Reviews The Crystal Palace Market

Me and my best friend went for the cheese and wine tasting session which was amazing! The cheeses were interesting and the wine was great! The guy was very knowledgeable and knew his stuff and had a fun personality. We also tried oysters for the first time! The vibe and atmosphere was cool and we stayed for something to eat. The burgers were well cooked and yummy! The service was quick and the staff friendly and welcoming. Cannot fault the place at all, had an amazing evening and will defiantly be back!

I visited Crystal Palace Market a little earlier in the year with some school friends and having ordered the croquette starter involving a cheese and beetroot ensemble I was hooked not only that but the vegetarian burger was incredible and even though I’m not a vegetarian I often rate restaurants on the vegetarian offering. Following my first experience I decided to hold my birthday dinner here due to the broad variety of dishes available. During initial conversations with the restaurant they could only accommodate 20 max on one table or it would be super tight I had to pay a £5 deposit which I could have refunded or minus from the bill which I thought was fair. They emailed the menu across and even sent a spreadsheet so that I could list the food orders for each person. The day before I sent across a list of 24 meals. and prayed. The morning of I also made one amendment to my starter and I was told it was fine. On arrival both myself and my ma were given a free glass of champagne slowly my guests arrived and drinks orders started flowing and eventually starters started coming and then the main courses. They even managed to squeeze all 24 of us onto the one table and when I looked around everyone was super happy with their meals, THIS is the feeling every person wants at their birthday meal. The bar and waiting staff handled everything with such grace and professionalism. I was even allowed my own birthday cake, of course I had 2 and they provided a knife and plates so that everyone could enjoy and most importantly paying at the end was a seamless experience. The service is exceptional and in my opinion comparable to a fine dining experience in central london, I was extremely grateful that somewhere like this is available in my local area so that more of my family could come! I should also note that most of this was due to an incredible Head Waitress called Yasmin whose hospitality was truly first class! For a cosy meal for 2 or a large party Crystal Palace Market is highly recommended.

Went for cheese and wine session. Superb service, lovely selection of wine, very tasty cheese! Knowledgeable staff. Highly recommend!

Lovely food, seafood cooked really well, and the staff were nice. Would recommend

Lobster is just he Best! Staff friendly I have had no problems with the food or service I always recommend this place to my clients and family and friends.

Despite the name, The Crystal Palace Market is not somewhere to go and pick up groceries, but is a restaurant that prepares seasonal British food using market fresh ingredients. Leaving East London is a rarity, however, with an extra day off work due to the bank holiday I decided it was about time to take the trip South and see our friend’s flat. The journey on the overground took much less time than I expected and after a quick 20 minutes we were at the end of the line in Crystal Palace.

Friday lunchtime. First time and I loved it. Great beer selection, excellent food, good service. But watch your cutlery on the plates - nothing stays where you put it.

This chic restaurant with a dark and simple modern interior reflects the food with a fresh up to date menu focusing on local produce being cooked to it's full piquant potential. We took the 'in-laws' there for a relatively classy meal and they loved it. 
Service was superb, food was luscious, relaxation was abundant and overall we had a really nice evening. 

It's a little too expensive for me to go there regularly but it's marvellous for a night out as a special treat. 

It now has a butchers and fishmongers next door, selling the same local produce which is a fab thing to have making a comeback, again, I would love to be able to afford to regularly shop there but will use it for something special.

By Maria Derevianko

Sundays are my favourite days of the week, as I really get to do what makes my heart sing; from going to the flower market for fresh flowers, a stroll in the park with loved ones, or to schedule an overdue catch-up over a hearty meal with a girlfriend – and this was exactly what I had planned for this Sunday.

I was initially introduced to Crystal Palace Market by a dear friend of mine who lives in the area; knowing what kind of things I like, he knew this would be a hit with me and I have been going there ever since, especially on Sunday’s. Crystal Palace Market is an all wining and dining laid back restaurant, which is guaranteed to be packed at any time of the day with young couples, families and friends catching up.

Crystal Palace Market is in a great location right at the top of the hill. They pride themselves on uncomplicated, delicious and locally sourced food which is always freshly produced there and then with all the best ingredients. Fish is displayed on ice like it would be at the market – with exposed brick walls and low hanging light bulbs, including a big dining table dominating the middle, it makes for a perfect set up to have mellow food and drinks.

