Our 9 favourite delis in South London
If you know me, I’ve probably already chewed your ear off telling you about the amazing South London delis you simply must go to. If I could organise my perfect weekend, it would involve a short walk to one of these places to pick up staples for the weekend, a short walk home with a coffee in hand, followed by an hour or so of organising all my buys into cute little bowls of different shapes and sizes, and an early evening spent eating them all in quick succession while watching a cheesy 90s movie with Meg Ryan in. Sorry but… perfection?
There’s something about walking into a deli - when my eye falls upon rows and rows of neatly organised jars and tins and tubs of interesting looking ingredients, that just makes my heart so happy. Yes I want a choice of 6 types of tinned tomatoes, yes I want to ponder the difference between gordal olives and anchovy-stuffed, yes I want British-made ricotta. And I want a fresh sourdough loaf to load all these things on to! And maybe even some butter to eat with it afterwards.
If you’re the same, and you’re looking for delicious South London-based delis and bakeries, then I’m so excited to tell you about my favourites!
The best delis in South London:
Dirty Crunch in Addiscombe
Run by our fave South London sissies, this deli was set up off the back of their super successful small food biz! We first worked with Santa and Evita at one of our markets in Crystal Palace where we went back not one but twice to buy more of their homemade scotch eggs (the best I’ve ever had!!) So when we heard they were opening their own deli in South London, we were sooo excited to check it out. This cute little shop is nestled right tin the heart of its local highstreet and acts as a cafe, serving coffees, toasties and in the evenings small plates and wine, as well as having a large deli offering of your fave store food staples. I really rate their recommendations so if you’re not sure what to buy, just ask!Penge General Store
My local haunt, I’m honestly here like once a week to pick up delicious treats! The selection of goodies here is unrivalled - there’s a huge range of tinned goods (yes, the olives!) with everything from fancy tinned fish to organic tomatoes, plus fridges stocked high with fresh dairy and meats, daily bakery deliveries including buns from our fave Bunhead, plus a selection of fruit and veg too. At the back of the store is their zero-waste selection, where you can refill your own containers with a range of staples including pasta, rice, herbs and cleaning products too. Located at the end of Penge highstreet, it’s also the perfect place to pick up a coffee or ice cream (they have a freezer full of Happy Endings ice cream sandwiches!) if you’re spending the day in Crystal Palace park.Good Food in Sydenham and Catford
This gorgeous deli was my savour in lockdown - it provided the perfect hour round-trip on days I had nothing else to do! So it will always have a very special place in my heart. I honestly so looked forward to my trips there, and still do at weekends! What I love about Good Food is their seasonal product selections - they’re really good at theming their central table for whatever season or occasion is coming up, so at Christmas have a large range of fancy biscuits, mince pies and cakes, while in summer they’ll switch things up with loads of BBQ bits like locally made sausages, hot sauces and individual tinnies. I think the product selection here tends slightly more towards the fancy end, so it’s always an amazing place to pick up special gifts, including lots of vegan options! They also have a zero-waste section at the back for cupboard staples like pasta, rice and cleaning products.Table @ Vallebona in Wimbledon Village
If you’re looking for a cute weekend mooch, Wimbledon Village is the place to do it! This quaint local neighbourhood is nestled in furthest South London. Just a short walk from main Wimbledon highstreet it’s still accessible but a fancier version of its more commercial cousin, and is chockablock full of small local businesses, excellent charity shops, pubs, a stables (!!?!) and multiple really good delis. It’s the sort of place you can go and feel like you’re the main character in a film, do you know what I mean? Table @ Vallebona was my favourite; the services was super helpful and they let us try all the different cheeses and meats until we found the ones we wanted! They also sell jars of Marzano tomatoes which I’ve used stirred through pasta - I even used the juice to make a tomato martini. Divine.Aga’s Little Deli in Forest Hill
Aga’s has been recommend to me sooo many times by sooo many people, and it’s top of my list to try next when I have a free weekend day! Aga’s recently just celebrated its 10th anniversary - how amazing that it’s been a staple of Forest Hill highstreet for such a long time. This lovely shop is a much-loved community fave, serving up deli bits like fresh loaves plus a cafe section to eat-in! Choose from coffee, sandwiches, cakes and more! I’ve heard their cheese toasties are absolutely out of this worldddddd.Little Mouse in Norwood Junction
If you love cheese, then you have to get yourself to Little Mouse. I never met a cheese I didn’t like, and so as you can imagine, my cheese consumption has increased dramatically since this gorgeous shop opened just down the road from me. With a focus on British cheeses in particular, you’ll find sooo many things to love here and the team are always on-hand with loads of recommendations (and testers!) I also love their weekly emails in which they give you more info about which cheeses they have in stock each week, how they’re produced and who makes them which makes for interesting lunchtime reading. They also do monthly cheese and wine nights which we absolutely loved!Mother Superior in Nunhead
The curation here is more geared towards booze, with a lovingly curated selection of natural wines from independent wine-makers, and cool craft beers in the types of cans you just want to pick up and take home. With a focus on great production, they have loads of wine choices that come in under £20, are from female producers and are created in a sustainable way. If it’s treats you’re after though, towards the back of the shop they have a carefully selected range of other bits and bobs including spirits, cocktails, and organic groceries! The local highstreet in this area is alive and kicking with other independent brands and businesses (including an amazing bakery, Ayres, that’s been there since 1955!) so it’s definitely worth a mooch.Blowing Dandelions in Crystal Palace
I don’t know if this really counts as a “deli” because it’s specifically a chocolate shop, but it was too good for me to not include here. Blowing Dandelions is a family-run choc shop, and everything is produced downstairs on site! Let me tell you, their chocolate is out-of-this-world gorgeous! As well as classics including individual chocolates you can have fun mixing and matching, their product range is really original and fun spanning different themed things depending on the time of year. At Christmas and Easter they really come alive with beautifully made and decorated chocolate products you’ve never seen before, and in summer they have homemade iccreams! They can also add cute ribbons to make things super giftable too. And please. Do not. Forget to get one of their unctuous and incredibly rich hot chocolates! It’s basically pure molton chocolate and is one of the best things you’ll ever taste.Flock & Herd in Beckenham and Peckham
Again: does this count as a deli, technically? Maybe not, but going to Flock & Herd free range butchers in Beckenham has become one of my new favourite things to do at the weekend, especially in summer, as they have an amazing selection of delicious meats ready to grill. First and foremost is the meat here, and they have a really extensive range of choice from basics like organic chicken breasts to mince and sausages, but also a really amazing array of other more special bits! I hands down think their burgers are the best I’ve ever had (we like the “basic” ones but they also have a fancier black label one too) and their homemade lamb koftes are juicy, minty and delish. Other things I’ve been eyeing up recently include their extensive range of kebabs including chicken, beef and veggie options, all on skewers ready to go under the grill, plus the big various joints of beef they have. I’ve really been enjoying trying new recipes and I love that I can ask their expert advice for the best option if I have something in mind; they’re super helpful and friendly and I think really reasonably priced. As well as the meat counters, the shop has a lush selection of wines and deli staples too, so you can pick up all your BBQ bits in one place! They even have a loyalty card!
