Saturday Shopping - East Dulwich Pit Stops

A day’s shopping in East Dulwich can be exhausting with all the truly amazing shops and stalls one needs to take in to benefit from the complete experience. The key is to pace yourself. Keep fuelled and hydrated and plan for plenty of pit stops. Here’s my guide to making your most of a day in glorious SE22 - if I have missed out your favourite, do let me know.

Start with an energising juice drink from Chris’s Pretty Traditional on North Cross Road. Pop next door to Pretty Vintage for a hearty full English or try the Eggs Benedict at the Duck Egg Café or a veg monty in the newly reopened Blue Mountain Café.

For a mid morning coffee break stop at Franklin’s Farm Shop where you can also feast your eyes on the glorious array of unusual and exquisite food items and pass the time of day with Rod and Tim or Captured on the Rye – where you can shop Lorraine and Lol’s wonderful screen printed Peckham made fashion and homewares from the comfort of your chair. If you are lucky, depending on the day, the lovely Yvette might be serving up her scrumptious vegetarian Mean Green Food goodies – try the black quinoa fritters.

Handmade beans on toast from Luca’s are a comforting and sustaining treat and I dream about the hearty vegetarian sausage sandwiches from Blue Brick Café. I love to linger over a lunch at new Sorsi & Morsi, where the owner, Danny’s recipes are tried and tested by his mother in her Sicilian kitchen. Or try fish and chips from The Sea Cow; brilliant if you have kids in tow as they eat free until 4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays! More details here.

Snack on the Samosas from the Cheese Block, which are one of London’s best kept secrets – and which I am loathe to share lest they are sold out next time I crave one.

Sagging energy levels can be boasted with a sugar hit from the wonderful beyond wrods Hope and Greenwood. For a refreshing afternoon tea, complete with cake and sandwiches and a sneaky glass of fizz, Daphne Kellett’s Le Chandelier cannot be beaten. Le Chandelier is the ideal venue for any elegant event. There is even a secret very laid back Moroccan lounge upstairs.

Le Chandelier

If you feel you are flagging a cocktail from House of Tippler will put a spring in your step, served with canapés by Suzanne James. Tim’s martinis are the best in London. Try one or two. 

The Italian tradition of La Passeggiata is something for which Lordship Lane is made, start your promenade with a fresh, natural and delicious gelato from Oddonos. Oddonos is open to 11 pm, Fridays and Saturdays and 10 pm the rest of the week. Good to know if you forget dessert or want to pop out for pudding.

For supper you are literally spoilt for choice, famed for its Indian Restaurants, you might want to check out one of these if you are visiting the area. The menu at Tandoori Nights is creative and interesting and the hosts are charming. Or try East Dulwich stalwart – over 30 years in business, Dulwich Tandoori, and where I am going appropriately enough tonight to celebrate a 30 year anniversary. 

The food at Franklins (expect the unexpected including, famously, the occasional squirrel dish!)or the Palmerston, cannot be faulted - expect seriously fine dining in both - and Michael Hazlewood’s new Toast E.D is well worth checking out, where diners are encouraged to share small plates of food. My family is always delighted if we book a table at Koz, where I have been proud to take a food writer to eat, who has written a Turkish cookbook and whom, I am glad to say, was wowed by the quality of the ingredients, the value and the endearing staff. 

The Actress has a pizza oven and is famed for its takeaway pizzas - view the menu here - for a similarly buzzy vibe check out the always busy Bishop.

North Cross Road market is foodie heaven, which gourmet treats too numerous to list here, but do bag a bag of Hayley''s homemade fudge.