The 20 best things to do in Peckham

Peckhamplex haș an incredibly enviable title: it’s the cheapest cinema in London. Tickets cost £6 anytime (the recent price rise from £5 felt like a truer marker of the capital’s cost of living crisis than the increase of fares on the Underground), and a brilliant selection of films, both mainstream and independent, is programmed year-round. With its iconic pink branding and commitment to affordability, Peckhamplex is a true south London stalwart, and a much-loved bastion of the area.

Peckham’s newest big night out is at The Carpet Shop, and it’s already arguably one of south London’s best spots for what’s known in the business as A Big Silly One. Playing host to the best – and crucially most fun – DJs in London and beyond, it’s a guaranteed laugh, and upcoming nights feature names like Jyoty, Jamz Supernova, and selectors from DoYou radio. From Wednesday to Saturday, in the evenings, the place also morphs into Taquiza, a very fun Mexican-inspired restaurant, where you can eat a hell of a fish taco and drink Peckham’s best spicy margarita.

The best coffee in Peckham is at this vegan café at the front of Holdron’s Arcade. Ron’s offer oat milk as standard – no dairy here! – and coffee is expertly prepared however you like it, and always with a smile and a day-making bit of chat. They’re also open from Thursday to Saturday evenings for cocktails, local beers, live music and DJs, but if you’re stopping by in the daytime, be sure to grab one of their excellent plant-based cinnamon rolls. If you’re lucky, you might even get a cuddle from the adorable resident whippet.

This South African-inspired tapas restaurant is a great place to enjoy a set menu. Located right next to Queen’s Road station, Little Kudu does a £45-per-head serving of small plates to share. It’s good value considering the amount of scran you get – standouts are the panipuri and the braaibroodjie, a cheese toastie cooked on the grill – and the cute terrace dotted with orange parasols makes it a lovely date spot in the summer months.

In many ways the centrepiece of the area, Peckham Rye is a 113-acre park for the community. Any given weekend sees various local sports teams playing and practising – everything from rugby to hurling – kids populating the well-maintained playground, plus more hobbyist runners than you’ve ever seen in your life. It’s an excellent spot for a walk or a picnic, and contains manicured gardens with benches as well as its more open areas. In the summer months, it hosts various festivals including major dance music weekenders Gala and Rally. 

Your go-to place in the area for ‘Modern European’ cuisine, Levan is a pricey-but-worth-it date night spot. The cooking is seasonal and precise – spring/summer 2024 sees an exemplary borek, a stunningly green gnudi dish and fig leaf ice cream all lighting up the menu – and the wine list is probably unmatched by other places in Peckham. In fact, Levan knows its wines so well that its new-ish sister venue next door, Bar Levan, is dedicated to them. Pop in for a long, brilliant list of by-the-glass choices every night, plus French-inspired small plates like earthy terrine and languid, oily anchovies.

Situated on the highest floor of Peckham Levels, this rooftop bar from the brains behind The Camberwell Arms is basically synonymous with the area. Open May to September, and featuring one of the most photographed staircases in London (do you even live here if you’ve never seen the pink steps on someone’s Hinge profile?), it’s a classic spot for pitchers, cocktails, summery small plates, weekend brunch, and getting sunburned with a view.

A reasonably new addition to south east London’s food scene, Janda Diner continues Peckham’s proud tradition of excellent Malaysian cooking, following the departure of Mambow to a new venue north of the river in 2023. Chef Ady Yacob whips up the home-style food he grew up with, adding verve and no-holds barred indulgence. The fantastic ayam goreng susu (milk-fried chicken) is a menu highlight that’s already built up a cult following with its light batter and almost sweet, condensed milk sauce.

Closely linked to Camberwell’s beloved Nandine, Yada’s on Rye Lane is is a Kurdish-run restaurant that does a fantastic line in mezze, so even if you’re adverse to sharing, it’s an excellent place to go with a group. If you do happen to be dining solo, go for the Falafel Beauty plate, which is probably the best £13 you can spend in the area, and offers you a taste of everything. Otherwise, menu highlights include the baba ganoush, the joja kebab, made with succulent minced lamb, and the delicious veggie kibbeh.

While everyone who’s ever set foot in Peckham knows what Frank’s is, you might be less familiar with Bold Tendencies, the outdoor art gallery that it sits amongst, which is also open from May to September every year. The permanent collection includes work by world-renowned artists like Jenny Holzer, Richard Wentworth and Abdel Abdessemed, and featured artworks change annually according to each year’s theme. While it’s great to combine a visit with a trip to Frank’s, Bold Tendencies is also a brilliant destination for art fans all on its own.

