Food and drink venues in Sydenham

[El Cid]

Following on from posts about the Poodle Club, I can't help wonder how it is going to make much money if it's closed during the week when it could open as a bar. People liked Beer Rebellion because it was quirky and a nice alternative to The Dolphin, The Golden Lion etc. I think a bar that provides comedy at the weekend would stand a better chance of succeeding than a comedy bar. Comedy is very subjective, unlike drinking.

The posts about it have also got me thinking about food and drink venues in Sydenham. Here's my take. I'd like to know what others think.

Trattoria Raffaelle - still excellent
On the Hoof - only been there once, and was underwhelmed by both the food and service
Blue Mountain - great coffee, friendly staff, and an excellent full English breakfast (soon to be renamed Cobbs Corner)
The Golden Lion - nice atmosphere, no long queues at the bar, like at The Dolphin
The Dolphin - long queues, staff always seem stressed, food okay but pricey
Hibagon (the sushi place on KIrkdale) - alway seems virtually empty
Harbour 21 - see above
161 KIrkdale - always seems busy, although it is quite small
Sugar hill - again, very small, and they now market themselves as "vegan"

[SydenhamOwl]

Cherry and Ice is a good place for a coffee and snack. They have great cakes and brownies and nice Jamaican Patties. Very friendly in there too.

[leenewham]

I'd agree with most of those El Cid. Trattoria is still great, I still like the Dolphin though but was never impressed by the Golden Lion and gave up going. I've yet to go to 161 Kirkdale as it's too far from us and it's not open when we want to go.

We generally go to places that are family friendly or for business meetings as we rarely go out at night anymore.

The one place I'd disagree about On The Hoof, we have always had great food and service there and have had the best Sunday lunches I've ever had. It's a good place for a meeting too.

The place we go to the most locally is Brown and Green in Mayow Park. We tend to go to other places rather than locally these days in Crystal Palace, Beckenham or further afield.

[danmarwil]

The food in Hibagon is excellent, it’s not always busy with people eating in but they seem to do a good takeaway trade as whenever I’ve eaten there, people are always coming in to collect food orders.

161 Kirkdale has a great rotation of different beers & wines, the menu is quite varied and changes often so it keeps the place interesting.

[leenewham]

We went to Hibagon and sat there with quite loud rap music playing and it felt tired, a little dirty, unloved and a bit depressing inside. We really wanted to like it, but we found it underwhelming. We may have caught it on an off day as it was quiet. We found the food was ok, not great. Perhaps the takeaway is better.

[MagmaTimes]

It's a shame but I don't think there's anyone decent for food in Sydenham with the exception of Trattoria Raffaele. I go to Bona in Forest Hill for pizza and The Sylvan Post for a roast. Both ace!

[Rachael]

We ate at the Dolphin over the Christmas holidays. They have refreshed their menu (perhaps in anticipation of competition from The Greyhound) and we had a really excellent meal, an improvement on what we’ve had there before.

[The Clown]

The sushi place I should love, but it’s too far up the hill for me (for winter anyway), and I can’t remember the last time I needed to eat a takeaway.
I should support it though as I believe an old work colleague (a lovely guy) is the cousin of the owner.

I do think all could try a little harder. So much over-cooked meat on Sunday roasts and not enough gravy.
However I try not to be too fussy locally as you need to make money to be in a position to afford a decent chef. It’s coming up gradually.

Might try eating locally this weekend. On dry Jan - temptation....

[mikej]

What do people think of the food in the Golden Lion? I have a beer in their maybe once a month but haven't tried the food. It looks and smells good though!

[monkeyarms]

if anyone's ever been disappointed by Hibagon, they should give it another shot. I don't know about eating in, but we regularly get takeaways from there and it is IMO by far the most interesting and tasty food Sydenham has to offer by a country mile.

[robbieduncan]

What do people think of the food in the Golden Lion? I have a beer in their maybe once a month but haven't tried the food. It looks and smells good though!

It varies. We’ve eaten there maybe 10 times. Sometimes it’s genuinely delicious. Sometimes it’s ok but not great. Sometimes some menu items are unavailable. It’s a shame: if it was always as good as it has occasionally been they’d get a reputation for food and be busier

[juliam2016]

I love Hibagon. I'd rate it one of the best restaurants in Syd. We went there last Friday evening and it was rammed. The service staff were doing an amazing job despite being run off their feet. Atmosphere was great. The food was excellent (katsu curry, tempura veg, edamames). Definitely going to make it a regular haunt.

Fav takeaway is Gurkhas on the High Street. Consistently great food and brilliant for vegetarians..

[sherlomi]

I agree. Never eaten in the restaurant but have ordered food from them. Really tasty and fresh.
Good menu and I think by far the best food in Sydenham.