The Blackbird Bakery, Herne Hill, South London

The Blackbird Bakery is ready for the Saturday influx of hungry park-runners, local families and pastry-lovers.

Canova Hall, Ferndale Road, Brixton, South London

An unusually large cafe-bar housed in an atmospheric period building, Canova Hall attracts a steady stream of bright young things sporting laptops. The spacious interior, the quirky crockery, a wide variety of tables, ample sockets and exposed industrial fittings successfully conjure up a start-up stroke loft vibe. The food and drink is reasonably priced, while the service is chirpy. What's not to like?

Brunch at No. 67, Peckham Road, south London

An upmarket cafe housed in the South London Gallery in Camberwell, No. 67 offers an enticing brunch menu featuring everything from a simple croissant and jam (£2) up to a full and filling Spanglish (£10.50) - two eggs,  chorizo and morcilla, beans and mushrooms on toast. The Eggs Royale (£8.50) makes for a delicious half way house. It consists of trout, spinach and poached eggs, doused in a creamy hollandaise sauce, served on an English muffin. The fine coffee is strong, but stingy. You can sit in the back room with its very high ceiling, garden view and long central table or in the more intimate front room with a large bay window overlooking Peckham Road. No. 67 has cracked breakfast. 8/10

Anderson & Co cafe, Bellenden Road, Peckham, south London

A gourmet cafe on Peckham's prosperous Bellenden Road, Anderson & Co. offers an array of tempting cakes, pastries, sandwiches, quiches and breakfasts. Although the front area can be crowded on a weekday lunchtime, there is more seating at the back, overlooking the kitchen, plus a conservatory. Anderson & Co. produces delicious scrambled egg, nicely seasoned with olive oil, on sourdough toast.  If you are hungry, you can order it with four small chorizo sausages, for about £6.50.  The coffee is also decent. Although Anderson & Co. isn't cheap, the fine food, the stripped back white decor and the alluring ambience takes it a cut above the average cafe. 7/10

The Breakfast Club, Battersea Rise, South London

At weekends, there are often queues outside the Battersea Rise branch of the Breakfast Club. On weekdays, you should be able to walk straight in, but there won't be many tables to choose from. The decor is a fashionable mix of battered furniture, lino flooring, old school signs, SMEG fridges and the like, in a mix of bold and pastel colours. Surprisingly, given the toppy prices, many of your fellow diners might be teenagers or young folk in their early twenties. The hip staff can be a little bit too attentive, but they don't hustle too hard. As you'd expect, the menu offers most of the breakfast permutations you could possibly want. If you aren't looking for a fry up, the porridge with mixed berries, toasted almonds and honey (£4.50), is hearty and fairly healthy. If you're hungry, the 'Full Monty' English breakfast (a tenner), featuring bacon, sausage, black pudding, eggs, fried potatoes and more, looks pretty appealing and pretty filling.  The Breakfast Club also serves competent coffees, starting at £1.60 for an expresso up to £2.90 for a mocha. 7/10

Macaron, The Pavement, Clapham, south London

Overlooking the green expanse of Clapham Common, Macaron is well placed to turn the heads of commuters walking between the tube station and Clapham Old Town. Dressed to resemble a traditional boulangerie and patisserie, Macaron has very large windows that ensure you won't miss the fine display of cakes, pastries, filled baguettes and quiches. Baked on site, the food might make a Parisian homesick. You can sit at the large communal table, one of the smaller tables or in the sun trap seats on the pavement. Macaron is a refreshing antidote to the Starbucks, Costa Coffees and chain stores just round the corner. 8/10

No. 67, Peckham Road, South London

A cooler-than-thou cafe within the South London Gallery, No. 67 is housed in a charismatic old brick building on the main road between Camberwell and Peckham. It has several appealing dining rooms tastefully furnished with a stripped back, arty ambiance. The glass box at the back has an extraordinarily high ceiling and an attractive gold metallic wall print, plus a view of the modest garden.  On a Sunday, you can sample No. 67's justifiably acclaimed brunch. The smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on sourdough toast hits the spot for seven quid, while the waffles with crispy bacon and bourbon syrup is suitably decadent. Even better is the Spanglish breakfast (£10.50), featuring two eggs, chorizo, homemade baked beans,  an enormous mushroom, morcilla and sourdough toast. The veggie breakfast (£9.75) is also substantial and impressive: Two eggs (fried or scrambled), halloumi, bubble and squeak, beans, roast mushroom and toast. You can wash it down with the minted table water or order a decent coffee. However, you may have to wait 20 minutes for a table and the food can take another 30 minutes or so to arrive. If you aren't in a hurry, No. 67 is a fine place to while away a weekend lunchtime. 8/10

