The Begging Bowl

The Begging Bowl, London 168 Bellenden Road - London

Asian
• Thai
• Sit down

80/100
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Ratings and reviews

80
/100
Based on 1412 ratings and reviews
Updated

Ratings of The Begging Bowl

TA

Trip
Last update on 11/11/2023
3,5
372 Reviews
Google
Google
Last update on 02/12/2023
4,4
661 Reviews
Foursquare
Foursquare
Last update on 17/08/2023
3,5
131 Reviews
Facebook
Facebook
Last update on 19/11/2022
4,4
130 Reviews
Zomato
Zomato
Last update on 14/02/2021
3,9
29 Reviews
Squaremeal
Squaremeal
Last update on 17/08/2023
4,5
9 Reviews
All in london
All in london
Last update on 10/01/2022
4,0
1 Reviews

RG

Restaurant guru
Last update on 28/06/2022
4,0
1 Reviews
Yelp
Yelp
Last update on 15/11/2019
4,0
20 Reviews

Available menus

Reviews

Facebook
Simon Hare
+5
Good vibes, great staff and amazing tasty food. The best party in my mouth ever. Will be coming back soon.
Facebook
Sam Pookie Darkins
+5
sat in here right now, amazing food, spicy but a warming heat. Scallop special is soooo nice. Tofu is crisp and the sauce is wonderfully tangy. Exceptional dishes, love the new menu! However I missed the fish cakes, they were to die for. Bring them back!
Zomato
Lardbutty
+3.5
Prepare for noise, being squashed in, hit-and-miss service and excellent food. This ‘Thai tapas’ concept menu puts an interesting twist on traditional Thai food. It’s worth a visit.
Mar 25, 2017
Zomato
Puja Guliani
+4
If ur a big fan of tapas,this one is tapas with a twist!its Thai tapas!the flavours of the dishes were beautiful.never thought vegetables can taste so good and the desserts,banana toffee pudding and coconut ice cream,to die for!only problem,portion sizes were too small even for tapas,anyway had a good experience
Jul 05, 2016
Zomato
South London Blog
+4
Guest Blogger Rachel Mulrenan takes on the task of the 5th day of our challenge, marking the quarter way point!. For day 5 of the challenge I visited The Begging Bowl in Peckham, offering Thai street food with a twist. Following the uber popularity of Frank’s last year (who can forget those hour-long queues just to get in?), the spate of recent restaurant openings in the area (such as Peckham Bazaar, our day 6) and a recent article in ES Magazine proclaiming Peckham as ‘the’ new neighbourhood, SE15 is now firmly on the hipster scene.
Nov 04, 2015
Zomato
THE ZOMATO WARRIOR
+3.5
It's a restaurant in an area of Peckham that used to be a dive but is now up and coming, that does Thai street food "but in a tapas style", with middle class waiters and only Meantime on tap.

You get the gist, you can picture the clientele.

Recommended 4 dishes per person, dishes ~£10 on average, is looking like it won't be the cheapest...

Though all somewhat forgiven if the food blows me away.

It didn't. There were some decent bits and pieces: spicy sausage and fish cakes v nice. Coconut prawn curry worth getting. But not particularly exquisite, and in pretty unfulfilling portions. Currys and soups taste OK but the dishes aren't so hearty and are mainly sauce, meaning I had to rinse dipping the unlimited rice in, just to quell hunger.

So yeah, nice, but not one to write home about, especially for that price.
Sep 06, 2015
Zomato
Jay
+4
Peckham is getting a lot of good reviews for it's up and coming restaurants which is why we went there to explore the area.

The Begging Bowl seemed like a great place to eat at because it was Thai cuisine (one of our favourite) and did not have a typical menu. The restaurant filled up fairly quickly on a weekday for lunch. Glad we got there early and did not have to wait for a table.

We ordered the sweet potato fritter which was delicious. The accompanying sauces were absolutely complimenting to the dish. We also ordered a pork dish (can't remember the name) which was fresh and full of flavour. It was something I had never tried before but I will definitely try again. The kids meal was approved (and gobbled up) by our toddler who can be choosy when it comes to anything other than pasta. 

I got a Camden Hells lager which complimented the heat of the food very well. The staff were very good and gave us recommendations on what to order from the menu.

