5 Outstanding Restaurants in Marginal London Seats to Try This Weekend

This weekly column suggests London restaurants to try over the weekend. There are three rules: The restaurants must not be featured in either the Eater London 38 Essential map, or the monthly updated Heatmap, and the recommendations must be outside Zone 1. In need of even more London restaurant recommendations? Head to the 5 to Try restaurant recommendation archive.

This week’s selections are taken from the recently published collection of guides to the marginal constituencies in London ahead of next Thursday’s general election. For those out canvassing this weekend, here’s the complete package.

Kululu

Challah sandwich specialist Kululu has only been open for a month or so, propping up the counter of a kosher deli in Hendon called ... Hendon Kosher Deli but it’s already one of the best things in the area. Elad and Ella assemble Israeli-Moroccan sandwiches the size of new-borns that let the fillings speak for themselves: baloney thin salt beef, sticky steak and onions, or chicken schnitzels as thick as escalopes. One of London’s best sandwich shops. —Jonathan Nunn
43 Brent Street, NW4 2HJ

Gökyüzü

Diverting, at the end of a long day, to the Southend Road branch of the late-night Harringay stalwart, run by the Yavuz family, is a good idea. From its spacious premises at Trinity Park, Gökyüzü specialises in sharing platters and recipes from the family’s ancestral village of Kahramanmaras, Turkey. —Shekha Vyas
Southend Road, E4 8TA

Pinto Thai

Standing out on Upper Richmond Road, Pinto Thai is firmly established as Putney’s best (and best-value) Thai restaurant. Look out for ped ma kham (confit duck with tamarind), panang pla (red curry seabass loaded with Thai herbs) and the steamed minced pork dumplings. —Emma Hughes
320 Upper Richmond Road, SW15 6TL

Bean & Hop

This top coffee choice is a short stroll from Earlsfield station, making it suitable for pre-canvassing sustenance or post-canvassing respite. Well-made coffee from Nude, whether filter or espresso, pairs well with a brunch menu that is ingredient-led and lovingly prepared: this as much a neighbourhood gem as a traveller’s recourse. With cushions lining the seats and evening opening, it’s also a true all-dayer: a stock of sixty craft beers is perfect for an evening session or to take home; those staying in can enjoy creative pizza from Thursday to Sunday. —James Hansen
424-426 Garrat Lane, SW18 4HN

Reindeer Cafe

Tucked inside the Cricklewood Wing Yip, Reindeer Cafe is a very Hong Kong daipaidong, of the type that is dying out in Chinatown. Many dishes exceed what is available in Soho, particularly the clarity of an excellent wonton soup, bobbing with fat prawn-sweet dumplings. It’s also a chance to grab some of the more unfashionable HK dishes, like cha chaan teng-style macaroni breakfasts with ham or sausage, or the simple textural pleasure of a bowl of curry soup filled with fish balls, pork rinds and turnip. —Jonathan Nunn
2 Wing Yip Business Centre, NW2 6LN