Best restaurants in Balham

Henny's is a natural wine shop, wine bar and café all rolled into one. Functioning as a cool workspace during the earlier hours, Henny's evolves into a buzzy wine bar as day turns to night. With plenty of organic and biodynamic bottles on offer, Balham locals know where to go for a great bottle. 

With a buzzing outdoor beer garden and vast space inside, The Regent is proper pub for beer-lovers, big groups or after work drinks. This is the sort of place that brings people together, whether it's watching a sports game with friends on their big screens or meeting new people at their Tuesday night darts competitions. 

This family-run Italian restaurant has been serving Balham locals with the home-style cuisine of Southern Italy for over twenty years. Their comprehensive menu includes authentic dishes like bruschetta, king prawn linguine and spaghetti vongole. With friendly service and familiar flavours, dining at Ciullõsteria feels like a warm hug. 

For a wine that tastes that extra bit special, The Wine Tasting Shop sources high-end varieties from small producers across the globe. With both old world and funkier numbers, the staff here are highly knowledgeable and host plenty of tastings and events where they can pass on some of their wisdom. 

With multiple sites largely across South London, Megan's on the Hill is a tried and tested independent neighbourhood restaurant. With Instagrammable interiors, including hanging fairy lights and floral decorations, Megan's offers all-day, Medittaranean-leaning dishes including boozy bottomless brunches and giant feasting boards.

Branching over three floors, The Exhibit is a multi-dimensional space offering everything from bottomless brunch to live music. Their secret rooftop garden is decked out with hanging vines and cosy blankets while their mezzanine boasts a sun-soaked balcony and open kitchen. Whatever the occasion, The Exhibit is a go-to in Balham. 

Taro offers an extensive menu of authentic Japanese cuisine catering to all occasions, whether you're after a lunchtime bento box or a whole host of sushi for dinner. There's six locations across the city dating back to 1999, so it's fair to say these guys know what they're doing. 

Balham Social is an experimental Indian restaurant with elaborate cocktails and extravagant interiors, featuring floral ceilings, hanging lights and jazzy booths. The menu offers meat and vegetarian options in equal measure, including battered fish fry, curry leaf potatoes and chana masala. Time your visit with their happy hour to try their signature espresso martini. 

Opened by Aussie barista Julian Porter and artist/actress Lauren Heaphy, Milk is a slice of Australia in London. Whether you want a taste of sunny Sydney or a coffee as good as they make it in Melbourne, Milk dishes out all the Aussie classics including fish sandos, banana bread and ANZAC biscuits. 

A welcoming and modern pan-Mediterranean restaurant, Blue Fig draws inspiration from founder Samer’s upbringing in Jerusalem, serving comforting foods in warm interiors decked out with florals. Breakfast dishes include shakshuka, eggs benedict and bacon pancakes while the evening menu features aubergine mousakha, lamb kofta and chicken shawarma.

From the team behind Bucci, La Doc offers authentic, family-style Italian food. Artisinal wines are imported from various Italian regions and outdoor wooden barrels are the perfect pit-stop for a nibble and an aperitivo. With something to suit everyone’s tastes, this one is a popular haunt for date nights, birthdays, family get-togethers and larger parties. 

Franco Manca is popular for a reason. From their perfected Neapolitan dough recipe to their group of friendly servers, you know you're in safe hands eating here. Their Balham location is conveniently located just round the corner from the station and has curbside seating to catch some evening sun. 

Behind heavy wooden doors, this little unassuming restaurant has remained a bit of hidden gem for authentic Moroccan cuisine for over a decade. Decorated with low-level, velvet sofas and bohemian chandeliers, Tagine is perfect for sharing generous portions of silky houmous, fish tagine and smoky baba ghanush. 

Viet Corner doesn't do much self-promotion and that's probably because it doesn't need to. Popular for both dine-in and takeaway, this Vietnamese restaurant is the ultimate comfort food. Their menu is familiar and comprehensive, serving prawn summer rolls, wonton spicy soup and garlic beef pho. 

Having launched as a pop-up in 2017, ex-Nobu head chef Scott Hallsworth has turned Freak Scene into a two-restaurant independent chain. This intimate pan-Asian restaurant is a buzzy mix of sushi, small plates and wood-fired mains, like hispi cabbage, whole lemon sole and black cod. Of course, there's sake too!

Tucked away from Balham's High Road, The Grove is a modern gastropub in a grand nineteenth-century corner building. A bit of a local hero, The Grove regularly engages in charity and fundraising efforts as well as hosting a full calendar of events, including quiz nights, barbecues and garden parties. 

Specialising in authentic Nepalese cuisine, Gurkha's Diner serves big, bold, heart-warming flavours. Their simple, white interiors make space for their vibrant dishes, including their signature dish momo cha (steamed dumplings with sweet and sour sauce). If you love spicy, complex food, you'll like a lot of this menu. 

Caminata is a bit of a local favourite for unpretentious, satiating bowls of pasta and fluffy slices of pizza. This Italian restaurant is a lively joint with something for everyone on the menu. Whether you want a mid-week treat or a reliable date spot, Caminata's simple, rustic approach is hard not to enjoy. 

Founded by two Mexican restaurateurs, 1910 Cantina is Balham's go-to for authentic Mexican food. The menu features a refined variation of dishes, including refried black beans with feta, prawn and seabass ceviche and a mash potato family recipe passed down for generations. Pair with a tequila or mezcal cocktail and you're on to a winner.