For the ten years I’ve lived in south London, The Triangle (made up of Westow Hill, Westow Street and Church Road) has been the place to go for a day out pottering that stretches seamlessly into the evening.
Eating
The 45-minutes I queued for a passionfruit milk bun from Chatsworth Bakehouse on Anerley Road last week was completely worth it. I rate its sourdough loaves and pizza slices (sold in its sister shop two doors down) too. You can pre-order sandwiches to pick up but if you’re in the queue, you will be treated to tasters while you’re waiting.
For good sourdough pizza under £15, Four Hundred Rabbits does all the classic toppings plus seasonal specials (walnut & hot honey and miso mushroom are on the menu now). I enjoy Bar Palazzo, another Italian, for its chequerboard floor, leather booths and zucchini fritti (crispy fried courgette).
My birthday dinner venue of choice was The Alma pub. Its Sunday roasts are exceptional, the menu changes with the seasons and there is attention paid to where the ingredients come from (it also serves a good selection of London’s craft beers). For brunch and lunch, Spinach is my go-to. It serves good coffee, does the usual eggs-on-something selection well, and changes its freshly made salad offering weekly.
Pick up charcuterie, olives, cakes, and bread from independent vendors at the food market inside Crystal Palace Park. It’s on every Sunday.
Drinking
When the day calls for a glass of something nice and a bite to eat, go to Crystal Palace Wine Club. It’s good for a quiet weeknight drink, with a livelier vibe at the weekend. The menu is refreshingly simple: good wine and cheese, charcuterie boards and cheese toasties. The White Hart, just over the road from The Alma has an equally impressive craft beer selection. There are quiz nights on Mondays and live entertainment on Fridays.
For fresh, local draught beers, I’m drawn to the microbreweries a little further out. Their industrial interiors make it a casual affair, somewhere for groups of friends to while away an afternoon. I like Gypsy Hill Taproom (a roughly 30-minute walk from Crystal Palace Station) and Southey Brewing Company (a 20-minute walk from the station in the other direction) and you can order Yard Sale pizzas to have with your pint at both. Craft and Courage on The Triangle has more of a pub feel.
Shopping
Crystal Palace is known for its vintage shopping and Crystal Palace Antiques, a Victorian warehouse overflowing with mid-century pieces and vintage furniture at all price points, is usually my first port of call. Its stock turnover is quick so when I’ve been looking for something, I’ve made weekly visits. There’s also Bambino, a smaller vintage furniture shop, which sells clothes and records too.
ALKEMI has a beautifully curated selection of clothes, homeware items and gifts from Japan and Korea, while Mrs Robinson is a high end interior store, selling furniture and furnishings as well as trinkets. For homemade crafts, ceramics and jewellery, there’s The Handmade Palace Art & Craft Market in the Crystal Palace Subway.
Green space
You could have a succession of days out in Crystal Palace Park and they would all feel entirely different. There’s a boating lake, a fishing lake, a skate park, a maze, a museum, a farm, the ‘Rusty Laptop’ music stage and the dinosaur statues that remain in place from 1854. But if you feel like you’ve finished exploring, Beckenham Place Park with its swimming lake, ancient woodland, and a mansion, is 30 minutes away by bus. Both parks have a lively events calendar.