Bermondsey Street
Something that never fails to amaze me about London is its diversity. You can be in the most tourist-centric hub, yet turn a corner and enter what feels like a pretty London ‘village’.
Nestled within the heart of SE1, hidden behind the Shard and the arches of London Bridge station, Bermondsey Street is great to explore. It has an ‘edgy’ feel, thanks to its working class roots, yet boasts a laid-back vibe with tons of community spirit.
Visiting here: To visit here from London Bridge station, walk in the opposite direction of Borough Market, towards the back of the station, past the Shard and the railway arches. You’ll find this cobbled street (on the right) is home to independent coffee shops, an art-house cinema, innovative restaurants and a modern art gallery.
There always seems to be something new to experience here, so I want to share some recommendations on how best to explore this area:
Start with a coffee from: The Watch House
Formally a hangout for nineteenth century guards to protect the churchyard graves, this coffee shop has a wealth of charm. At the top end of Bermondsey Street (if walking from Bermondsey Square) this is a great place to stop off for a takeaway coffee. They serve an excellent almond latte and the food also looks good. It’s a nice place to pop by…
Bermondsey Street has many nice restaurants, cafés and shops waiting to be discovered.
Appreciate art for free at: White Cube
There are so many little art galleries dotted around London – and of course Bermondsey Street is home to one of the largest. White Cube opened as a modern art gallery in 2011, making good use of the wide open space of a former warehouse. It has three exhibition spaces, which change regularly – making it a worthwhile stop off that’s free to enter!
Try to resist licking your lips at: St. John Bakery
Further along, this newly opened pop-up shop at 96 Bermondsey Street has brought St. John’s famous daily-changing doughnuts, fresh bread, perfect filtered coffee and crunchy homemade granola to this little area. Open 9am-6pm every day it’s rather hard to resist a sweet treat when passing their enticing mouth-watering window displays.
It’s also impossible not to lick your lips when eating one!
Experience a taste of Paris at: Casse–Croûte
This tiny French bistro (which is actually a former sandwich shop) is wonderfully authentic with red leather, black and white tiles and paper tablecloths. They allow ‘on-the-pavement’ dining with tiny wooden tables outside, a place oozing in Parisan charm.
The blackboard menu changes every day – consisting of three choices per course, and the wine list is brief yet traditionally all-French!
As the saying “all good things come in small packages” goes, this place adds a a taste of France to Bermondsey with sensible pricing and high-quality cooking. In summary it’s the sort of food that you would normally only ever dream of having at a bistro in Paris.
Bermondsey played a huge part in industrial London, home to many leather works and tanneries, the area has still managed to preserve remnants of the old South London.
Continue the exploration at: Flat Iron Square
The exploring doesn’t need to stop at the end of Bermondsey Street, as just a short walk around the corner is Flat Iron Square at 68 Union Street, a foodie revolution that has transformed old railway arches into a hub of restaurants, bars and a live music venue.
Every weekend, there is a vintage and makers market bringing heaps of hidden treasures to search through, such as antiques, clothing, homeware, books and bikes.
With a wide variety of food on offer inside the “Food Arch”, you can sample Turkish dumplings, Pad Thai, Bao buns and sourdough pizza. It’s a hip little hideout that offers an oasis of calm away from the hustle and bustle of it’s busier counterpart Borough Market.
Overindulge at: Where the pancakes are
“Simplicity” seems to be the motto for this honest, homely and low-key pancake house.
Hidden beneath one of the mighty railway arches…
it doesn’t have an overcomplicated menu. In fact, the only struggle you have to contend with is deciding whether to go for savoury or sweet…
I was hesitant that pineapple and pancakes could work on the same plate, but here they are matched together perfectly. Their signature pancake, “Hummingbird” is fabulously garnished with cream, cinnamon frosted pineapple and coconut flakes.
Each dish is presented as a feast of colour and texture. The pancakes are consciously made with buckwheat flour to create a thick, yet fluffy texture, which is far from stodgy.
The menu feels innovative and exciting; they cater for vegans, vegetarians and the typical pancake foodie, and take pride in using organic and natural ingredients. This place gives the chance to indulge on a pancake fix, even when it’s not Shrove Tuesday.
It’s rare that a restaurant come-café wins on getting both presentation and taste both right, which is why I rate this place as a hidden gem for breakfast and brunch.
All in all, Flat Iron Square has so much potential as a foodie hub, it’s a great example of how re-purporsing industrial railway arches can be wonderfully practical and fun.
It’s not at all what you’d expect in the shadow of The Shard and Tower Bridge!
out of the office adventures 
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