LDNGuide
The Best Restaurants Near Tate Modern
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Visiting the Tate Modern is one of the best ways to spend a day in this city. But, it’s also a lot of effort. When all that standing, thoughtful head tilting, and anxiety of pretending you know the difference between cubism and expressionism gets too much, you need the right restaurant. These are the best spots within walking distance of the gallery, where you can sit down, relax, refuel, and Google whether that painting you saw was of a fruit basket or a parrot.
THE SPOTS
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Going to a cafe inside an art gallery for food is the surest way to make sure you don’t pay rent this month. Keep your landlord onside with a post-Tate trip to Iraqi spot Juma Kitchen in Borough Market instead. You’ll be used to fighting crowds by this point. The kubba haleb and potato chap are must-orders. These deep-fried bites—formed from rice or potato patties and filled with aromatic baharat-spiced lamb mince—are the snack that’s made this stall rightly popular.
Tate Modern followed by dinner at high-end seafood spot Seabird screams special occasion. Or trust fund. Either way, the panoramic views here will put that hall of mirrors-style exhibition you just got trapped in to shame. This is the Côte d’Azur by way of Southwark, so expect no fewer than 10 varieties of oyster, an ice-stacked raw bar, and champagne-fuelled fun.
photo credit: Karolina Wiercigroch
Double down on your big London day out with a trip to the pub. The Anchor & Hope has a burgundy dining room that suddenly makes you really want a glass of red wine, and some outside benches for those rare sunny days. Yes, there are steak pies, but also artfully presented pig’s cheeks and crispy lamb sweetbreads. It’s an 11-minute walk from Tate Modern, but worth it when you’ll be here for most of the night.
When you start seeing pillowy bao in a Picasso, that's when you know it's time to find something to eat. Something like a bowl of perfectly cooked aged beef with butter rice, complete with a silky egg yolk on top. Which is exactly what you should be getting from Bao Borough. London’s Taiwanese specialists have an excellent space just 15 minutes from Tate Modern. That means that once you’ve got your culture fix, it’s time to get your deep-fried curry cheese bao and fried chicken fix.
photo credit: Caravan Bankside
We find that a Saturday afternoon composed of queuing with and tripping over circles of sketching school kids is best avoided when hangry. Combat any hunger-induced fallouts by visiting crowd-pleaser, Caravan. This Antipodean-style cafe is great for groups and picky eaters. From grain bowls to pizzas, small plates, and pork schnitzels, they’ve got it all. It’s also just a seven-minute stroll from Tate Modern.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
You've spent the last 20 minutes watching a silent video in a pitch black room sat on a log. Ah, modern art. It's time to get outside, to an alfresco situation that celebrates London in all its busy, chaotic glory. Tavolino has a huge terrace on Southwark riverside with panoramic views of Tower Bridge, so you can become a little teary-eyed about how much you love this stupid, incredible city while you sip a top negroni. Channel all those feelings into the Italian dishes—specifically a big bowl of cacio e pepe or handmade tagliatelle with fiery 'nduja and pork ragu.
