For four years or so, I happily lived in London without any idea where Deptford was... in fact, I'd never even heard of it until 2020, despite it only being a few minutes away from Greenwich and a six minute train journey from London Bridge.
As I've started to get to know the area better, I'm increasingly wishing I'd found it earlier.
It's a fast-developing area with a busy high street, a market that selling all kinds of bric-a-brac and an array of unique independent shops, cafes, breweries and restaurants.
I'm almost certain I'll be adding to this list once things reopen, but here are my current top 8.
1. Isla Ray, Deptford High Street
It's difficult to describe the quirky, pretty interior of Isla Ray, but their website describes it as having “retro, tropical vibes”, and if you walked through to the back, you'll find a really cute (pretty small) outside area.
I'd been here a few times for breakfast before realising that they offer tacos for more of an evening meal too (that's currently the only thing they offer in the evening, but it's tasty), and their cocktails are really good too. Before COVID, they held live music events, so watch out for this in future.
Food & drinks are both reasonably priced
After discovering Lomond about a year ago, it's become the place my boyfriend almost exclusively orders his coffee beans from, and their baked goods are just as good - just look at that peanut butter cup bar on the left- and they sell really great doughnuts from St John's Bakery too.
I knew they were going to be something special when we first went and asked for banana bread and the guy replied "sure, toasted and buttered?" and now I'll never accept not toasted and buttered banana bread again, the standard has been set 🍌
x 3. The Street Art
On Giffin Street, you'll find the two murals below opposite each other.
The one on the left was Patricio Forrester’s first mural created almost 2 decades ago in 2002, and he's since founded South London public art company Artmongers, and the one on the right was later painted by a collaboration between Artmongers and Heart N Soul, another Deptford-based art organisation. Their initial ambition for the mural was to create a 'sunny, inclusive and uplifting' piece that created 'a sense of togetherness'.
The food at Buster Mantis - a little restaurant under Deptford railway arches - focuses on Jamaican food and drink - it's named after the first prime minister of Jamaica, Sir Alexander Bustamante - so while the menu changes regularly, you’ll always find jerk and curry there: I fairly recently had a plantain curry that I'd highly recommend.
We actually found the place by chance - it was my boyfriend's 25th birthday and the restaurant that I'd planned to go to with him turned out to be full, so, initially disappointed, we ended up here as it was late, we were hungry and Buster Mantis happened to nearby - but it turned out to be a hidden gem that I look forward to going back to.
Their cocktail list involves lots of rum, but they also offer local beers from small independents, and the place has really nice decor and a very relaxed atmosphere.
5. Villages
Just a few doors down from Buster Mantis is Villages, a micro-brewery and taproom started by two brothers, Archie and Louis Village. Their beer is amazing, and they have a really great range - and if you don't want to just take my word for it, check out their raving google reviews. They deliver across the UK, and if you like their beer, you can also sign up to 'Villages Beer Club', which offers a discounted subscription to their beers straight from the brewery, delivered to your door.
6. Forest
Possibly the cutest independent plant shop in London, the houseplants at Forest are reasonably priced, they have a broad selection and the staff are always lovely.
According to patch, around 70% of Londoners bought a house plant in the 12 months before COVID hit, and they've only become more popular since lockdowns began, so it's no surprise really that a plant shop had to be on the list.
7. Jars Bar
The sign outside Jars bar that says 'No Borin' Beers!' sums this place up pretty well. This is a little, cosy bar serving 'signature and classic cocktails, wine, craft beer and vodka infusions', and their shop offers an enormous range of drinks to takeaway with you.
A perfect shop for gifts, Deptford does Art is a little oasis on Deptford High Street and sells - in addition to prints - all kinds of things, from print t-shirts to jewellery to crockery. After local pub manager Zuzana started exhibiting local art in The Duke, she started Deptford Does Art as a part time art project. It proved very popular and since then, they have exhibited the work of more than 70 artists in several Deptford venues to date. If you found this post useful, feel free to pin so others can too:
Comentarios