I would highly recommend eating at the Begging Bowl and I shall be going back there on my next visit to London for sure.
Jun 08, 2015
Zomato
Fleur
+4.5
The food at this restaurant is superb. We thought we had over-ordered but every dish was so delicious that we are it all. Beautifully fresh, authentic Thai flavours - the best Thai meal I have eaten in London.
Jun 15, 2014
Zomato
Richard Elliot
+4.5
We started with the taste sensation that was a salad of grilled beef, roasted rice and baby gem lettuce. The tender beef was topped with crunchy roasted rice that has been ground more coarsely that I'm used to. What made the dish special was the dressing of fish sauce, lime, chilli and fresh mint in the salad. It was hot, sour, salty and refreshing all at the same time.
Aug 26, 2012
Zomato
Grumbling Gourmet
+4.5
There's easily enough here to bring me back, and it's a fantastic new local spot for the local lads and ladies who lunch. Given Bellenden Road's firmly cemented position as an extension to East Dulwich's Lordship Lane, I don't think that they've got anything to worry about.
Jan 19, 2013
Zomato
Carl Yemoh
+3.5
The begging bowl is an unassuming Thai restaurant which serves Thai street food in east Dulwich. It is creating a name for itself and slowly filtering into mainstream knowledge.I emphasis that this is Thai 'street' food because you will not peruse the menu and see your usual dishes that you order regularly at your favourite Thai restaurant.The staff are friendly and polite. However, if you are grabbing a quick lunch I advise you not to go there.....the restaurant is often packed to the brim and staff are rushed off their feet to say the least.Tables are close together so their is no real privacy and if you are tall or at least over 5.8, you will feel uncomfortable due to not being able to spread out.The food tastes fresh and light which is perfect for lunch. However, they encourage you to share the meal with whomever you are dining with. Do not be fooled, this was more of a stunt to drive the final bill up rather than a fresh perspective of tasting more dishes or a new philosophy on sharing well balanced food, as advertised. If I wanted to have a light meal with my family before a workout this would be the perfect place. But as an only child, the thought of sharing my food still evades me. As a working man you want your pounds to count and get your money's worth,which was not the case at begging bowl.Cost - £8 per dish (will need 3 or 4 dishes to feel satisfied)Group size -2 - 6Location - 168 Bellenden rd, London, Peckham, SE15 4BW.Carlstimeout rating - 6/10Writer - C.Y
Nov 15, 2014
Zomato
Fiona Barrows
+4
The Begging Bowl serves Thai street food, and the modest sized menu (always a good thing in my book – I don’t like too much choice) is colour coded into four different price brackets, from £6.25 to £14.75, rather like Yo! Sushi. We started with two Thai lemonades which Joe found a bit too sweet but I very much enjoyed. We then ordered the set lunch menu – three dishes and rice for £12.50 each. A cured prawn salad was served alongside fish cakes with sweet chilli dipping sauce. The salad was the highlight of the meal – lightly cured pieces of seafood tossed with plenty of herbs, chilli, and chewy pieces of fried garlic (I think…). The fishcakes were slightly disappointing, heavy on the potato, light on an unidentifiable fish, and over relying on the sauce for flavour, but they did have a great texture.

Joe then had sweet soy marinated pork ribs, which looked incredible, and he very much enjoyed, gleefully licking the sticky sauce off his fingers at the end of the meal. As this was still within Lent (I gave up red meat and the Daily Mail side bar of shame), I swapped these for sweet potato and Thai basil fritters, which were lovely and crisp, and served with the same sauce as the fish cakes. Rather than the generic bowl of sticky msg-laden substance you often get, it had more of a light syrup consistency, and was served with floating pieces of cucumber, coriander, chilli and red onion. It was sweet, but not sickly, and had a good, back-of-the-throat kick to it. We were also given a bowl of jasmine rice, and a bamboo basket of unnecessary sticky rice – while it was perfectly nice, I think you only really need one type of rice with a meal.

We finished up with a pudding to share, taking a punt on a pandanas leaf granita with lemon grass syrup, pomelo, physillas and rambutan. No, I didn’t know what half those things were either. Pandanas is a dark green leaf with an aromatic, herby flavour to it, and the granita was a cleansing end to the meal, especially when soaked in a mouthful of sweet, pungent, lemongrass syrup. However, the accompaniments: physillas, a tomato looking, orange tasting fruit; pomelo, a small citrus fruit; and rambutan, lychee like in texture, but lacking any of the flavour punch of its sister, were all underwhelming, and when paired together, slightly odd. Despite continual protests from Joe that he wasn’t convinced by the dessert, he did keep eating it, as I did I, and I grew to like it more and more with every taste.

