Smokey Kudu is above the restaurant proper, softly resplendent in browns and fuzzy reds, the conjuring of lionish feelings where orange light falls milkily on courageous drinking. Those concerned with too high a degree of lavishness needn’t worry: an SE15 martini, with vodka, gin and Cocchi vermouth, recalls Kudu’s Peckham roots at £10. As does the Peckham mule, an almost fiery blend of Mount Gay rum, vodka, lime and ginger beer; a little sweet, but £11 and a ready aperitif. I was charmed by the place when I visited last month. The service is slick, there’s a gentleness to the place, and the drinks are beyond sound. My advice would be to begin with a Smokey Kudu, which mixes rich sherry with three types of whisky, one from Japan, a bourbon and a peaty Scotch, and order one or two plates of the prawn cruller, among the best bar snacks ever conceived.
Josh Barrie’s favourite bars of 2025, from Tabac to Dante