When me and my girlfriend got there, it was at its full capacity and were told by the waiter that we didn’t have a booking, so luckily she offered us a seat at the bar whilst we waited for a table, which would be about 20 minutes. It wasn’t long after we ordered our drinks that we got relocated onto a great little table in amid the upper -class families with babies and couples having their Sunday lunch. The menu comes on a clipboard which goes very well with the whole theme of the restaurant which is like a posh cafeteria, with a page for breakfast and burgers, mains and starters, wines and cocktails, teas and soft drinks and last but not least desserts. As this is not a vegan restaurant I had to browse through the veggie dishes (which was not a great amount of choice, not great being only two) a mushroom risotto or stuffed courgettes both costing a very reasonable £9. As I have been pigging out on veggie pizza’s and other things which we won’t mention on this Halloween weekend, I decided to go for the stuffed courgettes with tomatoes, pine nuts topped with goats cheese with balsamic reduction served with a house salad and chips. Although I did consider getting the halloumi cheese, Portobello and shiitake mushroom veggie burger with caramelised onions and homemade mayonnaise, but that would have been too naughty! For starters we both decided to go for pumpkin soup with some side bread and my friend ordered the chicken breast with chips, side salad and gratin dauphinoise on the side for her mains.

The food was cooked at a speed that would be expected if it’s all made fresh, but first came the soups. It was sprinkled with dried onion with croutons on the side, which gave it a lovely crunch and extra flavour. It was the perfect temperature and creamy consistency, seasoned with a touch of warm spice, but it was way too salty, the chef went to town on the salt, and I thought maybe it was just me as I don’t use a lot of salt in my cooking, but my friend agreed that the soup didn’t need to be as salty as it was, but maybe it was just that batch that day!? Either way, the thinly sliced artisan bread helped as by dipping it into the soup and eating it as a dip, anything other than a soup, which helped to ease off the salt. We hope that was just a salty pot that day and not like that usually.
The main course, I’ve had before so I knew what I was getting myself into and that I would not be disappointed. The two generous pieces of courgettes are grilled then baked with finely chopped tomatoes and onion and seasoning, filling it with blobs of ghosts, I mean goats cheese and pine nuts sprinkled on top, all being beautifully roasted and drizzled with balsamic reduction. Served with a green side salad and some nicely fried thin chips which come in inside a metal tub with fish and chips shop printed paper sticking out, very effective.

The courgette was cooked but still tender to the bite. The juicy tomatoes gave it that acidic taste complimenting the pine nuts which added some earthy tones to the pallet whilst the goat’s cheese was very subtle and creamy which just tied it all together beautifully! The salad was nothing to rave about but it was well dressed and contained mainly leafy greens and some tomatoes. I always feel much better for having a salad with my meal as it really does make a difference to me and I even crave salads - yes that’s what happens when you decide to become vegan with cheeky veggie days here and there, that’s when vegan’s rebel and live on the edge!

We were fairly stuffed but still had a look at the dessert menu with the all-time favourite; chocolate fondant served with vanilla ice cream being a favourite of mine, delicious home-made cheesecakes and red velvet cake. All sounded so temping! And just as Pharrel Williams Happy come on to my total surprise, the very cute waiter came over and presented me the berry cheesecake explaining that it was from the chef, at which point all my criticism about the salty pumpkin soup melted away as well as my heart as I am such a sucker for random acts of kindness or just freebies! Needless to say we shared it and very much enjoyed both the sweet gesture and the super delicious berry cheesecake, served in a cute mason jar.

If you haven’t been then you must go and try this place out if you’re in the mood for an amazing eggs Benedict, or a mature steak, fresh fish or even one of their signature burgers and those dessert are to die for as well their loose tea’s which have unlimited refills, also served in super cute chubby see through kettle, all big juicy ticks in my books.

Sunday well spent and heart was singing on many levels.

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Amazing atmosphere. Very welcoming and friendly staff . And the food is really good with a large choice of dishes and burgers . Well done and thank you guys for this moment .... Strongly recommend!!!

You can tell a place is good if there are a lot of people sitting inside... walk around the area for about 10mins looking for a place to eat it was around 7pm on a weds other places seemed empty until we came across this place it was busy. We was seated at the bar for no longer then 5 mins until we were moved to our table. Stuff were dressed and groomed nicely... the decor had mix of tiles, wood and exposed brick walls. It's very nice. You can see fish at the counter see how fresh everything looks. The food was amazing check out the photos I posted would definitely come back!

Atmosphere and food great and will come back. Kids eat decent portions and menus for free during the week and staff very polite and appropriate. If only it were air conditioned I’d give 5 stars as the heat made it uncomfortable to sit and eat.

Great, delicious food with perfect service. Nice interiors. Better book table in advance as it is rather busy

Had a nice meal earlier! Enjoyed a juicy Ribeye steak, French fries, salad with dressing and a delicious ice cream for dessert. Staff were attentive and didn't have to wait long for the food. Place was nice and not to busy. Also has a fish counter.