Just minutes from the fragrant hustle of Rye Lane in Peckham, Naïfs, a family-run vegan restaurant is located on an unassuming street corner, nestled amongst quiet residential housing. It houses a warm and familiar interior and when walking past, one can’t help but wish they were inside.
The restaurant opens onto an open kitchen with the chefs the first to greet you. A coat rack by the door is brimming with jackets and scarves. Colourful cutouts of paper stars, circles, and triangles hang from walls and ceilings. It feels like stepping into your classy uncle’s kitchen – he’s taken up cooking as his full-time hobby but he’s still just cooking for the kids at the end of the day.
Offering a set menu that shifts seasonally, Naïfs serves its dishes family style. This is perfect if, like me, you love to forgo a round of choice-making to hone in on the eager catch-up conversation at the start of a meal.
The mid-March menu includes classic cabbage salad, crunchy fried cauliflower, hearty grilled potatoes, plump roast pumpkin, and fresh sourdough bread from the nearby TOAD Bakery. Each dish complements its neighbour, coexisting in sweet, savoury, and bitter notes. The sourdough serves as a fully functional mop for each dish’s leftover spreads of tahini, aioli, and almond ricotta.
At £33, up £3 from last year, the set menu is a treat for when you’re looking to dine somewhere on the Michelin Guide without sacrificing the comfort of showing up as you are. Since the restaurant is only open three nights a week, Thursday through Saturday, be sure to book in advance to secure a spot.
Not only will you walk away with a full stomach, beating the myth that a vegan meal won’t fill you up, you’ll feel nourished. Naïfs successfully delivers a solid meal in a setting that, for an hour or two, feels like home.
Words by Sunny Sunday
Address: 56 Goldsmith Rd, London SE15 5TN