Croydon: Creative, Colourful and Cool

We recently soft-launched our latest complete development, Crown Hill in the centre of Croydon, and there has been so much interest and enthusiasm for both the unique flats and the spectacular location in which they sit that we’ve decided to do a rundown of all our favourite places to eat and drink in Croydon. After all, we’ve been spending a lot of time here and we’ve got to know it pretty well!

Among the many things we’ve come to love about Croydon is its independent, creative culture, with plenty of unique places to hang out and relax. The creative vibe in this little pocket in the south of London is palpable, from the impressively detailed and thoughtful street art to the arts hubs to the individual cafes with their energetic, inspiring vibe. So without further ado, here is The Haywoods Group’s guide to eating and drinking in Croydon.

Boxpark – 99 George Street, CR0

Let’s jump straight in: If you don’t know about Boxpark, you’re missing out. Described by the founder as “the world’s first pop-up mall”, a Boxpark was originally set up in Shoreditch, and in 2016 one was opened in Croydon. It is built out of reusable shipping containers, and is home to 36 units focused on eating and drinking. Best of all, it’s incredibly central, constructed right next to East Croydon station and only a few minutes walk from our flats at Crown Hill. And what are the best places to visit within Boxpark?

Our favourites include Bao Bao, a Taiwanese restaurant at Unit 44-45 Boxpark, with fresh, amazing food. They do baos, dumplings and of course the extremely popular bubble teas, and you can eat in or take away. They’ve also started doing delivery, which has saved one or two of our lunch breaks when we’ve been working too hard to leave site. Definitely give this one a go. For something even quicker, to be eaten on the hoof, try Poptata, at Unit 72. These guys claim to do the best french fries in London, and honestly we’re struggling to disagree. The fries themselves are indeed delicious, but the Poptata creators have turned them into epic feasts, with combinations of toppings such as Guaca Fries, with avocado, goats cheese and roast peppers, or the Portobello, with cheddar, caramelised onions and mustard. And definitely worth a look and a buy is Nanny Outers at Unit 40 – Ever tried Guyanese food before? Now’s your chance – try the rotis, the lamb and sweet potato one in particular is delicious.

TMRW & Byte Café – 75-77 High Street, CR0

TMRW & Byte Cafe is our favourite place to get our caffeine fix while problem solving! Building homes means having to be creative at all times, whether you’ve hit an obstacle with construction or you’re choosing furniture, and it’s good to have a place like this to retreat to. TMRW & Byte Cafe is a spacious, arty cafe within a shared working hub, and it has excellent coffee and fresh food with good veggie options. Add to that lovely decor and friendly staff and you’ve got yourself a winner.

Crushed Bean – 81 High Street, CR0

Speaking of excellent cafes, this is one, but of a slightly different nature. Small and cosy and very welcoming, Crushed Bean is a haven providing top notch coffee, and the cakes, pastries and toasted sandwiches are pretty awesome too. Friendly place to come!

Matthew’s Yard – 1 Matthew’s Yard, CR0

We came here for the incredible burgers of the resident eatery Brgr&Beer, which makes its food with fresh British produce (and also does a veggie burger and a vegan burger, in case you were wondering) and has a decent selection of craft beers. But Matthew’s Yard is more than that: it’s a place for designers and artists to meet and work, and events and shows are often on here. It’s an institution of Croydon, and there was talk not long ago of demolishing it, so we hope that those plans have been altered.

KK’s – 300 High Street, CR0

Billed as a Texan Grill, KK’s is frequently described by locals as Mexican food, so we’ll compromise and go with Tex-Mex. The thing to know about this tiny, blink-as-you-pass-and-you’ll-miss-it place is that the portions are huge, the prices are reasonable and it’s the kind of comfort food that will really cheer you up when you’ve had a bit of a day and the rain started the minute you stepped outside. We recommend the mozzarella dippers and potato skins, and the nachos are outstanding.

Karnavar – 62 South End, CR0

Best Indian in Croydon! They say it themselves, and they’re not wrong. Karnavar‘s consistently excellent reviews are there for a reason – it’s not the cheapest place on the block but by god it’s worth it. They have five and seven dish tasting menus, which is a great way to get a good variety of what they have to offer.

Oval Tavern – 131 Oval Road, CR0

We ended up in the Oval Tavern for a couple of quiet pints to celebrate our first flats at Crown Hill being completed. Little did we know at the time that the Oval is well known for its live music! It did not end up being a couple of quiet pints. Apart from that, it’s a really well done traditional pub serving what looked like very good food, and they make a point of having a lot of local beers on tap. Generally a really nice place to be for an evening out!