Olley's, Norwood Road, south London

Probably one of the best known fish and chip shops in London, Olley's Fish Experience is on a busy road running alongside Brockwell Park. Inside, the wooden tables are tucked into alcoves on the ground floor, overlooked by more tables on the first floor galleries. There is wood everywhere, punctuated by rough brick pillars. The extensive menu seems to cover off most possible connotations of fish and chips, with salmon, hake and even mahi mahi on offer. The "lunch special" - mussels and chips for £5.50 - can be ordered early evening and is a bargain. The light appetite - a small portion of chips, fish and peas - is also very good value for £5.50, making the main courses look a little pricey by comparison. The entry-level fish is a full-size battered cod at £9.50, while the halibut costs £13.50, each served with a very small salad. You pay a premium to have your fish grilled and you have to order chips (£3), which can be a bit greasy, and mushy peas (£2) separately. Still, the kids' dishes, which come with a soft drink and chips, are generous for £4.50 and include "coddies", calamaries and chicken nuggets. Service is swift and courteous, while the fish is expertly cooked. Olley's is still on its game. 8/10  

Saturday Brunch at The Lido Cafe, Brockwell Park, south London

Housed in an airy Art Deco building next to Brockwell Park's outdoor swimming pool, the Lido Cafe can get very busy on a Saturday morning. If you want one of the prime sturdy wooden tables out on the sunny, palm tree-lined terrace, you should book ahead and even then you might find the sheer number of punters means the service is sluggish and haphazard. Breakfast is served up until about 12.30, when the kitchen prepares to kick-off lunch at around 1pm. The fine full English breakfast (£8.65) features near-perfect scrambled egg, a good sausage, decent bacon, a pile of nicely-cooked and seasoned mushrooms, plus grilled tomatoes, accompanied by two huge slices of warm sourdough bread and butter. Other options include an excellent eggs benedict (about £6.50), featuring two precisely-poached eggs topped with chunky ham and creamy hollandaise sauce. A mug of good, but very strong, coffee is about two quid. Excellent value, the Lido Cafe attracts local bohemians and exercise nuts from the nearby gym. If you aren't in a hurry, brunch in this atmospheric cafe will put you in a happy, holiday mood. 8/10

i due amici, Kennington Road South, south London

An appealing, spacious neighbourhood cafe, with a striking dark pink facade, i due amici is a good place to get some work done while sipping cheap coffee. It has plenty of solid wooden tables, surrounded by comfortable white chairs, big windows, free WiFi and a handful of electric sockets for charging your laptop. Out back is a peaceful, sunny courtyard, which due amici shares with the local Pizza Express. There is a solid group of regulars, but mercifully few noisy kids, meaning it can be  quiet, if Capital isn't cranked up too loud on the radio. The waiting staff are a mixture of reserved, but efficient, east European women and swarthy men, who are friendly, but more prone to mistakes. A decent Americano, served piping hot with a small almond biscuit, is just £1.20, while a large bottle of passable fruit juice is only £1.60. The food is also keenly-priced, but is highly erratic. Sometimes, the English breakfasts are okay, but the scrambled egg can be watery or the budget sausages too tough. The jacket potatoes or the chicken and mushroom risotto are a safer bet, but they aren't going to have your mouth watering. 7/10

