56 Westow, Crystal Palace, SE19

A stylish restaurant-bar hybrid on the Crystal Palace Triangle, set across two conjoined shop units with a smart yet slightly eclectic fit-out. The space is divided between two rooms: the right-hand side has velvet-backed banquette seating, a mix of mismatched chairs, a booth with retro 'Private' screens, and various old lamps and mirrors. The left-hand room houses the servery along the side wall, fronted by a traditional wooden bar and a matching mirrored back bar—likely salvaged from a former pub. The floor has bare boards, softened with large rugs, while the walls combine wood panelling, bare concrete, and a decorative lincrusta ceiling. There's an open kitchen to the rear and bird-themed wallpaper adds colour, along with potted plants and etched glass partitioning screens. Friendly staff and a menu of Iberian dishes (excellent but expensive). No surprise to find cask ale here, but the keg options included Harbour Arctic Sky IPA and their Lager. The staff were all incredibly friendly and attentive and we enjoyed food from the menu of Iberian dishes, which were excellent but pretty expensive. I came here expecting to find somewhere that really only works for diners, and certainly on our Friday evening visit, that seemed to be the case, but they do have a decent bar area and I can imagine it would be a relaxing spot for a cocktail or a glass of wine outside of core dining hours. It doesn’t really do much for beer drinkers, but the fine service and tasty food are still reason enough to maybe give it a one-off try before moving on to one of Crystal Palace’s proper pubs. Date of visit: 21st March 2025

Official site of 56 Westow - www.56westow.com

Official site of 56 Westow - www.56westow.com