Lenos & Carbon

When Londoners decide to eat out, they don’t too often think of Colombian food as a go-to, but with restaurants like Lenos & Carbon, they absolutely should. Since 2009, this Elephant & Castle gem has showcased exactly what the Colombian kitchen is all about, in all its vibrant and diverse glory. You can expect to start with tapas before some glorious deep fried green plantain tortilla, then a wide a selection of fresh meat, chicken and seafood with curious South American sides. Lenos & Carbon is on Elephant Road, a damn good spot by all accounts that you should head to armed with a reservation.

Food is at the heart of Colombian culture and the culture itself is extremely diverse. Hence, at London’s Lenos & Carbon the chefs do their very best to reflect this diversity in the food. Good news: they do a damn good job, and the result is an exciting menu packed with dishes and flavours you may not have tried before. But first thing’s first, you’ll find Lenos & Carbon on Elephant Road in Elephant & Castle, not far at all from the train station, the tube or the Imperial War Museum.

So, onto the menu, and the first thing you should know is that Colombian food is always cooked with love, meaning booming flavour and plenty of colour. As we said above, mix and match any number of tapas to start, along with patacones or arepas, then choose your indulgent main. For something a little different we’d definitely recommend the ox tongue cooked in a tomato and onion sauce, or the frijoles con chicharrón consisting of red kidney beans with pork belly served with rice, fried ripe plantain, salad, avocado and rustic cornbread. Lenos & Carbon is certainly one of the most unique dining spots in Elephant & Castle and we can’t recommend it enough – a wonderful London Colombian restaurant!