Artusi on Bellenden Road in Peckham is one of London’s hottest restaurants and part of Peckham’s increasingly stylish scene.
It’s been named the fourth best restaurant in London by Time Out where they called it the “culinary real deal” and praised its “south-of-the-river sophistication”. The menu is five small plates at £5 each, three pasta/risotto dishes in small and large sizes and three mains at £14 each. Chef Jack Beer’s food is Italian, with the restaurant taking its name from Pellegrino Artusi – whose cookbook is a staple of Italian homes – but this is far from the sort of thing you get at a pizza and pasta chain. You’re more likely to find seared ox heart with olives or pig’s head with salsa verde.
Jay Rayner has described Artusi as “nowness in a little over a dozen dishes” and, as is not always the case, it’s easy to understand what he means. The restaurant represents a perfect example of the kind of food and restaurant design that is at the height of popularity right now. The trendy, stripped back style which has moved from Shoreditch to Peckham and influenced other areas throughout London is at its finest here. Just being a restaurant of this quality in Peckham seems to make Artusi very much of its time. The menu (which changes frequently) is simple and low on description but very high on quality. The decor is similar – minimalist furnishings and a limited range of colour. Even the sign above the door is easily missed. It’s an emblem of no frills but plenty of thrills sophistication.
Accessibility for disabled foodies should be easy too. The entrance is completely step free and the restaurant is situated in one long and step free room. The shape of the room can represent a problem at times, especially during the busy evening periods when the room is full and the aisle between the tables becomes more cramped. This might be awkward as the disabled toilet (which is fully equipped with grab rails and emergency cord) is at the back of the room, but it’s just a question of possibly having to ask people to move slightly to make a little more space.
Artusi is a very cool, very contemporary and clearly very well loved restaurant with good access too. We give Artusi a provisional 2.5 BBS Ticks – we shall have audit it soon to see if we can move them to full marks!
