History Food & Drink

Coffee

Art & Design

Bankside is one of the oldest settlements in Britain, dating back over 6000 years when the Romans founded Londinium.

In medieval times the main entertainment was the brothels, animal-baiting pits and theatres. Local prostitutes were known as the ‘Winchester Geese’ as they were taxed by the Bishop of Winchester (see the remains of Winchester Palace on Clink Street). Many were buried on the site of the Crossbones Garden on Redcross Way, which has become a memorial to the outcast dead.

The Thames used to freeze over in exceptionally cold winters and Londoners would take to the ice for all manner of activities in what were known as Frost Fairs.

Bankside is emerging as a foodie destination with Borough Market at the epicentre. Eating and drinking in the area is a pleasure. Discover unique new concepts and independent restaurants alongside your every day favourites.

For Levantine cuisine try Arabica Bar & Kitchen, which started as a spice stall in Borough Market and graduated to an inventive restaurant under a railway arch. Independent restaurant The Table Café serves up breakfasts and brunches with a cult following. Deliciously British food is on the menu at Roast, with many of the seasonal ingredients sourced from Borough Market. Mark Hix’s chicken and steak concept Hixter Bankside is the perfect all-day-dining

Get your coffee fix at some of the capital’s best coffee houses. From independent coffee shops, to Pret, Starbucks and Costa - they’re all in Bankside.

You can’t miss Monmouth Coffee in Borough Market for the queue that snakes along the street in the mornings, but it’s worth the wait. London Grind is a buzzing cocktail and coffee bar – expect espressos by day and espresso martinis by night. The Gentleman Baristas have

Bankside hosts an array of galleries and exhibitions - which of course includes the world’s most popular modern art gallery, Tate Modern.

Start your day here and embark on an art crawl of Bankside’s galleries, taking in Purdy Hicks, Bankside Gallery, Jerwood Visual Arts, Menier Gallery, Contemporary Applied Arts and Embassy Tea Gallery. Exhibitions change regularly, check visitbankside.com for up to date listings.

During the late 18th century Bankside developed into an industrial environment with docks, warehouses and wharves. Following decline after the Second World War it remained largely undiscovered, until its renaissance around the turn of the Millennium as one of the capital’s most vibrant destinations.

Learn more about Bankside and London at some of the local historical sights and attractions such as the Kirkaldy Testing Museum, Southwark Cathedral, The Golden Hinde and The Clink Prison Museum.

option. Union Street Café is an urban warehouse styled restaurant serving Italian cuisine by Gordon Ramsay. Albion is open for breakfast, lunch and supper, championing the best of British produce. For quick bites head to Borough Market, and don’t miss the caramel custard and honeycomb doughnuts from Bread Ahead.

Many Bankside restaurants offer spectacular views; Swan at the Globe, The Real Greek, Zizzi and the Tate Modern restaurant, all look out to the river - and across to St Paul’s and the City of London.

a cracking little coffee house serving excellent coffee and retro treats. Rabot 1745 does great coffee but their speciality is the salted caramel hot chocolate.

Theatre

Pubs & Bars

Bankside has theatre at its heart. Since medieval times, when Shakespeare was a local, theatre and culture have drawn crowds to the area.

Shakespeare’s Globe is known internationally. The open air theatre shows productions from April, with 700 tickets available for every show for just £5. During the colder months the candlelit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse is a fabulous experience. The first theatre in Bankside was actually The Rose Playhouse. A genuine hidden

You’re spoilt for choice with pubs and bars in Bankside. For traditional English pubs, use Borough Market as your starting point; The Market Porter, The Southwark Tavern and The George Inn are much-loved favourites. The Rake is a tiny pub with a big personality specialising in craft beer and real ales - well worth a visit.

If it’s a glass of wine you fancy, Bedales is the perfect neighbourhood wine bar - cosy and intimate with hundreds of bottles lining the walls. Or try The Boot & Flogger on Redcross Way for their great wine list and hidden courtyard.

gem, it disappeared from the map completely until 1989. Now it is part archaeological site and part theatre, showing mainly Shakespeare and Marlowe productions. An absolute must and very affordable with tickets from £9.

