A Guide to Old York Road in Wandsworth (London, SW18)

Old York Road is a pedestrianised street in Wandsworth Town. It contains a small parade of shops, cafes and restaurants, and has become a popular place to meet for coffee or brunch at the weekend. This post is a guide to the best shops and restaurants on Old York Road, SW18.

A Guide to Old York Road Wandsworth

Old York Road is located in an area of Wandsworth Town known as The Tonsleys. The area has a village atmosphere with lots of narrow streets and trees.

Locally, Old York Road has gained a reputation for being the best spot in Wandsworth Town to go for brunch. The road is filled with cozy bakeries, delicatessens, cafes and restaurants. It also has plenty of spacious outdoor seating.

Discover more about the Old York Road, through the links below.

Restaurants & Cafes

Konnigans

344-346 Old York Road, London, SW18 1SS

Konnigans is a modern European restaurant with lots of outdoor seating. They serve salads, fajitas and pasta, and also have an option to build your own burger.

Konnigans is also a popular brunch spot on Old York Road, and has a separate breakfast and brunch menu offering classics like smashed avocado on toast, and eggs benedict.

Zia Lucia

356 Old York Road, London, SW18 1SS

Zia Lucia is an Italian restaurant which makes pizza using four different types of dough. You can choose from traditional flour dough, vegetable charcoal black dough, wholemeal dough, or gluten free dough.

This restaurant has outdoor seating, and a good wine selection. The charcoal base pizza is one of their most popular, especially combined with a spicy topping.

Frenchie

354 Old York Road, London, SW18 1SS

Frenchie is a brunch restaurant on Old York Road. They serve breakfast and brunch all day, and their menu includes Belgian waffles, wild mushrooms on sourdough, and a breakfast burrito. They also serve cakes, pastries, croissants and coffee.

This restaurant was named after the owner’s French Bulldog, which is why there’s a dog silhouette on the cups and sign. They are very dog friendly, and have plenty of outdoor seating.

Megan’s in the Tonsleys

539-541 Old York Road, London, SW18 1TG

Megan’s is a Mediterranean chain that serve great brunches. It is on the corner of Old York Road and Tonsley Hill, and has outdoor seating, and a large conservatory at the back. Brunch is served all day and includes healthy salad bowls, avocado and poached egg with turmeric tofu, and shakshouka.

Inside, the restaurant is beautifully decorated with lots of hanging bamboo lamps. They also have a dinner menu offering kebabs and salad bowls.

Cha Thai Story

366 Old York Road, London, SW18 1SP

Cha Thai Story is a Thai cafe serving bubble tea, bingsu, cakes, and mango sticky rice. Their Thai milk tea is particularly popular. The owners of Chai Thai Story also own Pad Thai Story that is directly opposite.

Pad Thai Story

543 Old York Road, London, SW18 1TQ

Pad Thai Story serve, authentic Thai food. It has become a local favourite in Wandsworth Town, as their noodles are delicious and very good value for money. This restaurant has outdoor seating, and the staff are friendly and helpful.

Viet Town

513 Old York Road, London, SW18 1TF

Viet Town is a Vietnamese restaurant on Old York Road close to the station. The food is tasty and you get a generous portion for a reasonable price. I also found the staff were polite and you are served quickly.

If you are looking for great Pho, this is one of the best restaurants in Wandsworth (if not London). It has a reputation locally for serving the best Pho around.

GAIL’s Bakery Wandsworth

350 Old York Road, London, SW18 1SS

Gail’s is a bakery that sells over thirty different types of bread, as well as pastries, cakes, breakfasts and lunches.

Costa Coffee

328-334 Old York Road, London, SW18 1SS

There is a large Costa Coffee shop near to Wandsworth Town station. It has tables and chairs outside, as well as lots of space inside. Costa sells coffees, teas, frappés, and other hot and cold drinks.

Chango Empanadas

503 Old York Rd, London SW18 1TF

Chango Empanadas is an Argentinian bakery that sells empanadas (fried or baked pastries shaped like a crescent moon, with filling inside). It’s great for commuters as it’s right by Wandsworth Town station and the food is served quickly. The beef empanadas are very popular.

Butchers & Deli

Cleavers

362 Old York Rd, London SW18 1SP

Cleavers is a butcher shop and deli, but they also sell wraps, sandwiches, fresh bread and ice cream. There are tables both inside and outside, where you can sit and enjoy a drink.

If you are having a BBQ, Cleavers sells good quality sausages, chicken, and burgers, as well as marinated meats ready to grill. They also sell the accompanying salads and dressings, as well as the charcoal for the BBQ!

Bayley & Sage

509 Old York Road, London, SW18 1TF

Bayley & Sage is a gourmet grocery shop close to the train station. They sell fresh fruit and vegetables, eggs, bagels, a good selection of cheeses, olives, fresh pasta and wines.

Pub

The Alma

499 Old York Road, London, SW18 1TF

The Alma pub was built in 1872, and is the oldest building on Old York Road. It is located directly opposite the station on the corner of Old York Road and Alma Road. As well as being a pub, it is also a hotel with 23 rooms, and has a restaurant area.

Florist

Bramble & Willow

545a Old York Road, London, SW18 1TQ

Bramble & Willow is a luxury florist that offers same day delivery in south west London from Monday to Saturday. They provide flowers for weddings and other events in the UK.

Beauty Salon

Lady J Nail & Beauty

505 Old York Road, London, SW18 1TF

Lady J Nail & Beauty offers manicures, pedicures and nail extensions. If you have a luxury manicure it comes with a skin scrub, and mask. They also do waxing and threading.

Map of Old York Road in Wandsworth

The exact location of Old York Road is shown on the map below.

History of Old York Road in Wandsworth

The shopping parade on Old York Road dates back to Victorian times.  It was built following the opening of  Wandsworth Town Station in 1846.  The station, when it first opened, was simply known as “Wandsworth Station”, and predates Clapham Junction, Vauxhall and Waterloo.  

After the station was built, more people started moving to the area. This led to the The Alma pub being constructed opposite the station in 1872.  It was the first commercial building to be built on Old York Road (known at the time as York Road).  

Following the pub being built, further development continued, turning York Road into the shopping parade that it is today.  Records from the 1890s show a number of shops on the road including a bootmaker, a cat’s meat seller, fishmonger, grocer, and tobacconist.

According to Charles Booth’s poverty map (1898-99), the residential streets around the station were amongst the poorest in London.  This led to them being demolished, creating the courtyard that currently exists in front of Wandsworth Town mainline station.  

The only piece of the original street layout that remains, is a historic wall which leads from the station to the rear of the courtyard.  The railway station, platforms, underpasses and stairwells remain intact from when they were first built.

Today, Old York Road is a conservation area, which means steps have been taken to preserve it as an area of special architectural and historic interest.

The image below shows Charles Booth’s poverty map from 1898-99, which shows the areas of poverty by Wandsworth Station (marked in blue).

Things to do in Wandsworth Town

Below is a list of things to do, and places to visit in Wandsworth Town.

• Have a Drink in The Ram Brewery
• Walk Along The Causeway
• Walk Along the Wandle Trail
• Visit King George’s Park

This post was a guide to Old York Road in Wandsworth

Thank you for reading my guide to Old York Road in Wandsworth. Old York Road is located in the heart of The Tonsleys in south west London, and was permanently pedestrianised by Wandsworth Council in 2022. If you have any suggestions for this page, please leave a comment below or get in touch at [email protected].