Vintage Pretty, North Cross Road, East Dulwich, south London

A cramped and popular cafe owned by the green grocers next door, Vintage Pretty's food is ultra-fresh and generally excellent. If it is early enough, you might be tempted by one of the hot breakfasts, such as the salty, but succulent, kippers (£7.25), served with two professionally poached eggs on chunky slices of tasty toast with lemon, slices of cucumber and wild rocket. The lunch options, include a couple of specials, such as moussaka, deep-filled paninis and thick, flavoursome soups, such as roquefort and broccoli. There is also a children's menu with inexpensive comfort grub, such as beans on toast or fish finger sandwiches. To drink, you can get some exotic freshly-squeezed fruit juices for £3, a carton of Ribena for £1.25, coffees for about £2 and tap water for nothing. The country-cottage style decor features pine tables, benches and chairs, plus flowery cushions and framed adages. Service by the young, polite staff can be very slow during busy periods, such as a Saturday lunchtime, when your fellow punters will be mostly well-heeled locals taking a break from browsing the local boutiques and food-stalls. 7/10

Green & Blue, Lordship Lane, East Dulwich, South London

A stylish and atmospheric wine shop with bare brick walls, Green & Blue also has a laid-back bar with green cast iron tables, free Wi-Fi and some electric sockets where you can plug your laptop in. But most of the punters, with the exception of the odd toddler, are more interested in sampling the wines or one of the bottled British beers. There is also coffee, tea, a selection of Mediterranean snacks, platters of cheese, meat and fish, pies, sausage rolls and salads. The moist cakes are delicious, but the garlic bread and cheese straws are lackluster. Service by the black-shirted staff is cool and efficient. 7/10

Blue Mountain Cafe, North Cross Road, East Dulwich, South London

The striking mosaic on the Blue Mountain Cafe's front terrace draws you into this quite funky and cramped local eatery. The long, narrow dining room's centrepiece is an open and noisy bar, where hot drinks are prepared and served one-by-one by the slightly eccentric and meandering young staff. A large creamy cappuccino costs two pounds and a cafeteria of filter coffee a hefty £3.75, while kids' drinks, such as apple juice, milk or a 'babychino', all cost around one pound. The diverse selection of bottled beers (around three quid each) includes Budvar and Whitstable Bay Organic Ale.

Doorsteps of toast
The food menu includes jerk chicken (£8) - a generous piece of tepid meat in a fairly tame sauce served with some delicious and spicy rice and roasted plantain. Equally filling is the mezze platter (£7), made up of sun dried tomatoes or artichokes, grilled and salty haloumi cheese, a battery of olives, heaps of pitta bread, plus humus and aubergine dips. Among the half-dozen options on the kids menu are some doorsteps of toast with baked beans and egg mayonnaise sandwiches served in thick white bread. But save some room for a slice of one of the sumptuous and plump cakes on prominent display near the door. The Blue Mountain Cafe is understandibly popular with young families and couples and you may struggle to get a table on a Saturday. 7/10

Mimosa, Half Moon Lane, Herne Hill, south London

Alluring and cheerful delicatessen renown for its good selection of heart-stopping French cheeses, big fat olives, marinated artichokes and other fresh morsels, Mimosa has a handful of cramped inside tables, a small garden and free, fast Wi-Fi. The young staff will make very tasty baguette sandwiches (about £3.50 to eat-in) to order from the fresh ingredients, such as chorizo, brie and ham, under the glass counter, while you can buy a bottle of decent fruit juice for just a £1. Other goodies on offer include small crispy samosas, French wines and jams, as well as a handful of cakes and muffins. Actor James Nesbitt, who lives round the corner, is a regular. 7/10

Olley's, Norwood Road, south London

A famous fish and chip restaurant in a dilapidated row of shops facing Brockwell Park, Olley's has acquired a bit of a theme-park feel. The interior is a riot of blonde wood, exposed brickwork and kitsch tiles. The large plastic menus list just about every possible connotation of fish and chips (£9-£22), plus some tempting seafood starters, such as ginger and garlic prawns (£4.95) or grilled sardines or mackerel (£4.95). At lunchtimes, you can get a haddock, cod or Nile perch and chips with mushy peas for £7. The haddock is a tender, but modest, piece of fish, nicely-cooked in a fine layer of surprisingly ungreasy batter. The fat squidgy chips are very filling, but the side salad, consisting of shredded lettuce and a tomato slice, is lame, while the messy mushy peas are not to everyone's taste. You can wash it down with a bottle of Bud (£2.70), another beer or a glass of wine. The kids' options (£4.50 including a small drink) are pretty substantial. They include five large calamari rings caked in batter or a sea food platter, featuring mini, battered portions of calamari, goujons, scampi and fish, both served with an adult-size helping of chips. Fussier kids might opt for the long, low-meat content sausage, which you can have without batter, plus chips. The waiters, kitted out in white, are friendly, but the service can get very slow in the rare event, such as an end of term lunchtime, that Olley's is full of middle-class families mixing it with the more earthy regulars. 7/10

