Five south London cafés have won the 2025 Good Food Awards.

The Good Food Awards aim to celebrate and acknowledge “culinary excellence” across the UK.

The awards began in 2002 and the organisation has worked to “promote and bolster local, independent businesses that create delectable food”.

So, these are the south London cafes that have won the awards this year:

 

LA Café

Based on High Street, Sutton, this is a loved café in the borough.

LA Café has won a Gold Seal award after being featured in the Good Food Awards for three years already.

The owner Ankur Baria said: “What’s unique about LA Café is that we produce most of the stuff in-house.

“Everything we do buy from outside is from the top of quality because we have connected with a market of people who understand quality.

“We don’t buy anything substandard or cheap.

“We make sure anything we buy outside, whether beef or tomatoes, is of the highest quality, sourced from the right places.”

LA Café has received numerous awards, including the Good Food Awards 2023 and 2024, Time and Leisure Food and Culture Awards 2024, Restaurant Guru’s Recommended Café, and Best Coffeehouse in Carshalton.

LA Cafe is open between 6.30am and 4pm on weekdays, and 8am to 4pm on Saturdays.

 

Break the Fast

Break the Fast on Bromley Road has won a Blue Ribbon in the Good Food Awards 2024/25.

A statement on their website states: “From delivery and pickup only, to pop ups, we have taken the leap and set up shop in Catford for you to indulge, every weekend for the foreseeable future.

“Come and enjoy our extensive breakfast and brunch selection, serving our love for food on a plate.”

The menu features traditional and classic English breakfasts as well as jerk chicken loaded fries and Turkish eggs.

Break the Fast is only open on weekends from 10am to 3.30pm.

 

SOUL Café

This Twickenham café on 149 Heath Road has won the Blue Ribbon award.

Their menu features dishes from all over the planet from the traditional English breakfast to French toast, Mexican open toast benedict, Italian Milanaise chicken, and their own Mediterranean-inspired jackfruit sandwich.

The café also caters to a vegan and gluten-free community and was featured in the Financial Times “Five Best Places in London for ‘Free-From’ Pastries” article in 2022.

The owner said: “We are glad to be part of the Twickenham community.

"Within three years of opening, we have deeply integrated into the community. We’re excited to have been selected as the Good Food Award winner for south west London.

“Our team is like a tripod; if one leg is gone, the others cannot stand.

"It includes a chain of suppliers, workers, and customers who collaborate to sustain SOUL.

"Our customers' votes and the quality of our food and service have led us to this award, and we extend our sincere thanks to all.”

SOUL Café is open from 7.30am to 6pm on Monday, 7am to 6pm on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 7am to 6.30pm on Wednesday, 8.30am to 10pm on Saturday, and 9am to 10pm on Sunday.

 

 

Oru Space Café, East Dulwich

Oru Space Café has venues in East Dulwich and Sutton, but the East Dulwich venue has been named in the Good Food Awards this year.

The café aims to provide “extraordinarily designed spaces that attract individuals and organisations who ‘care’”.

They added: “By committing to the development of innovative infrastructure, we are creating alternate and exciting ways of living and working within urban environments.”

The café offers Sri Lankan-influenced food including mains, sandwiches, salads, cakes and breads.

In the evenings, customers can expect a modern interpretation of Tamil Sri Lankan cuisine.

The Oru Space Café is open from 8am to 4pm from Monday to Wednesday, 8am to 10.30pm on Thursday and Friday, 9am to 10.30pm on Saturday, and 9am to 4pm on Sunday.

 

The Ludoquist, Croydon

The Ludoquist is a board game café bar based in Croydon, where customers can unwind with food and drink as they play one of their favourite games.

They have over 1,000 board games available and it costs £7 per person to play as many games as you like for three hours – but if they have space you can play for longer.

Children under the age of 14 can play for half price.

However, customers don’t have to play games to enjoy this café as they can also enjoy some coffee, beer or pizza.

The Ludoquist is open from 3pm to 10pm between Monday and Thursday, 3pm to 11pm on Friday, 11am to 11pm on Saturday, and 11am to 8pm on Sunday.

The Good Food Awards see these businesses as the “backbone” of a community and want to give them the recognition they deserve.

In the restaurant category, the types of eateries taken into consideration includes fine dining, restaurants and products.

The Good Food Awards website says: “Our Good Food Awards recognise the hard-working teams who strive for excellence within their field.

“Chosen for their food quality, service and value, our prestigious Blue Ribbon is bestowed upon those with high customer ratings/votes and is known as – the Blue Ribbon for Delicious Dishes.”

“Chosen for their food quality, service and value, our highly revered Gold Seal, is bestowed upon those achieving consistently high customer ratings/votes over three years, making our Gold Seal a marque of distinction.”