Helmed by Rhythm Section boss Bradley Zero, Jumbi is a hi-fi bar in Peckham where dancing is not just encouraged, but irresistible. Jumbi sees a steady stream of weekly events – from DJs at the weekends, to live music, open decks and quieter book clubs during the week – plus, they also serve a menu of Afro-Caribbean bangers (think curried chicken, oxtail stew, plantain nachos, patties and doubles) for lunch Thursdays to Saturday. It’s worth checking out for the rum roasted pineapple dessert alone.

Khan’s is one of the best shops in London, let alone Peckham. This veritable superstore on Rye Lane contains everything you could possibly need, and it has saved the lives of many a local in need of a last minute charger cable, bottle opener or blender more times than you could possibly count. Though it is an excellent local resource in a pinch, however, the real joy of Khan’s is in luxuriating on a long walk around every aisle, where you’ll find every kind of pulse imaginable alongside an impossibe variety of cheeses alongside bathroom furniture alongside a comprehensive collection of cocktail glasses. It is phenomenal. If variety is the spice of life, Khan’s is a scotch bonnet. 

You probably wouldn’t stumble upon Asian Takeaway unless you were looking for it, but it’s more than worth the quest. Tucked away off Rye Lane, this little hatch is banging out shish and curries like nobody’s business, for really affordable prices. The daily selection tends to include an on-the-bone chicken dish and their great chana masala, and a combo platter won’t set you back much over a fiver. On a hot day, eat at the tables next to the truck, and make sure to order a naan, freshly made on the tandoor, to scoop everything up.

Brought to Peckham by the people behind pioneering east London nightclub The Cause and Hackney Wick venue All My Friends, The Greyhound is a new pub for the area, with big screens for sport and a menu of burgers, pies and Sunday roasts. It also features a roomy basement that’s perfect for dancing, and a quality roster of local DJs, collectives and record labels stop by to spin tunes on weekends. Fridays and Saturdays get pretty lively, but you’re always likely to get a seat, and you’ll hear some good tunes too. 

Everyone thinks they ‘get’ halloumi wraps – and then they have the Yemane’s version and realise they didn’t have a clue. This van parked up just off Rye Lane slings out north African wraps flavoured with a selection of house-made chutneys, which vary in spice levels but all hit a 10 on the taste-o-meter. Whether you go for the fantastic breaded halloumi, the crispy falafel or the lamb shish, this is the best, most reliable lunch option on Rye Lane.

Immediately off Rye Lane is Copeland Park, home to the Bussey Building and its rooftop bar and cinema – a lovely choice for a wholesome night out on a summer evening – as well as bars, restaurants and shops. Visit Vintique for a massive selection of vintage furniture, specialising in mid-century modern, and Copeland Social for great Japanese fusion food courtesy of the Yagi Izakaya pop-up kitchen.

Peckham’s self-styled ‘corridor of wonders and esoteric delights’ is a haven of small businesses, from nail techs and hairdressers, to independent publishers, Inverted Audio, a record shop specialising in electronic music, and Balamii, south London’s favourite radio station. Though it may be narrow, it’s easy to while away the hours browsing everything Holdrons Arcade has to offer.

No Peckham roundup is complete without a mention for Suuyar. Considered by many to be the purveyor of the best Nigerian barbecue in the area, this street-side food stall is headed up by Kolawole Ajayi, a popular YouTube chef with 93,000 subscribers, who you might well catch filming as he grills. Come prepared for proper, actual chilli, get the beef – seasoned with a yaji (or spice mix) that pulls no punches with the rich, roasted base flavour of kuli-kuli (peanut cake) – and ascend accordingly. 

Peckham’s other wildly popular rooftop bar is Forza Wine, which serves up Italian-inspired small plates and specially selected wines. Unlike Frank’s, Forza is open all year round, thanks to its heated terrace and food focus (the cauliflower fritti is pound for pound one of the greatest beer snacks in the capital). Tables are so in demand that it recently spawned a fancier sibling on the terrace at the National Theatre, but it’s the Peckham OG that remains the best. Booking is a must – gather three mates, order the full menu for four, and finish off with a round of their signature soft serves.

Peckham is essentially bookended by two parks – Peckham Rye towards Dulwich and Burgess Park towards the Old Kent Road, Walworth Road, and Camberwell. Burgess Park, on balance, is probably a bit more action-packed than its compatriot: its facilities include a BMX track, tennis courts, and a park-run track for weekly timed runs, while you’ll often see roller bladers gliding about its paths. It occasionally hosts open-air film screenings in the summer, as well as several festivals, the largest of which are Maiden Voyage and the Jazz Cafe Festival.