The best restaurants in Greenwich

The sign on Goddard’s bottle-green frontage says ‘Est 1890’, although this shiny venue is merely the latest incarnation of a long-running family business. Food-wise, variety is the name of the game: there’s an impressive choice of pie fillings ranging from chicken and ham to lamb and rosemary. Goddard’s also sells gluten-free pies, along with calorie-laden handmade puds. Be warned: this place is regularly rammed with tourists on the Greenwich heritage trail.

At the top of a hill by the Royal Observatory, the Pavilion Café (built in 1906) is an unmistakable octagonal building topped by a dovecot with a weathervane depicting Nelson looking through his telescope. Another Benugo spot, breakfast is a good call here, while the lunch menu is built around stone-baked pizzas, burgers and salads; otherwise drop by for coffee and cake. Gorgeous views guaranteed, but check opening times, as it shuts earlier in the winter. In the summer though, swing by for a sweet barbeque pop-up menu with vegan bratwurst, grilled halloumi and pulled pork burger and a pork belly roast with homemade flatbread, and bramley apple sauce.

The name pretty much says it all at this Greenwich bar/bistro from reputable champagne importer French Bubbles and artisan cheesemonger Une Normande à Londres. Fizz and fromage are two of France’s favourite things and visitors will be amply rewarded with a vast selection of bubbles and a 50-strong list of soft and hard cheeses. If fromage isn’t your thing, the menu also includes everything from tartines and duck confit to charcuterie boards and macarons. To drink, there are wines from Bordeaux and beers from Brockley.

Round the corner from Greenwich Royal Park, chef Martin Heap’s cute little shop and café is a mecca for fans of artisan bangers. Seating is limited, but the punters just keep coming in to buy and sample his terrific comestibles. Tuck into a plateful of bangers and mash with onion gravy, a ‘Lethal Lucifer’ hot dog or one of their hand-crafted pies; otherwise, there are home-cured bacon baps for breakfast, as well as burgers, quiches and flapjacks for afters.

On Greenwich’s Royal Hill, this well-liked local restaurant and bar has a broadly Mediterranean flavour, although its owners hail from Ecuador. Antipasti, goat’s cheese salad, tapas, pizzas and pastas sit happily alongside Latin classics such as empanadas, ceviches, bife ancho (grilled Argentinian ribeye) and cariucho de pollo (a traditional Ecuadorian dish of chicken breast in peanut butter sauce served with rice and avocado). To finish, look no further than churros or alfajor (South American cookies filled with dulce de leche).

Fabulous views of Greenwich Royal Park are a given at this Benugo-run café spread over two floors of the National Maritime Museum. Bag your table and order at the counter from a menu that might include vegan burger & chips, shiro miso chicken flatbread or pan-fried sea-trout

Very much part of Greenwich’s local community, this homely café keeps things veggie (apart from the odd bit of smoked salmon). Immensely charming staff are on hand to pamper the crowds who pack the two cosy rooms, while the menu is full of genuinely homemade stuff (with little portions for kids). American-style brekkies kick-start the day, ahead of baguettes, jacket potatoes, wraps, salads and gorgeous home-baked cakes. Also don’t miss their cream teas.