Best restaurants in Putney

The only Kashmiri restaurant in the UK is located on this side road off Putney High Street and serving up Kashmiri curries, delicacies and interpretation on classic Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani food. Look out for the red leaf icon on the menu for the authentic Kashmiri dishes, which showcases beautiful spices and humble ingredients married in perfect harmony. The service is friendly and attentive, making this more than a neighbourhood restaurant. From the owner’s signature take on a butter chicken to the traditional washbasin you wash your hands in before your meal, visiting Kashmir is an experience.   

Unless you live nearby, it’s a ‘bit of a mission’ to get to The Spencer Arms, on the edge of Putney Heath. But locals count themselves lucky. Drinks as well as the food are good here; the wine list has plenty to offer the curious, though most punters stick to the ‘very decent’ house wines or one of the beers on tap. The reasonably priced menu of ‘gutsy’, ‘tasty’ food changes regularly, but quality and lack of pretension are watchwords. Select several tapas-sized dishes to share – devilled whitebait, grilled asparagus, and Cornish yarg with pickled onion all might feature – or eat more formally by ordering pies, sausages, risottos or Sunday roasts. The normally efficient and friendly service can slow down under pressure on summer evenings and at weekends, so arrive early.

This long-standing local boozer has a prime spot at the Putney Wharf Development, right next to the Thames. Run by Young’s, it serves fine ales, craft beers and a varied selection of wines. It’s not just about drinking though, as there's a top-floor restaurant too with a great view of the river. Focusing on home-made, seasonal options, expect the likes of butternut squash soup served with homemade bread, or breaded Cornish squid. Mains see hearty British classics such as ale-battered cod and chips with mushy peas, fish pie with spring greens, or  mac 'n' cheese with braised ox cheek. Indulge your sweet tooth with classic British puds such as rhubarb and custard. At the weekend you'll find brunch, and a roast on Sundays: chicken, pork or beef served with all the trimmings.

A good-time Latina cantina, El Patrón has a decor of peeling painted woods and a smattering of Mexican tourist tat leaves you with few doubts about the theme. So too the food: nicely char-grilled chicken or flank steak, well-packed quesadillas, burritos, tacos and tortillas, traditional sides and salads, plus weekend brunch specials are among the keenly priced dishes served in the casual ground-floor dining room. Downstairs, party animals camp it up – with free stick-on moustaches and fiesta props – to DJ sets and live music. There’s a handy range of Tequilas behind the bar; Cleo Rocos’ AquaRiva, the house pour, informs various fruity Margaritas, Mules, Sours and Tiki-style serves from £7. Our recommendation? Try Escobar’s Secret (mezcal, crème de mûre, vanilla, lime, apple and ginger ale) or go OTT on El Patrón’s party bowls (from £35).

From the team behind Lost Society, The Lost Angel and Ales & Tails, this buzzy DJ bar mixes nu-Edwardian and New York with a hint of 50s rocker to provide the backdrop for some ‘nu-school’ British brewing. Names such as Partizan of Bermondsey, Bristol-based Wild Beer and fruity golden ale Mother’s Ruin (made with gin botanicals from the City of London Distillery) sit alongside weighty imports including the likes of Rochefort 8, Westmalle Dubbel and Brooklyn Ale. Wines from under £15 suit SW15’s off-duty suits; otherwise there are well-priced cocktails ranging from Stoli pop (homemade popcorn vodka sour) to fig flip and godfather's bullet (a brandy, Bulleit bourbon and blueberry julep). Hot dogs, salads, superior thin-crust pizzas, and bacon and egg pie (aka calzone) are the things to eat at this superior re-imagining of what was Citizen Smith.

‘Great food and great times’ is the promise at this child-loving haven for Putney’s yummy mummies and famished locals who have a high tolerance threshold when it comes to yelps, screams and gurgles. The canteen has its own ‘soft play area’ (suitable for the under-twos), as well as a basement events space for private hire, but hungry types should make a beeline for the cafeteria/restaurant upstairs. You can build your own snack from the ingredients laid out at the dedicated ‘deli fridge and sandwich bar’. Otherwise, the open kitchen serves up terrific breakfasts, “great-value” lunch deals and “comfort food” galore – from home-baked sourdough breads, cakes and pies to free-range burgers, fajitas, mac ‘n’ cheese, Caesar salad or grilled cod on tomato, lentil and spinach casserole. Fresh-ground coffee, milkshakes, beers, cocktails and wines cater for all tastes too.