Blackbird Bakery, Grove Vale, East Dulwich

Pocket-sized bakery selling crusty loaves of speciality breads containing everything from olives to sun dried tomatoes, plus succulent cakes, buttery croissants and other tempting fayre. You can also pick-up a reasonably-priced, but decent, coffee, and sit at one of the handful of cushioned stools lined up at the window bar. While this stretch of Grove Vale isn't much to look at, it is worth taking the short walk down from Lordship Lane to the Blackbird for a shopping pit-stop. There is another branch opposite Herne Hill station, where the food is equally good, but the music can be a tad too loud. 8/10

IKEA restaurant, Purley Way, Croydon

A bustling, self-service, first-floor canteen with solid wooden tables and views over the typically jam-packed car park, IKEA's restaurant specialises in good value staples, ultra-cheap kids meals and the odd Swedish delicacy. The hot dishes (about £4.25) include filling and passable meat balls, served with a creamy sauce and lingonberry jam, or fish in batter accompanied by peas. Both come with a choice of chips or new potatoes. The cold options include open prawn sandwiches and gravlax. There are also chocolaty Swedish deserts from 60 pence each and bigger slices of creamy gateau for £1.70 each. The children's meals (about £1.30) are usually smaller versions of the adult meals plus a free piece of fruit - an orange, apple or banana.

Neat little trolleys
You can stack it all on one of the neat little trolleys, which can carry three trays at once. And make sure you get everything you want first time, as the self-service queues can be long as weary shoppers seek sustenance. Still, once you have paid for a glass you can then fill it up as many times as you like with the soft drinks in the dispensing machines. When you are finished, you are supposed to clear your own tables - helpful signs explain that doing this will help to keep prices low. 7/10

The Drum, North Cross Road, East Dulwich, London

Bohemian cafe with dark red walls decorated with kitsch paintings of nudes, the Drum has a clutch of sturdy tables and a couple of comfy leather sofas. Decent cappuccinos and lattes cost £1.50 each, while an enormous croissant, served with salty butter, is only £2. The menu also offers salads, sandwiches and other snacks. Run by a friendly couple with an equally-friendly stocky white dog, the Drum is a popular choice with young families and couples taking a break from browsing the quirky shops on North Cross Road. 7/10

Au Ciel, Carlton Avenue, Dulwich, London

A pretty little cafe and delicatessen specialising in lavish gift-wrapped sweets, cakes and chocolates. Even if you don't want to indulge your sweet-tooth, it is well worth stopping for a snack or a drink at one of the handful tables often bathed in sunlight streaming through the large south-facing window. A big, frothy and very drinkable cappuccino costs a reasonable £1.80, while a hefty slice of rich and tasty quiche Lorraine is £2.75. Service by the French staff can be sullen, but the food is a cut above typical cafe fare. 7/10

Pavilion Tea House, Greenwich Park, London

The solid wooden tables outside this cafe, situated at the top of the hill in Greenwich Park, are surrounded by greenery and have a good view of Canary Wharf's skyscrapers. Unfortunately, a flock of bold pigeons descends on any leftovers and the seats are scarred with dried bird poo. But it is still worth lining up at the counter in the cafe for the good-value, freshly-prepared food. A slightly-spicy and filling shepherds pie is served with a great pile of al dente carrots, mangetout and green beans for just £6. Also on the menu are other light-lunch staples, such as a steak sandwich at £7.50 and fish cakes at £6.50. Kids' dishes, such as the pasta in a vegetable and tomato sauce (£3), are simple, but healthy. And the Pavilion Tea House has a license, just in case you fancy a beer with your meal. 7/10