Croydon Restaurants: The Best Places to Eat

The Croydon restaurants most people look for are Bagatti’s, a family-run Italian that has been on South End since 1990; Mahala, the Romanian restaurant on Church Street; Fern, the all-day restaurant opposite East Croydon station; and the street-food traders of Boxpark. Purley, Coulsdon and Crystal Palace add more. We checked every entry against the venue’s own website on 24 October 2026.

We have not eaten at these places for this guide, and nothing here is a review. Each entry gives what the restaurant says about itself and what it publishes about prices, hours and booking, plus the public record: the Food Standards Agency hygiene rating and, where a fact comes from somewhere else, the source. Prices come from the menus online on 24 October, and they change often.

Town centre and the restaurant quarter

Bagatti’s, South End

Bagatti’s traces its story to Bardi, a medieval village near Parma that was home to the Bagatti family before they came to London. It names Peter Bagatti, a third-generation restaurateur, as its founder and Giorgio as owner and director. Croydon Eats Out dates the South End restaurant to 1990. On the main menu, meat and fish mains are £23.90 to £34.90, and pizzas run from £14.10 to £18.90. The lunch set menu is a main course with a drink for £16.50, Tuesday to Saturday up to 4pm (not in December), and there is a children’s menu. A 10% service charge is added. Hours: Tuesday to Friday 12pm to 3pm and 6pm to 11pm; Saturday 12pm to 11pm; Sunday 12pm to 10.30pm. Call 020 8686 9649. Hygiene rating 3 (FSA, 19 December 2025). 56-58 South End, CR0 1DP. Our listing.

Atesh, High Street

Atesh is a Turkish restaurant. Its site says the menu “celebrates the best of our homeland”, from mezes and kebabs to stews and seafood. Croydon BID’s guide to international food in the town notes that the name means fire and picks out its “smoky and succulent kebabs and stews”. There is a private room for up to 50 people; party bookings are taken by phone with a deposit, and online orders are for collection. Hours: Sunday to Thursday 12pm to 11pm, with the kitchen closing at 10pm; Friday and Saturday 12pm to midnight, kitchen until 10.30pm. Call 020 8680 5500. The FSA lists Atesh as a new registration that is awaiting its first inspection (FSA). 235-241 High Street, CR0 1QR. Our listing.

Mahala, Church Street

Mahala says it opened in August 2016, three minutes’ walk from the Whitgift Centre. It seats 120 inside and 26 on the terrace, and it names steaks, mixed grill platters, soups and papanasi (Romanian doughnuts) as customer favourites. On its menu, sarmale cu mamaliguta (stuffed cabbage leaves with polenta) is £11.50, chicken schnitzel with mash is £9.60 and lamb cutlets are £13.40. It hosts christenings, birthdays and company parties, and it delivers within five miles between 12pm and 9pm. Open seven days: Monday to Friday 12pm to 11pm, Saturday 12pm to 1am, Sunday 12pm to 10pm. Call 020 8680 8117. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 25 October 2025). 83 Church Street, CR0 1RN.

Fern, George Street

Fern describes itself as “a neighbourhood restaurant and bar open all day, every day”, on the ground floor of the Ten Degrees building directly opposite East Croydon station. The menu is built on small plates and sharing dishes; the restaurant says it offers “a wide range of exciting plant-based dishes, fresh seafood and premium cuts of meats from locally sourced suppliers”. Breakfast is served on Saturdays, and there is an express lunch menu and a Sunday menu. Fern is cashless. Kitchen hours: Monday to Thursday 12pm to 9.30pm; Friday 12pm to 10pm; Saturday 10am to 10pm; Sunday 12pm to 7.30pm. The bar stays open later. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 26 September 2025). 100a George Street, CR0 1GP.

Boxpark, George Street

Boxpark is a street-food hall built from shipping containers next to East Croydon station, and it turns ten on 31 October (our report). Its Croydon page lists the traders, among them Afghan Caravan, Amo La Pasta, Bao Bao Taiwanese, Himalayan Dumpling, Jollof Junction, Kanji, The Taco House and Thai Express. That makes it the easy answer for a group who all want something different. Each trader carries its own hygiene rating. Hours: Monday to Wednesday and Sunday 11am to 11pm; Thursday to Saturday 11am to 1am. Happy hour runs Monday to Friday, 5pm to 8pm. Call 020 7186 8800. 99 George Street, CR0 1LD. Our listing.

Crystal Palace and South Norwood

Four Hundred Rabbits, Westow Street

Four Hundred Rabbits is a sourdough pizzeria with sister restaurants in West Norwood and Herne Hill. Its site says it is “still the only pizzeria in London to prove” its pizzas are 100% sourdough, and it lists plenty of vegetarian and vegan options and gluten-ingredient-free bases. The Crystal Palace page advertises Tenner Tuesday (every pizza £10, all day) and a happy hour from 8pm to 9pm with £5 pints and £6 cocktails. It keeps space for walk-ins. Tables of up to six can be booked online, and groups of up to 20 can send an enquiry. Hours: Sunday to Thursday 12pm to 9.30pm; Friday and Saturday 12pm to 10pm. Call 020 8771 6249. Hygiene rating 4 (FSA, 20 June 2025). 30-32 Westow Street, SE19 3AH.

