Brixton Eating – Boqueria Tapas

Halfway down Acre Lane, two doors down from an Afro hairdresser-cum-newsagent-cum Christmas tree store, is Boqueria Tapas, the self-proclaimed “most exciting Tapas bar in London”…Now I’m not sure about the earth-shattering excitement – on an excitement Richter scale where 1 is paint drying and 10 is the Second Coming Boqueria is a comfortable 5 – but the food is definitely a teaser for the tastebuds.

Brixton Eating, Crown and Anchor Pub

Big Boozer

This pared down, simply elegant Brixton boozer is a haven of craft ale perfection. The Crown and Anchor lifts an otherwise drab, depressing stretch of road to the status of “must visit” and now boasts a well-deserved Time Out Eating & Drinking Award. 

Brixton Eating – Bukowski Grill

Soft, golden browned patty? – check. Oozing, Chicano pibil pulled pork strands, unctuously sweet, dripping with rich ancho chilli and Seville orange juiciness? – check. Fiery, yet delicate chilli chutney on the side? – check. Pickle (crowning glory of all things!) – double check.

Brixton Eating – Seven @ Brixton

A toast to the tapas!

The Market Row end of Brixton Village is HOT right now, with more nooks and crannies morphing into delicious eateries than my poor brain can handle. The hotly anticipated opening of Wishbone (from the team that brought us Meatliquor!) is coming soon, but in the meantime the crowds are packing out Bukowski’s Charcoal Grill, Mexican hot spot Casa Morita and this: Seven @ Brixton, a two-storied, eye-poppingly coloured tapas bar and cocktail den boasting vintage jumble-sale Spanish decor and a hipster clientele.

Upstairs in Brixton. Hidden Gem of SW2.

It had been a generally crap day until I discovered what eventually turned out to be the most exciting dinner since, I think, Joel Robuchon, or the trio of Foie Gras I guzzled in Toulouse. The delightful JoJo dragged me down the still ever-so-slightly dodgy Acre Lane, past Tesco, past the seemingly ever-empty if intriguing Bamboula, past Lidl and in fact, we almost walked past Upstairs itself. Tucked down a sideroad, on the corner where Opus cafe stands, is a wee doorbell. Past that door, is the stairway to foodie heaven.

Owner Philippe Castaing is the brains behind Brixton Green – championing the SW2 neighbourhood as a “silicon valley” for green business in Britain. Oh, and he’s also catered for Elton and Gordon Ramsey. Needless to say, as a pet project, Upstairs comes with a pedigree. 

Bellantoni’s Fresh Pasta shop in Brixton Market

News from the newly revamped, renovated and rejuvenated Granville Arcade in Brixton, AKA Brixton Village. Left abandoned and dilapidated for the last ten years or so, a creative arts agency by the name of Space Makers took it over just before Christmas and invited artists, thinkers, entrepreneurs, chefs, writers, cineasts and more to take over the empty stalls and transform them into usable spaces, thus reviving the back of the market with a series of pop-up shops, cafès, even a tiny cinema and street theatre, DJ booths and children’s reading clubs.

Local, “open-sauced” foods at Cornercopia

Brixton Cornercopia is run by husband and wife Ian and Anne Fairbrother, a small cornershop, deli and cafe serving delicious simple food made from tasty seasonal ingredients at reasonable, recession-worthy prices.

Located in unit 65 of “Brixvill”, you’ll notice it from the pretty red and white tablecloth bedecked tables garnished with fresh flowers and fashioned out of upturned crates. Oh, and the constant buzz of people wanting to eat there…