Location: 161 Kirkdale, Sydenham, London SE26 4QJ

Website: https://www.161foodanddrink.com/home-161

161 Food + Drink is a small wine bar & off license on Kirkdale Road in Sydenham. They specialise in organic and bio-dynamic wines from small producers and you can sit down and have a drink or take a bottle home with you. They also have a decent selection of craft beers if you are visiting with someone who is not a fan of wine (gasp)

The guys behind the bar are incredibly knowledgeable about the wines they are selling. We came for a wine tasting rather than a drink and the Portuguese chap who was hosting (his name escapes me) seemed to know everything about the orange wines we had come to taste, from the grape varieties to the individual vinyards to the actual production processes used to produce the wine we were tasting. He even filled us in on quite a bit of history of wine production. I personally know very little about wine so was happy to learn about the process and how the grapes get from the vine to end up in a bottle on our dinner table. My only criticism is that the 2 best wines we tasted were not for sale!

We were going out to dinner later in the evening so we did not really get a chance to taste their food, we did try the cheeseboard though and it was very tasty indeed! The menu sounded very interesting with dishes like antipasto, hummus, kimchi, baked cheese, a veggie tagine and lamb shoulder. I am sure we will be back soon to try the rest of the food!

The wine bar itself is very trendy, with reclaimed wood and low lighting. The bar is made from several doors screwed together and the whole place has a bit of a recycled feel. Sounds a bit naff but it is very tastefully done and makes for a very trendy setting. Perfect for a date or dining out with friends.

All things considered this is a fantastic venue to have in South East London and we very much recommend you pay them a visit, especially if it is for one of their wine tastings!