Peckham's long-running regional Thai kitchen on Bellenden Road, with a serious cocktail bar built on lemongrass, kaffir lime, and house infusions.
The Begging Bowl has anchored Bellenden Road in Peckham since 2012, serving bold regional Thai small plates designed for sharing. What lifts it onto a bar guide is the drinks programme, which The Good Food Guide and London on the Inside both single out. Head bartender Jose Montero and the team build eastern-inspired cocktails from house ingredients rather than off a standard spec.
The result is a kitchen and bar that work as one. The cocktail list runs on lemongrass, ginger, chilli, and kaffir lime, alongside Asian teas and spice-friendly wines chosen to match the food. Come for a drink before a long, shared Thai meal, or a Bellenden Road date. Skip it if you want a guaranteed table, because it does not take bookings.
The Begging Bowl is on Bellenden Road in Peckham. It does not take bookings, so arrive early and put your name down, or take a cocktail at the bar while you wait for a table.
The dining room is small, bright, and built around sharing, with the open feel of a neighbourhood Peckham restaurant rather than a dark cocktail den. The bar sits within it, so a drink and a meal run together.
It is a compact space and a popular one, which is why the no-bookings policy bites. The room turns over through the evening, so timing matters.
The cocktails are the reason to file this as a bar. The team works with homemade ingredients like lemongrass-infused whisky, Thai basil bitters, and a barrel-aged Negroni, building drinks designed to sit with regional Thai spice. The Makrut Sour, on kaffir-lime-infused gin, and the Thai Sabai, with lime, sugar, basil, and Mekong Thai spirit, are the signatures.
Order the Makrut Sour or the barrel-aged Negroni to start, then move to a spice-friendly wine or an Asian tea with the food. The list rewards trusting the bar over ordering a standard classic.
What to order
- 01
Makrut Sour
- 02
Barrel-aged Negroni
- 03
Thai Sabai
- 04
A spice-friendly wine