Mamma Dough, South Norwood

Mamma Dough is a small group of sourdough pizza restaurants, with the others in Brixton and Ladywell. Its site calls the South Norwood branch, by Norwood Junction station, “the bright one”, with long tables by the open kitchen. For December it has a three-course set menu at £26.50 a head for groups of six or more, and it runs parties and classes. Tables can be booked online, and there is click and collect. Hygiene rating 4 (FSA, 21 December 2025). 1-7 Station Road, SE25 5AH.

Shirley and Addington Hills

Coombe Wood House, Coombe Lane

Coombe Wood House is a Victorian, oak-panelled house near the Shirley Hills and Coombe Wood Gardens. It runs a restaurant as well as weddings and functions. Its restaurant page says it serves “classic British & European dishes” in the oak-panelled dining room. It offers a set menu and an à la carte, and it warns that the menus online “may be for example only”. Hours: lunch Wednesday to Saturday 12pm to 2.30pm; dinner Wednesday to Saturday 6pm to 9.30pm; Sunday from 12pm. Book on 020 8686 1244 or by emailing info@coombewoodhouse.co.uk. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 28 September 2026). Coombe Lane, CR0 5RE. Our listing.

Purley and Coulsdon

4 Locos, Purley

4 Locos is an Argentine steakhouse that says it was founded in 2018. It uses meat “imported directly from Argentina” and says all dishes are made from scratch daily. On the à la carte, steaks are priced by weight: the first cut listed is £20.50 for 200g, and the dearest weight-priced cut is £77 for 500g. The site also lists a Sunday menu, a children’s menu and a set menu on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. It says OpenTable gave it a Diners’ Choice award in 2019 and 2020. Book through OpenTable on its reservations page or on 020 8660 5200. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 28 May 2026). 6-8 Russell Hill Road, CR8 2LA. Our listing.

O Farol, Purley

O Farol describes itself as “a Portuguese cafe-restaurant located in the heart of Purley”, serving breakfast, “authentic Portuguese food & wines” and fresh seafood. It also runs a small Portuguese market and takes private hire. Tables can be booked online. Hours: Monday to Thursday and Sunday 9am to 6pm; Friday and Saturday 9am to 11pm, which makes Friday and Saturday the evenings to go for dinner. Call 020 8668 6908. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 6 February 2026). 945 Brighton Road, CR8 2BP. Our listing.

Lo Zafferano, Coulsdon

Lo Zafferano is an Italian restaurant on Brighton Road in Coulsdon. Its site promises “a tour of Italy right on your palate”. On its menu, most pastas, including lasagne and spaghetti with meatballs, are £15.50 to £16.50, and it has a cocktail and wine list. Hours: Tuesday to Thursday 6pm to 10.30pm; Friday 12pm to 3pm and 6pm to 10.30pm; Saturday 12pm to 10.30pm; Sunday 12pm to 8pm. Its December hours are longer and include Monday evenings. Call 020 8668 7417. Hygiene rating 4 (FSA, 5 September 2025). 117 Brighton Road, CR5 2NG.

Toriton Izakaya, Coulsdon

Toriton Izakaya serves sushi, sashimi and robata grill dishes for sharing, “the izakaya way”. Its story page says the owner and chef, Eddie, spent eight and a half years at Yo Sushi, then worked at Stick and Sushi, where he learned the robata grill, and at Kurobuta. On the à la carte, tataki plates are £12 and sushi rolls £12 to £15. It has a sister restaurant, Suzaku Izakaya, in Caterham. Dinner hours: Tuesday and Sunday 5pm to 10pm; Wednesday to Saturday 5pm to 11pm; closed Monday. Call 020 8668 0164. Hygiene rating 4 (FSA, 5 August 2026). 15 Chipstead Valley Road, CR5 2RB. Our listing.

How we chose

We started from the places people in Croydon search for and the ones that local guides keep naming, then checked each one against its own website, its menu and the Food Standards Agency register. We left out anywhere rated below 3 for hygiene. We also left out anywhere we could not confirm was open, including restaurants with no live website. Ponte Nuovo on the High Street closed for a refurbishment in September, according to Inside Croydon, and we could not confirm it had reopened. We have not been paid by anyone listed. For more ideas, see things to do in Croydon, what’s on this month, the latest Croydon food hygiene ratings and the restaurants in our directory.

Run a place that should be here, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@croydontoday.co.uk.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Croydon’s restaurant quarter?

It is the name council marketing gives to the run of restaurants down High Street from the Flyover and on along South End. Bagatti’s, at 56-58 South End, and Atesh, at 235-241 High Street, are both on it.

Where can I get a cheap set lunch in Croydon?

Bagatti’s on South End serves a lunch set menu, Tuesday to Saturday up to 4pm: a main course with a glass of house wine, half a Moretti or a soft drink for £16.50, plus a 10% service charge. It is not served in December. At Four Hundred Rabbits in Crystal Palace, every pizza is £10 all day on Tuesdays.

Are there Japanese restaurants in Croydon?

Toriton Izakaya on Chipstead Valley Road, Coulsdon, serves sushi, sashimi and robata grill dishes. Tataki plates are £12 and sushi rolls £12 to £15. It is open for dinner from Tuesday to Sunday.