Sat right on the water’s edge, this laid-back, Victorian-era venue in Putney is a go-to riverside bar for afterwork groups, parties and weekend get-togethers. The menu is heavy on snacks and sharing platters, with the French cheese platters (selected from the walk-in cheese room) being of particular note. Expect a board heaving with Gallic big-hitters and biscuits, plum chutney, quince paste, grapes, figs and almonds. Otherwise, charcuterie boards, homemade Scotch eggs and three types of sausage roll keep hunger at bay during a drinking session. Choose from a list of 35 premium gins and tempting tonics (which are two-for-one Monday–Friday from 5–8pm), plus a decent wine list, all of which capably fuel Saturday’s DJ night.

This laid-back neighbourhood restaurant is a family-friendly affair with an extensive menu, including regularly updated specials and a user-friendly wine list. Hungry early risers can kick-start their day with light bites such as toasted banana bread topped with sliced bananas, Greek yoghurt and dates, or something heavier like the breakfast burrito: spicy chicken, sausage, bacon, egg, peppers, rice and potato hash. Later in the day meaty mains arrive, along the lines of herb-crusted lamb steak, duck leg or pork belly. For the sweet-toothed there’s a concise dessert menu, while it’s useful to know that there’s a menu for children too. The weekend brunch service concentrates on stacked pancakes and eggs every way, making Hudsons a recommended pit stop at any time of the day.

Serving Putney since 1993, this longstanding exponent of Goan and “amazing South Indian food” is still a family affair, with the owner’s mother taking her turn in the kitchen as well as visiting Tooting market for supplies. It’s not modern or trendy, but the “lack of pretension”, charming staff and reasonable prices more than make amends for any absence of modish cool. Traditional prints line the walls and the carefully annotated menus offer a fascinating selection of regional dishes far removed from the usual tikka masalas. Instead, there are “judiciously spiced” home-style recipes full of inventive textures and original flavours: try a little earthenware pot of hot-and-sour shrimps balchao with organic ‘whole-wheat’ bread, traditional pork vindaloo infused with palm vinegar or “mouth-tingling” Konkan-style chicken with Goan red masala. The spice-friendly wine list comes courtesy of the restaurant’s own merchant (Glug) next door.

Formerly Chosan, this sweet Japanese restaurant has now been taken over by a team which used to run Tomoe on Marylebone Lane. Consistently praised for its friendly (if occasionally slow) service, you’ll find plenty of Japanese customers enjoying the food here – always a good sign. The menu ranges from bowls of ramen noodles (lunchtimes only), to the likes of salmon teriyaki, seafood pancakes and sushi, all winning piles of praise of its authenticity. Spread over two levels, the ground floor includes a dining counter which overlooks the prep action, while there’s more room for larger groups in the basement. Something of a hidden gem, Tomoe’s dated decor belies the attention and care being taken in the kitchen. 

As lively and personality-led as its jaunty name implies, the riverside branch of this restaurant mini-chain continues to pull in the Putney crowds with its all-day offering. The kitchen’s mission is to use local produce on its menu of international dishes. Start with the likes of steamed prawn dumplings or salmon tartare, before moving on to mains which cater to both comfort food lovers and the health-conscious. Pick your allegiance, then either go for the stacked Boma Burger (beef, cheddar, bacon and onion) or a beetroot risotto, with garlic crisps and a blue cheese foam. For pudding, pick from a list of classics including tiramisu, custard tart with rhubarb or a chocolate brownie. To drink, there’s an extensive, international list of wines and cocktails classics, glasses of which can be enjoyed while watching the live music every weekend in the tunnel bar.

There’s no better public place to watch the Boat Race than from The Duke’s Head’s glass-fronted dining room overlooking the river – although it’s a pretty fine space to while away an hour or two on any day of the year. Hugos and Fionas are as likely to be part of the staff as the clientele here (public-school accents dominate), but the service is prompt and polite. This is a proper pub serving four real ales on tap, while there’s also a decent wine list. There have been reports of a fall in standards in the kitchen, but a recent visit suggests that this is just a blip –  pub grub such as haddock and chips or sausage and mash with lashings of onion gravy are perfectly fine in an unfussy way.