder, creamier flavour. We also loved the speck – sourced from a micro-producer in Italy who makes only 1,000 legs a year – sweet, delicate and almost melting in the mouth.

Cantina Boccone is the kind of place you duck into for one drink and stay for three: a proper ode to Deptford's lively buzz, one glass and one plate at a time. boccone.co.uk

Side by side images of a red and orange wine in front of a bar in a converted railway arch

Sylva – for elevated brunch

Founder and head chef Shuli, a proud south-east Londoner, has transformed an unassuming park café in the middle of busy Deptford into an oasis of calm. Sylva isn't the kind of place you stumble upon – but if you seek it out, you'll be rewarded with their warm hospitality and a gorgeous menu of brunch, lunch and sweets.

Shuli spent five years at the River Café, so it's no surprise that fresh produce takes centre stage here. But it's her experience in Tel Aviv kitchens that really shines through. Try the chicken schnitzel sandwich: fresh and crispy, dressed with a handful of aromatic parsley, rich tahini and bright, tangy pickled cucumbers. Or the arayes: yesterday's bread, toasted until smoky and charred at the edges, then stuffed with minced beef and warmly spiced baharat.

Sustainability runs through everything at Sylva, where reuse and homemade touches are championed at every turn. There are three homemade ice cream flavours on the menu each day, and any unused frothed milk is transformed into a delicately sweet ricotta for their famous buns. My favourite find was the melon and sage compote, which added a sweet, herby edge to the rich, tangy basque cheesecake, its top burnished and faintly bitter with caramelisation. I'm not sure I'll ever want it served any other way again. sylvalondon.co.uk

A hibiscus lemonade, iced coffee and chicken schnitzel sandwich on a table

TOAD Bakery – for life-changing croissants

Toad is a regular on 'best bakeries in London' lists and rightly so – south Londoners have enjoyed having it on their doorstep. Now there's even more reason to celebrate, with a new branch opening in Deptford's Market Yard.

This branch is Toad's new home base, with a huge, active open kitchen serving both outposts and an expansive curved glass counter showcasing their playful croissants. The star is surely the everything bagel croissant: filled with smooth cream cheese, spiked with dried onion, garlic, poppy and sesame seed, and lifted with bright dill – savoury, tangy and sharp in all the right places. If you live in Deptford, that bagel croissant could be a weekly habit. If you don't, it's worth the trip on its own. toadbakery.com

Twelve individual pastries flat laid

Dr Noodle – for authentic hand-pulled noodles

This no-frills Sichuan noodle house is worth straying from Market Yard for. Not a date-night spot, more somewhere to bring friends, BYOB and fill up on deeply authentic noodles.

The specialty beef soup noodles are a reliable hit, but for me it's all about the noodles with spicy braised pork, tomato and egg sauce, and chilli oil. I have a photo of this exact dish from five separate visits: the sweet, savoury tomato and egg against rich, glutinous pork, with chilli oil building a slow, creeping heat. On the side, order the shredded potato with chilli and vinegar, fresh and zippy, and the smacked cucumber salad, cool, garlicky and satisfyingly crunchy.

This branch has built such a cult following it's inspired two new sites, in Brick Lane and Islington. Proof that Deptford knows where to eat. instagram.com/dr.noodle_2023

A bowl of Noodles with spicy braised pork, tomato and egg sauce, chilli oil

Marcella – for classic homemade Italian

Named after Marcella Hazan, Deptford's Marcella is the sister restaurant to Peckham's Artusi, known for fresh, homemade pasta and seasonal Italian cooking. On Sundays, they serve a legendary set menu, including a starter, pasta and dessert for just £29 per person.

Menu highlights include a charred hispi cabbage, smoky and tender with a deep caramelised edge; pipe all'amatriciana, rich with guanciale and a punchy, peppery tomato sauce; and an olive oil cake, moist and delicately fragrant, served with a cool, tangy crème fraîche. marcella.london

Olive oil cake on a blue plate

Viet Rest – for comforting pho

Viet Rest is a Deptford institution: unmissable on an evening stroll down the high street, packed with locals getting their fill of classic pho, rice and noodle dishes. The pho alone is worth the visit: a fragrant, slow-simmered broth loaded with warming spice, served with tender slices of beef and fresh herbs for a bright, herbaceous lift.

Inside, the vibe is chilled and casual, with colourful murals of the Vietnamese landscape covering the walls. Deptford has a strong Vietnamese community, and this restaurant sits right at its heart; while you're in the area, it's worth popping into the local grocery stores too, to stock up on the ingredients that make dishes like this sing.

Institution or not, this is straightforward, satisfying food at its best. vietrestltd.co.uk

Side by side images of the exterior of Viet Rest and a tablescape with several Vietnamese dishes being shared

Paddy Wok – for laid back spice bags

Between The Dog and Bell and Paddy Wok, Deptford is fast becoming a hub for the Irish in London. Paddy Wok is an Irish-Chinese takeaway born from homesickness for a very particular dish, and we're lucky enough to now enjoy it right in the heart of Deptford.

If you're not familiar with a spice bag, it's the invention of a Chinese takeaway in Ireland: crispy salt-and-chilli chips, shredded deep-fried chicken and stir-fried peppers, chilli and onion, all tossed together and served with curry sauce. It's an addictive combination – and one matched perfectly with a pint of Guinness from the bar next door. paddywok.com

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Tamarah Green

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