Guide to the best restaurants in Walthamstow

This authentic spot has recreated the delicious dishes found in the Mediterranean region of Turkey, such as hearty hot and cold mezze platters, chargrilled aubergine served with yoghurt, and a variety of Turkish pizzas. The cheerful and informal atmosphere make this a popular destination for groups and celebrations, and it’s a good choice for takeaway or delivery as well.

A casual pop-up restaurant, Slowburn is distinguished by its unique setting in a denim factory and its focus on slowly cooked, richly flavoured cuisine where vegetables are the headline act. Meat or seafood are only present in a supporting role, if at all. Showcasing a health-conscious approach to food and reflecting the head chef’s travels and personal experiences, a typical menu might include inventive dishes such as roast leafy carrots with Mole sauce and salsa or black bean gyoza tacos.

The Eat 17 Restaurant in the heart of Walthamstow Village is modern and laidback. Expect a range of all-day dining menus featuring contemporary British cuisine, with options such as burgers, steak and ravioli. On Sundays, the restaurant is a popular community choice for roasts, with a vegan nut option available as well. The Eat 17 grocery store next door is also worth a stop.

Offering authentic Latin American cuisine in a refurbished 1967 Victoria Line carriage is quite a different take on tube meals from the usual rush hour sandwich hastily stuffed down your throat. Due to the pop-up nature of this place, opening hours and available seats are very limited and advance booking is essential.

Mini Hiba serves Lebanese and Palestinian cuisine in a traditionally decorated venue on busy Wood Street. You can choose from among wraps with fillings like lamb or falafel, hummus and other mezze, shawarma, shish kebabs or more. A smaller café next door offers mana’eesh with different toppings, Middle Eastern breakfast specialties and sweet treats as well.

Located just off of the High Street, The Collab is a team-up between the award-winning Signature Brew brewery and renowned burger and wings experts We Serve Humans. Any time you stop by, the industrial space will have 16 draught beers to choose from, including guest kegs from around the globe, as well as different beef, chicken and veggie burgers, wings and all the sides that go along with them.

Walthamstow’s Rhythm Kitchen cooks food with love, serving up a menu of mouth-watering Caribbean food such as crunchy saltfish fritters, fragrant jackfruit curries, tangy jerk chicken and coconut-peppered prawns. You can complement your meal with cocktails as well.

The Castle serves pub fare with some Mediterranean influences during the week, but it’s their banging roast that has made them a regular weekend stop for the locals. The traditional Sunday lunch includes staples such as roast leg of lamb with mint sauce, slow-roasted beef with horseradish and a veggie nut roast with vegetarian gravy, all complemented with a hefty helping of roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, carrots, parsnips and braised red cabbage.

Sodo Pizza make their sourdough pizzas from seasonal and sustainable produce, pairing them with natural wines. The contemporary pizzas here include ingredients such as heritage grains, locally-made mozzarella, homegrown veggies, smoked pancetta or goats’ cheese. The list of organic wines on offer changes regularly as well.

A successful part of the UK’s Caribbean food scene for many years, Turtle Bay has locations dotted all over the country, including this one in Walthamstow. The restaurants specialise in delicious, flavour-packed Caribbean food, accompanied by show-stealing cocktails.

Chickenish might seem like a typical chicken shop, but it comes with a twist – it’s fully plant-based. The simple and straightforward menu features different vegan chicken pieces, including a bucket, as well as classic sides and soft drinks. You can get your chicken as takeaway or eat-in at the restaurant.

Stokey residents might recognise The Lacy Nook from its tenure there, but after its shuttering and subsequent nomadic pop-up phase, the eatery has found a new home in the bustling E17 area of Wood Street. The menu, a modern interpretation of Balkan cuisine, pays homage to the self-taught chef and owner's roots, and includes dishes like beef ćevapi, shopska salad, moussaka, and cheesecake baklava. The warm, inviting setting also offers plenty of outdoor seating space.