Catch great shows often featuring big names at Menier Chocolate Factory and Southwark Playhouse. Plus don’t miss smaller, independent shows at Union Theatre and Nursery Theatre.

Enjoy a film and a cocktail at the indie bar/cinema, Roxy Bar and Screen. Go upscale at Mark’s Bar, the super-cool cocktail bar at Hixter. Union Street Bar is also a top tip if you’re out to impress. If you like a challenge, Call Me Mr Lucky is a secret tequila speakeasy in the basement of The Breakfast Club - you’ll need the special password to get in…

Explorers’Map

For the latest news and events, and a full list of shops, bars, hotels, restaurants and attractions in Bankside, go to visitbankside.com

Getting Here Bankside is easily accessible by train, tube, boat or bus. London Bridge, Southwark, Borough and Blackfriars stations are all close by. For the scenic route take a Thames Clipper to Bankside Pier. To plan your journey visit tfl.gov.uk

@visitbankside visitbankside.com

1 Albion Café, British food

2 Applebees Fish Café Fresh fish

3 Arabica Bar & Kitchen Eastern Mediterranean, meze

4 Bedales Wine bar

5 Belushi’s Bar & club

6 Bill’s Modern British cuisine

7 Black & Blue Steakhouse

8 Blackfriars Wine Bar Wine bar

9 Boro Bistro French bistro

10 Brindisa Tapas restaurant

11 Café 171 Modern café

12 Café Relaxo Brunch café

13 Call Me Mr Lucky Tequila speakeasy

14 Camino Tapas & cava

15 canteenM @citizenM Lounge & bar

16 Clinks Bar Modern bar

17 Crussh Food & juice bar

18 Dandelyan Bar Cocktail bar

19 Eat Sandwich shop, café

78 The Loft Modern restaurant & bar

79 The Market Porter Traditional pub

80 The Mudlark Traditional pub

81 The Old King’s Head Traditional pub

82 The Old Thameside Inn Riverside pub

83 Theo’s Café at Shakespeare’s Globe Casual cafe

84 The Rake Craft beers

85 The Real Greek Greek cuisine

86 The Refectory Café Courtyard café

87 The Refinery Restaurant & bar

88 The Sheaf Basement bar

89 The Southwark Tavern Traditional pub

90 The Swan at Shakespeare’s Globe Riverside bar & restaurant

91 The Table Café Independent British café

92 The Trinity Traditional pub

93 The Union Jack Live music pub

94 The Wheatsheaf British pub

95 The White Hart Traditional pub

96 Tortilla Burritos

97 Tossed Salad bar

98 Tonkotsu Japanese ramen

99 Union Street Café & Bar Gordon Ramsay’s Italian concept

100 Vapiano Pizza & pasta

101 Wagamama Japanese cuisine

102 Wright Brothers Oyster & Porter House

103 Zizzi Pizza & pasta

20 El Vergel Latin American cuisine

21 Elements Modern cuisine

22 Elliot’s Café Market café

23 Est. India Contemporary Indian

24 Feng Sushi Sushi restaurant

25 fish! Fresh fish restaurant

26 Flamingo Café

27 Founders Arms Riverside pub

28 Gail’s Artisan Bakery

29 Gourmet Burger Kitchen Handcrafted burgers

30 Heeltap Contemporary bar & restaurant

31 Hixter Bankside Chicken & steak

32 Hot Italian Italian cuisine

33 Itsu Sushi & salad

34 Katzenjammers Bavarian Bierkeller

35 Kitchen @ The Bridge Café

Konditor & Cook Cake shop

37 Leon Healthy fast food

38 Le Pain Quotidien Bakery & café

39 Little Dorrit Café

40 London Grind Coffee & cocktails

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41 Mar I Terra Authentic tapas

