Streatham’s high street may be famous for the wrong reasons, but its common, its secret garden and its genuinely good restaurants make a proper case for a visit.
We’ll admit Streatham has an image problem. Its high road was infamously voted the worst street in Britain back in 2002, and it still gets talked over by its flashier neighbours, Brixton and Clapham a couple of stops up the line, Crystal Palace over the hill the other way. None of that squares with what’s actually here.
This corner of Lambeth started out as a Surrey farming parish, then became a fashionable 18th-century spa town on the strength of some mineral springs, then a busy Victorian suburb once the railway arrived. What’s left is an odd, likeable mix: a sprawling common with a genuinely secret garden hidden at the top of it, an Olympic-sized ice rink, and a high street that’s swapped its old reputation for some of south London’s best-value Spanish, Italian and Lebanese food.
Here’s what we’d actually do with a day in Streatham.
The best things to do in Streatham
Picnic on Streatham Common
Streatham Common’s open lawns and blooming flower beds make it one of south London’s better picnic spots, and one of the better parks in south London generally. The nature reserve at its southern end is thick with woodland, wildflowers and acid grassland, and there’s a playground, a cafe and a paddling pool if you’ve got kids in tow.
In summer, outdoor films get shown on the Common’s lawn, and it’s worth timing a visit around one if you can. Otherwise, just walk it end to end, the top of the Common is where the next entry on this list is hiding.
Find the secret Rookery garden
At the top of Streatham Common sits a walled garden most visitors miss entirely, and that’s rather the point of it. The Rookery opened to the public on 23 July 1913, but the site’s history goes back much further: mineral springs were discovered here in 1659, and by 1746 the spot was significant enough to appear on John Rocque’s map of London, simply labelled “Streatham Wells”. A fashionable spa house was built in 1786 to accommodate visitors coming to take the waters, and wasn’t actually renamed The Rookery until 1826.
When the springs fell out of fashion and the estate faced redevelopment in 1910, a local resident called Stenton Covington led a campaign that raised £3,075 by public subscription to save it, a serious sum at the time, and the road running alongside the gardens, Covington Way, is named after him. The Old English Garden, rock garden and rose-covered pergolas all date from the relandscaping that followed.
Worth knowing: the White Garden here is often overlooked in favour of Sissinghurst’s, but Streatham’s actually predates it by at least 30 years, and was popular enough that Queen Mary and the Princess Royal visited in person in 1936. It’s free to get in and small enough to see properly in half an hour, so pair it with a wider walk across the Common.
Skate at Streatham Ice and Leisure Centre
Rebuilt in 2011, Streatham Ice and Leisure Centre is home to the only Olympic-sized ice rink in London, alongside a 25-metre pool, a gymnasium, a yoga studio and a cafe. It’s not just a rink for casual skaters either, it’s also the base for the Streatham Ice Hockey Club, one of the oldest ice hockey clubs in the country, founded in 1932.
Hint: ice hockey isn’t exactly a major spectator sport in the UK, which means tickets to watch a match are cheap, and the games themselves rarely lack incident. Worth building into a visit if you’re around during the winter season.
Race go-karts at TeamSport
A short walk from Streatham Vale, TeamSport has 400 metres of track and space for up to 20 karts racing at once, which is plenty of room for things to get competitive. There’s a spectator area and a small cafe if you’d rather watch than race, and it’s one of the better options on our wider round-up of go-karting tracks in London.
Walk Europe’s longest high street
At 2.8 kilometres, Streatham High Road claims to be the longest high street in Europe, and it was the busiest shopping street in south London back in the 1950s. It’s had a rockier few decades since, but today it’s lined with a proper mix of independent food shops, Spanish, Brazilian, Chinese and Lebanese kitchens among them, and it’s worth walking the whole thing at least once, ideally in comfortable shoes.
Sip something at Streatham Wine House
Streatham Wine House is a wine bar and shop stocking more than 300 wines from around the world, alongside local craft beers from Streatham’s own brewing company and a small selection of whisky, gin and vodka. Pair a bottle with a charcuterie board, or bring your own pizza on Sundays for a small forkage fee.
Drink craft beer at Art & Craft SW16
Part beer shop, part gallery, Art & Craft SW16 stocks up to 400 local, national and international craft beers alongside a rotating display of modern and urban art from new and established artists. It’s a genuinely nice spot to sit with a flight of something you haven’t tried before.
Eat tapas at Bar 61
A family-run, award-winning Spanish tapas restaurant, Bar 61 pairs dark wood decor and stripped floors with hearty tapas, mains made from fresh ingredients and an extensive Spanish wine list. It’s the kind of unfussy neighbourhood spot Streatham has more of than it gets credit for.
Queue for pizza at Bravi Ragazzi
Recognisable by the queue that regularly forms outside, Bravi Ragazzi is an authentic Italian pizzeria known for its Neapolitan pizza, a fluffy base under a generous layer of cheese. It’s built a genuine reputation as one of the better pizza spots in south London, run by Italian speakers who know exactly what they’re doing.
Eat off the grill at Aya Lebanese Cuisine
What began as a single restaurant has grown into a small London chain, and the Streatham branch of Aya Lebanese Cuisine remains a good reason to visit on its own merits. Anything off the grill is worth ordering, and the traditional Lebanese desserts are worth saving room for.
Catch live music at The Railway
A Victorian gastropub a short walk from Streatham Common station, The Railway hosts live comedy and music alongside a solid pub food menu, with a large front bar and an airy back garden. It’s a proper local, the kind of pub that doesn’t need to try too hard.
Browse gifts at The Indigo Tree
A family-run shop selling, in its own words, “lovely things for lovely people”, The Indigo Tree stocks cards, tableware, bird feed mix and other gifts and oddments. Good for presents that don’t feel like an afterthought.
Shop small at Streatham Green artisans market
Held every Sunday outside the Manor Arms, this small artisans’ market is still little-known, which makes it a good spot to pick up fresh produce, cheese, bread and cakes from local vendors without the crowds you’d get further into town.
Stock up at the Railway farmers market
Set up outside Streatham Common station on the second and fourth Saturday of each month, this farmers’ market brings together local cake bakers, spice sellers and fresh produce and meat stalls.
Hint: arrive early during game season, when the best stalls tend to sell out fast.