Though you can find it all over the city, Yard Sale Pizza, beloved by everyone from hip festivalgoers to celebs like Macaulay Culkin, is still a local pizza shop at heart. Their award-winning pizzas are available in two sizes and come loaded with toppings like pepperoni, mushrooms and truffle oil, or Sicilian sausage and chilli. The Walthamstow branch is set in an old glass factory and includes an outdoor area.

Etles serves cuisine from the Xinjiang province in Northwest China, home to the Uyghur minority. As there aren’t many Uyghur eateries around London, it was already high on the list for adventurous foodies. Then it was declared one of the top restaurants in London by reverential media and the hype skyrocketed. The snug restaurant features traditional decor and serves regional specialties such as hand-pulled noodles, skewers and offal dishes, many of them packing a spicy kick.

Under the direction of long-time locals, The Kitchen serves unpretentious yet tasty food in a familial setting, made to the highest standards and delivered with impeccable service. Combining a modern interior with a large outdoor area, regularly packed with locals, the restaurant offers a wide array of European and international favourites, including a brunch menu and Sunday roasts with all the usual trimmings.

Arte e Pasta serves authentic Italian sharing plates in a spacious venue with second-hand furnishings and a mural on its façade. The restaurant imports ingredients from Italy, using them in a range of tasty delicacies such as bruschetta and focaccia, hefty helpings of rich pasta and sizeable mains for two, for example sirloin steak. In conjunction with the Wood Street Walls street art facilitators, Arte e Pasta also doubles as a gallery.

A cheese shop and café in Walthamstow Village, Froth & Rind sells a diverse array of the finest cheeses from around the world, as well as wines and spirits to pair with them. Moreover, the café takes advantage of the cheese stores to serve freshly made toasties with quality cheeses. You can enjoy your melty snack with a glass of wine or a craft beer on the outside terrace.

Walthamstow's beloved Dudley's brings all the locals to its covered garden with tasty brunch fare and good coffee – especially on weekends, prepare to wait your turn. Just like the café itself, the food coming out of the kitchen has a cosy and familiar feel to it while still remaining exciting and inventive, for example chilli scrambled eggs with spring onions, served on sourdough toast, or the three-cheese toastie.

Taro is a fast-growing London group of casual eateries offering authentic Japanese food, both as sit-in or takeaway. The menu features all the classics, from hot steaming bowls of ramen to noodles, teriyaki, sushi rolls, sashimi, tempura and more. Bento box meals and location-specific exclusives are available as well. In honour of the previous occupants of its site, M. Manze's pie and mash shop, the Walthamstow branch serves a Manze Dragon Roll, a large sushi roll that's topped with grilled eel.

This traditional local pub on Higham Hill keeps things fresh with a rotating line-up in the kitchen, with everything from Caribbean cuisine to flame-grilling having been featured. Whoever's in charge, you can expect a roast dinner on Sundays. The bar is run by the Wild Card Brewery down the street, so you can always count on a range of craft beers on tap to fall back on as well.

Arepas & Deli is little more than a takeaway shopfront bordering onto Leyton, but the food served here is authentic and tasty. The hole-in-the-wall spot specialises in Venezuelan and Mexican street food such as tacos or empanadas. The highlight are the arepas, a sort of cornmeal bun dating back millennia and featuring different fillings, for example black beans and cheese, or chicken, mayo and avocado.

There are two Crate food courts in Walthamstow, using repurposed shipping containers to provide space for a changing line-up of food vendors and retailers. The one in St James Street offers outdoor seating while its younger sibling can be found indoors at the 17 & Central mall, but both offer a varied assortment of affordable street food and drinks. Various entertainment is also provided at these buzzy venues.

Barney's, an award-winning pie and mash shop in a predominantly residential neighbourhood, specialises in classic pies, ensuring a fresh and varied selection by regularly rotating the available fillings. Paired with their signature mash, these pies make for an excellent takeaway choice, although the shop also provides a modest seating area.