No.5's, SE23 3HN
- 5 Dartmouth Road
No.5's was a small sandwich shop near the station in Forest Hill, selling bagels, crepes and paninis. It has now closed, and as of April 2017 the premises seem to be vacant photo.
The information below is retained for historical purposes.
There's not much space inside — two small tables by the front window (with an excellent view of the South Circular), and half a dozen low stools by the counter for those waiting for takeaway. One corner is full of community posters and leaflets, advertising local music lessons, yoga classes etc. The lower half of the counter has been decorated with pleasingly anarchic crayon scribbling, presumably by younger customers.
On Kat's Tuesday lunchtime visit in December 2015, a sandwich board outside had a couple of specials marked on it. The bagel, crepe and panini menus were clearly marked on chalkboards behind the counter. There was also a milkshake menu which intriguingly seemed to imply KitKat, Bounty and Smarties shakes were available (perhaps as toppings?). A halloumi & salad bagel was £3.50 (same price for eat in as takeaway, £3 without the salad). The bagel was lightly toasted and had about the right proportion of halloumi to salad (lettuce, cucumber and tomato). Service was friendly and very quick considering there was only one member of staff serving several customers and constructing the bagels.
Kat's verdict: a reasonable no-frills lunch option for the area, far less trendy than most of its Forest Hill neighbours and reflected as such in the prices.
Accessibility: A low, slightly uneven step to get in due to the slope of the pavement. No steps once inside. Didn't see a customer toilet.