GOOD TASTE AND A BROWN AND GREEN CAFE AMONG TIME OUT LOVE LONDON’S CRYSTAL PALACE WINNERS
Good Taste Food and Drink on Westow Hill and the Brown and Green café by the booking hall in Crystal Palace station are among the winners in this year’s Time Out’s second annual Love London Awards.
Among the runners up – in the local culture section – were the Grape and Grain pub, and Westow Park and the Triangle.
“Since the awards launched in September, nearly 16,000 nominations were cast for almost 5,000 amazing venues across the capital” says Time Out’s website.
“There were close to 75,000 votes, revealing the most-loved spots in each category – cafés, restaurants, shops, local culture and pubs – in every area of London…..Congratulations to all the winners, and thanks for making London so damn lovable!”
The Crystal Palace section of the voting also included Penge.
Winners, runners up and shortlisted – with some of the comments made on the Time Out website – as follows:
RESTAURANTS
WINNER: Friends of Flavours, Penge
RUNNER-UP: 400 Rabbits, Westow Street, Crystal Palace. “A Crystal Palace pizzeria with a core offering of sourdough pizza and craft beer.”
Shortlisted:
Domali, Westow Street, Crystal Palace. Vegetarian cafés used to be austere, faintly forbidding places, but there’s nothing remotely spartan about this attractive little eaterie. .
Exhibition Rooms, Westow Hill, Crystal Palace. The Exhibition Rooms continues to offer a winning combination bang in the heart of the Crystal Palace Triangle.
Joanna’s, Westow Hill, Crystal Palace. Joanna’s is a Crystal Palace stalwart, known to locals as the place to go if you want a bit of West End glam without the journey.
Yak & Yeti, Church Road, Crystal Palace. Nepalese, Indian and Tibetan cuisine that you can sit in and enjoy or take away.
Belash Tandoori, Penge; El Molino, Penge; Himalayan Kitchen, Penge; Sicilian Art, Penge
CAFES AND COFFEE SHOPS
WINNER: Brown & Green Crystal Palace
With the arrival of the ‘Ginger line’ in Crystal Palace has come a refurb of the lofty Victorian station, a new breed of commuter and a branch of Brown and Green….Tucked into the concourse, and right on the edge of Crystal Palace park, it’s a grand space brought down to earth with lampshades made from coffee sacks, Formica tables, reclaimed school desks and old Southern Railway signs.
RUNNER-UP: Blue Belle Café, Penge
Shortlisted:
Fee & Brown Café at Cadence, top of Anerley Hill, Crystal Palace: Cycle café in Crystal Palace whose shop offers bonuses such as yoga classes and sports massages.
PUBS
WINNER: Beer Rebellion, Gipsy Hill.
Beer, burgers and a little bit more at this independent bar, which began life as a pop-up, but is so popular they’ve stayed put.
RUNNER-UP: Westow House, corner of Westow Hill and Crystal Palace Parade. Dog-friendly ale pub with eight pumps, craft beer in the fridge and a 1950s pinball machine
Shortlisted:
The Alma, Church Road, Crystal Palace. This pub first opened its doors in 1854 and it’s been lovingly refurbished again and again since. At the moment it has a charming light and airy feel to it thanks to the huge windows, an easy-access central bar, a seasonal pub grub menu and regular events.
The Sparrowhawk, corner of Westow Hill and Westow Street. A pub with a beer garden and yoga classes.
The White Hart, junction of Church Road and Westow Street. The White Hart may have all the usual cask ales and specialty ciders that you find in just about every pub in London, but it also has a ‘stitch and bitch’ knitting club, quiz night, open mic night and craft cocktails for a fiver.
Goldsmiths Arms, Penge; The Bridge House Tavern, Penge.
SHOPS
WINNER: Good Taste Food and Drink, Westow Hill, Crystal Palace.
Cheese, charcuterie, beer and wine specialists.
RUNNER-UP:
Crystal Palace Food Market bottom of Haynes Lane, Crystal Palace, Saturday mornings from 10 am to 3pm. Great south London food market that has loads of scrummy goods on offer, including Malaysian street food, Bickertons fruit vinegar and gluten-free pastries.
Shortlisted:
Crystal Palace Antiques & Modern, Jasper Road off Westow Hill, Crystal Palace. There are more than 15 dealers selling across four storeys at this warehouse-style showroom.
The Do South Shop, corner of Westow Street and Central Hill. High-end furniture store with retro, rustic and modern homeware.
Vintagehart (in the White Hart pub) junction of Church Road and Westow Street. Combining two of our favourite things, Vintagehart is located in a pub.
LOCAL CULTURE
WINNER:
Crystal Palace Park. Children going through the dinosaur phase always enjoy a visit to ‘the monsters’ – five dinosaur sculptures that lurk among the trees around the lake..
RUNNER-UP: Bridge House Theatre, Penge.
Shortlisted:
Crystal Palace Museum, top of Anerley Hill. The Crystal Palace Museum tells the story of the Hyde Park and Sydenham Crystal Palaces.Tells the story of the Hyde Park and Sydenham Crystal Palaces.
Crystal Palace Park Farm, Crystal Palace park.
Thanks to the opening of the London Overgorund line it’s now much easier to visit this farm.
Grape & Grain, top of Anerley Hill, Crystal Palace. A traditional British boozer with pub grub, real ales and jazz on Sundays.
Westow Park & The Triangle, Crystal Palace.
A green space in the Crystal Palace Triangle, the part of south London area where three boroughs meet (Croydon, Lambeth and Bromley). Source: Time Out Love London 2015 website.
