Places to eat in Greenwich

Pie and mash shops are as cockney as it gets. Good simple eating that dates back centuries to times when these pockets of pastry would be filled with eels from the River Thames and covered in ‘liquor’, the suspect-looking green parsley sauce so treasured by the working class Londoners of the Victorian era. There are still many pie and mash shops in the capital, and one of the best can be found here in Greenwich. Goddards at Greenwich has been around since 1890, and you can tell. The restaurant is decorated with white tiles, old chalkboards, wooden pews and panelling. If you don’t fancy eels, the pies come in all flavours and guises and only cost a fiver with mash and liquor or gravy. It’s certainly something worth ticking off any trip to this part of London, particularly if you’re visiting some of the top activities in Greenwich as Goddards is next to Cutty Sark, the National Maritime Museum, and the northwest corner of Greenwich Park.

Gastropubs don’t get much better than The Guildford Arms. Here on the corner of Devonshire Drive and Guildford Grove – a five-minute walk from our London Greenwich hotel – you’ll be wowed by the quality of eating available in this stylishly decorated pub. It’s no secret though; The Guildford Arms was named London Dining Pub of the Year in 2018 by the Good Pub Guide. The Sunday roast is nothing short of sublime, the dining menu changes regularly and is consistently delicious, while the lunch set menu offers good value for such exquisite eating.

When it comes to quick, cheap eats, Zaibatsu is a local favourite Japanese fusion restaurant on Trafalgar Road. The main thing you need to consider with Zaibatsu is that you will definitely be able to find tastier Asian cuisine elsewhere in London. However, it won’t come close to the prices you’ll find here, just down the road from Maze Hill station. Better still, it’s authentic, the portions are generous, it’s genuinely flavoursome, and barring some of the more extravagant sushi options, everything on the menu is less than a tenner. If you’re hungry and short on time, Zaibatsu is perfect.

If you’re looking for more of a stylish sit-down experience, make your way to Sticks N Sushi on the corner of Nelson Road, a few doors down from the south entrance to Greenwich Market. It specialises in exquisitely made sushi and outrageously tasty yakitori skewers. The restaurant itself is a delight. Admittedly, it can get pricey, particularly when you’ll want to try everything on the menu, but it is absolutely delicious.

Ahem, attention please, there is a sausage café in Greenwich. It goes by the name of Heap’s Sausages, and you can find it on Nevada Street, a stone’s throw from Greenwich Park. Do we really need to elaborate? Most people will be sprinting there as we speak. For those of you still reading, Heap’s serve their own handmade sausages. It was founded by one Martin Heap who aspired to make the best sausage you’ll ever eat. At his peak he had five branches and sold ten tonnes of sausages per week. Yes, you read that correctly, ten tonnes of taste bud tingling sausages. The Greenwich café is the original, flagship sausage shop, where you can go for hot dogs, full English breakfasts, sausage rolls, bangers and mash, and plenty more. Prices are low, but the flavour is high – a winning combination.

Next door to The Prince of Greenwich pub – which you can read about in greater detail on our Greenwich nightlife page – you’ll find Royal Teas, a top veggie café with delicious homemade food. It’s a real hidden gem, away from the hustle and bustle of the main tourist attractions, perfect for a quiet cup of tea and delicious breakfast, brunch or lunch. The cakes change pretty regularly but are always palmary. The eggs royale and florentine are the main attraction. They make this café well worth hunting down in the mornings.

A couple of other honourable mentions go to The Green café on Greenwich High Road, the home of a seriously big breakfast and some of the best brunches in Greenwich, and Peyton and Byrne, the award-winning artisan bakery on Church Street.

We can’t talk about places to eat without a nod to Greenwich Market. London’s best covered market has been around for more than three hundred years. It’s open from Monday through to Sunday and is packed full of market stalls selling everything from antiques to arts and crafts. Best of all, there are nearly 50 food stalls selling pretty much any kind of food on the planet. We can’t tell you about them all, but cake fans won’t want to miss vegan patisserie Rubys of London on the weekends. The Red Cow Carvery is one for carnivores. Pimp My Ramen serves outrageously tasty burgers between disks of ramen noodles instead of buns. Victus & Bibo are only around on the weekends but they sell a lamb and halloumi wrap which we would happily marry. Last of all, between Wednesday and Sunday, Banh Mi Nen will take you on a Vietnamese culinary adventure. Take a bite, close your eyes and be transported from south London to Saigon.