Balham’s best outdoor dining spots
As London continues along the route laid out by Boris Johnson’s roadmap out of Covid-19 restrictions, diners have been eased back into the restaurant experience with outdoor-only dining.
April 12th saw Londoners (and the rest of England) finally able get back to their food-filled life with eateries allowed provide outdoor service. While this is far from the comfy, indoor full dining service we’re used to, the al fresco tables are leagues ahead of our homemade recreations.
So, while we wait for full normality to resume, here are my recommendations for Balham’s best outdoor dining spots. Whether you’re looking for a liquid lunch, a sidewalk supper or a garden gorge, Balham has a myriad of restaurants to fit any foodie’s needs.
The Exhibit
A multi-story outdoor location (which normally operates as a cinema and office as well as an eatery) covered in gazebos and adorned with fairy lights and flowers, The Exhibit offers a seasonal menu of tried and tested classics and themed event such as ‘Surf and Turf Sunday’, a lobster set menu and live music when coronavirus rules allow. The restaurant also runs a bottomless brunch every weekend for liquid lunchers, with prices starting from £20.
★★★☆☆
The Exhibit is located at 12 Balham Station Road, SW12 9SG, opening 8:30am-11pm (extended to 2am) on Fridays & Saturdays. Book now.
The Regent
Running mainly as a pub, The Regent – which is just a stone throw away from Balham tube station – serves not only a wide selection of spirits, wines and beers, but a lengthy menu of pub classics like burgers and chips, as well as more exciting dishes for customers with an adventurous palate. Set in The Regent’s ‘secret garden’, the pub offers up their menu alongside a weekly pub quiz and a sports night for their customers, a popular haunt for Balham locals.
★★★★☆
The Regent is located at 21 Chestnut Grove, SW12 8JB, opening 5pm-10pm on weekdays and 11am-10pm on weekends. Book now.
Pho
With coronavirus restrictions throwing a curveball to many restaurants, one restaurant not fazed by the shake up is Bedford Hill’s Pho. Simply moving their set-up into the street, protected by a pop-up marquee, Pho has continued to serve their Vietnamese street food to rave reviews, specialising in the eponymous dish of noodles, beef and broth from which the chain takes their name. The restaurant offers a variety of substitutions, including vegetarian and vegan options, proving a popular dining spot for larger groups with varying eating requirements.
★★★★★
Pho is located at 67-69 Bedford Hill SW12 9HA, opening 12pm-10pm. Book now.
With Balham a 5-minute walk from Wandsworth Common and a 10-minute walk from both Tooting Bec Common and Clapham Common, the area is also a popular destination for takeaway meals before a park picnic. Looking for a hearty portable meal, or a lighter bench brunch, the district has many takeaways to satiate any diner.
Absurd Vird
This takeaway spot offers up the classic takeaway selection but with an entirely vegan menu, ranging from vegan chicken nuggets to their signature ‘Nashville’ and ‘Korean BBQ’ burgers, guaranteed to sway even the most loyal of meat lovers.
★★★★☆
Absurd Bird is located at 32-34 Jaggard Way, opening 11am-10:30pm, extending to 1am on Fridays & Saturdays. Order now via UberEats.
Karavlaki
With its diverse demographics, it’s no wonder Balham has a variety of cuisines to offer up to its residents. A standout in this is the Greek/Mediterranean Karavlaki, serving up an extensive selection of gyros, souvlakis, kalamakis and skewers to satisfy any Greek craving.
★★★☆☆
Karavlaki is located at 29 Lydden Road, SW18 4LT, opening 12-10pm daily. Order Now.
Trap Kitchen
Perfect for any seafood lovers, social media sensation Trap Kitchen is known for its ‘slabs’: a combination tray of crab, lobster, mac’n’cheese, Spanish rice and an oreo waffle for good measure. A sure-fire way to fill any surf and turf enthusiast, Trap Kitchen has seafood takeaway down to an art.
★★★★★
Trap Kitchen is located at 76 Bedford Hill, SW129HR, opening 1-11pm daily. Order now via Uber Eats.
Nice article, kind of in the vain of Time Out! And great use of photos and links particularly. Also noticed the star ratings, have you managed to get out to all these places already?!
Really enjoyed reading this article, not just in terms of style, but also because of the short and snappy descriptions that really sounded like you knew what you’re talking about! (Also, thanks for teaching me the word ‘eponymous’)
I think the only thing that could’ve improved it is maybe to clean up the layout a bit and maybe stick to three or five recommendations accompanied by an image each, and a more consistent word count for each review.
Otherwise, I felt like this was taken straight out of a magazine, or at least ready for publication to guide us into post-lockdown life!
This made me hungry. Looks like I’m heading to Balham.
Really impressed by this though Jamie, great job.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
This was so fun to read, and the tone and style are so professional! As Annie said, it’s truly ready for publication. The variety is lovely, so good to include the vegetarian and vegan options for all readers. The food descriptions are on point and overall your recommendations come off as very trustworthy.
This is so good! I really enjoyed reading this as it was lighthearted yet very informative
Hi Jamie, you have certainly delivered on your aim to do a Time Out-style listicle about outdoor dining in your local area. This has all the key ingredients (pun intended) needed in this type of feature, and you have also made some very good and striking use of visuals, including embedded social media posts. Reading this actually made me want to visit at least a couple of these places, and if a restaurant guide does that, you’ve done your job as a writer by describing them in an evocative and appealing way. Well done!
Really enjoyed this! Great descriptions, images and use of links. Star ratings look great too