Perched in the shadow of Lewisham’s monolithic shopping centre, the sheer physicality of Sparrow’s location feels like a metaphor for migrating the seasonal, restrained cooking familiar to central London to SE13. Chefs and partners Terry Blake and Yohini Nandakumar are up to the task, having met at St John and done stints at The Square and Bao. Working upon a modern European canvas, inflections come from far and wide: dinner could start with cured salmon, lemon and crème fraîche before turning to massaman beef cheek curry, or tender duck breast with chilli jam and endives. Brunch is essential, with Sri Lankan appam pancakes reflecting Nandakumar’s roots, and mince on dripping toast

While the majority of the city’s best Turkish restaurants are clustered in North London, Meze Mangal does a sterling job south of the Thames. Adored by locals, the restaurant is dominated by a massive mangal grill turning out delicious skewers of tender quail, chicken and lamb şiş, and a wood-fired oven at the back that delivers hefty pide and crisp lahmacun sprinkled with minced lamb and fragrant coriander. Choosing from an interesting list of Turkish bottles is the only polite thing to do, and the restaurant’s regard in the annals of Lewisham gastronomy makes it essential to book ahead. 

With south-east London’s Nigerian community on its doorstep, Enish owners Olushola and Eniola Medupin draw from the country’s diversity, while acknowledging that pulling together the traditions of over 300 distinct tribes is an impossible task. Efo riro, a rich vegetable stew from western Nigeria, comforts with tender green amaranth, studded with tripe and smoked fish. Muscular beef suya and the ever-popular grilled fish — here, Atlantic croaker or tilapia — are best consumed with a peaty Nigerian Guinness in hand. 

A Lewisham institution, the former Gennaro Delicatessen passed from founders Maria and Gennaro Massiello (who founded it in 1983) to Antonio and Elena Nigro, another young Italian couple, after the former retired. Renamed for its current owners and in possession of a shiny refurb, this tiny deli is as integral to the local landscape as it’s ever been. Aside from being perhaps the only place in SE13 for good scamorza or aged parmesan, there’s a superb selection of antipasti, homemade arancini and Italian charcuterie. Service is noteworthy, even in an area known for its humour, and spending lunch with a fresh panino and Campari soda here is a wonderful thing. 

A wine shop-cum-tapas bar serving a lavish array of Spanish ingredients, each dish at L’Oculto is a stand-out. The establishment is a labour of love from the owners of Flavours of Spain, an import business that buys all of of its sherry, cheese, ham and cava directly from suppliers across the Iberian Peninsula. Locals pack the restaurant to sip minimal intervention wines and snack on the creations of Galician chef Irene Loreno Muñoz: standards like pan con tomate and sweet flan with sherry cream are excellent, but watch out for specials like tortilla vaga, an open tortilla of runny eggs, poached onion, sea urchin caviar and fried parsley.