Our meal wasn’t perfect, but it was very enjoyable. The restaurant itself is a lovely light, casual space, with an orange, green and brown striped wooden wall at the back (that reminded me a little of The Rum Kitchen), and friendly staff. Our set lunch was fairly good value, but I did feel the portions were a bit on the small size, especially as I think Joe’s bowl of ribs was meant for the two of us to share (it wouldn’t have), and although we left full, I wasn’t quite satisfied. We will however be back, Joe probably sooner than I, and it was a good start to my South East London explorations.

After we left we picked up coffees at the delightful Anderson & Co just across the road. They serve excellent Square Mile coffee and I loved the lights and delicious looking cakes. Joe and I are already planning to come back for brunch sometime soon.
Apr 26, 2014
5
Alim (Culinary Genius)
+5
Wow...wow...wow!!! I had to write this review whilst waiting for dessert to arrive. It's sublime, what an amazing find....my mouth is bursting with all the flavours. Highly, highly recommend this place
5
Jennifer S
+5
What a gem! Great service, excellent food. A nice variety of drinks, cocktails and local wines. I particularly enjoyed the pickles and som tam fritters, but my highlight by far the betel leaves - what a crunchy piece of yum! Nice option that you can adjust a lot of the dishes to be vegan/vegetarian.
5
Amy Jones
+5
Finally got to come here and boy was it worth the wait. Great food. I mean, not oily, delicious flavours and a wonderful selection. We ordered nearly the entire menu and it did not disappoint. Great to come in a small group although we will be back for a date night too. Cocktails were slightly disappointing but stick with the wine and you’ll be fine!
5
Tanya Lake
+5
Interesting Thai small plates with incredible ingredients. We tried mainly vegetarian/vegan dishes and one Hake Dumpling Green Curry. The Betel Leaf with crunchy ingredients is a must. The food is top notch. The interiors a tad dated and worn. The only downside is that we sat in the conservatory and the doors were open so we were bothered by flies. However, we moved table and it was much better. The restaurant has been going strong for ten years and long may it continue.
5
Nikki M
+5
Enjoyed the meal, at times it was a bit spicy for me but very flavourful (might be good to have a heat rating on dishes). All dishes are dairy free so it was easy for me to order as the gluten free dishes were labelled and most of the menu was available to me.
5
Kate Evans
+5
One of the best Thai meals I’ve ever had. Fresh ingredients and fresh takes on traditional dishes. The whole fish is a treat. Went back again two days later. Loved every dish we had. Staff was attentive and warm. Gerry was particularly helpful and gave us advice on wine, cocktails and the menu. Did not steer us wrong! Will be back!
5
Grace Conrad
+5
We came here for New year's Eve and had the set menu. The portions were really generous and we left incredibly full. Every dish was packed with a unique flavour. The highlights were the betel leaf starter and the partridge salad, both of which were fresh and zesty. The only dish that left us wanting more was the massaman curry that could have been more tender. Lovely waiters and setting. The set menu cost £45 then plus drinks and service it came to £67 each
5
Laura Salas Santos
+5
Amazing place, we totally loved it. We sat at the bar and both Jerry and the French guy with Italian accent (I can’t remember his name) were great and made us feel very welcomed. They made super good recommendations of food and cocktails. Everything was amazing and we cannot wait to go back and try the rest of the menu. The peanut and betel leaves and the duck curry our favourites.
5
Freya Gordon
+5
The best Thai in London hands down. Better than Kiln in Soho. Such fragrant and inventive dishes. Wish I took more photos. Prudence was our server and they were lovely!
5
Laura Perrachon
+5
Absolutely delicious and amazing service! We felt so looked after without being overwhelmed, and the waiters' recommendations were all great. Will definitely be coming back! (Was too focused on the food to take any pics)

Timetable

Monday:
Tuesday:
06:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Wednesday:
06:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Thursday:
06:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Friday:
12:00 PM - 02:30 PM
05:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Saturday:
12:00 PM - 02:30 PM
05:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Sunday:
12:00 PM - 03:30 PM

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Our aggregate rating, “Sluurpometro”, is 80 based on 1412 parameters and reviews

If you need to contact by phone, call the number +44 20 7635 2627

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