Not just a wine bar, 40 Maltby Street has ascended the pyramid to become one of London's very best restaurants, combining gutsy Mediterranean food with natural wines. Set under a railway arch on Maltby Street in Bermondsey, it was one of the earliest proponents of the hyper-seasonal wine bar dining trend that has become hugely popular in London, and it remains one of the best and busiest of those wine bar bistros to this day.
You can often spot 40 Maltby Street by the queue of expectant diners snaking out of the door, as the restaurant doesn't take reservations and operates as a walk-in only site. Inside you’ll find a mixture of dinky bistro tables and counter dining spots, with wine racks and posters lining the walls. 40 Maltby Street shares the space with Gergovie Wines, and pretty much every bottle in the wine shop is available to buy and drink whilst you dine. In the warmer months, there are also tables on the front terrace where you can eat lunch or dinner.
Head chef and co-owner Stephen Williams won a Michelin star at The Harwood Arms, before coming to cook at 40 Maltby Street, and his cooking has won numerous plaudits here also. The menu is largely British and focused around British produce, albeit with some European and Mediterranean influence depending on what is in season. A blackboard menu changes from week to week, and the cooking is fairly minimal, taking great quality produce and presenting it in the best way possible - for example, raw trout with pickled chanterelles and horseradish, pork and fennel ragu with ricotta and crispy polenta, and vanilla parfait with lemon curd.
Staff are clued-up on wines as well as food, so you’re always in good hands asking for recommendations here if you’re having trouble with the hefty wine list.