42 Mango Indian cuisine

43 Mark’s Bar Basement cocktail bar

44 Menier Chocolate Factory Modern British cuisine

45 Monmouth Coffee Company Artisan coffee

46 Nando’s Piri piri chicken

47 Patisserie Lila Café & patisserie

48 PAUL French bakery & patisserie

49 Pizza Express Italian restaurant

50 Porky’s BBQ American BBQ

51 Pret a Manger Café

52 Pulia Italian deli & restaurant

53 Rabot 1745 Cocoa-centric cuisine

54 Roast British cuisine

55 Rose & Crown Great beer garden

56 Rosie Tate Café Sandwich shop

57 Roxy Bar & Screen Bar & cinema

58 Rumpus Room Rooftop bar & lounge

59 Sea Containers Modern cuisine

60 Silka Indian cuisine

61 Slug & Lettuce Bar

62 Southwark Playhouse Bar Theatre bar & café

63 Southwark Rooms Cocktail bar

64 Starbucks Coffee shop

65 Tas Pide Turkish cuisine

66 Tate Modern Café Gallery café

67 Tate Modern Espresso Bar Espresso bar

68 Tate Modern Restaurant British cuisine

69 The Anchor Bankside Riverside pub

70 The Barrowboy & Banker British pub

71 The Boot & Flogger Wine bar

72 The Breakfast Club Cult breakfasts

73 The Coffee House Independent coffee shop

74 The George Inn Historic pub

75 The Globe Pub Traditional pub

76 The Goldsmith Pub & Dining Room British pub

77 The Island Café Casual cafe

Eat & Drink

104 Menier Chocolate Factory Theatre & bar

105 T Tudor theatre

106 Shakespeare’s Globe Shakespearean theatre

107 Union Theatre Fringe theatre

Bankside Gallery Art gallery

109 Contemporary Applied Arts British craft

110 Embassy Tea Gallery Historic warehouse space

111 Jerwood Visual Arts Contemporary gallery

112 Menier Gallery Art & design gallery

113 Purdy Hicks Contemporary art

114 RKB Gallery Exhibition space

115 Tate Modern Modern art

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Theatre Art & Design

Attractions Stay

141 Aesop Boutique skincare

142 Albion British produce

143 Borough Kitchen Kitchenware

144 Borough Market Renowned food market

145 Borough Wines Handpicked wine range

146 Chez Michele Florist

147 Contemporary Applied Arts British craft

148 Cubitts Sunglasses & spectacles

149 Great Suffolk Street Parade Local high street

150 Joy Fashion

151 Kit and Ace Fashion

152 Konditor & Cook Cakes

153 Laithwaites Wine Specialist wine

154 Monmouth Coffee Artisan coffee

155 Neal’s Yard Remedies Organic skincare

156 Neal’s Yard Dairy British cheeses

157 Oliver Bonas Fashion & homeware

158 Paul Smith Designer fashion & accessories

159 Rabot Estate Chocolate

160 Southwark Cathedral Shop Gifts & cards

161 The Frame Club Contemporary frames

162 Wine Pantry English wines

Shop

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116 Borough Market Renowned food market

117 Bread Ahead Bakery school

118 Crossbones Garden Historic site & graveyard

119 Golden Hinde Reconstruction of Sir Francis Drake ship

120 Kirkaldy Testing Museum Unique Victorian workshop

121 Millennium Bridge

122 Roxy Bar & Screen Independent cinema & bar

123 Southwark Cathedral London’s oldest Gothic church

124 Tate Modern Modern art

125 Thames Clippers Riverboat service

126 The Clink Prison Museum Notorious medieval prison

127 The London Bridge Experience & London Tombs Scary interactive tours

128 Winchester Rose Remains of Winchester Palace

129 Bankside House

130 CitizenM

131 Holiday Inn Express London Southwark

132 Hilton London Bankside

133 Ibis Styles Southwark Rose Hotel

134 Mercure London Bridge Hotel

135 Mondrian London

136 Novotel London Blackfriars

137 Novotel London City South

138 Premier Inn London Southwark Borough Market

139 Premier Inn London Southwark Tate Modern

140 St Christopher’s Village Hostel

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The Rose Playhouse