Tooting Newsie Weekly Newsletter
The Tooting Food Festival kicks off, one of Tooting's favourite restaurants launches a franchise, recycling services expanded, fly tippers fined, new openings, and much more...
Tooting Food Festival at Tooting Market and Broadway Market, 14 & 15 February, 1pm-8pm!
Tooting will come alive with flavour, music and storytelling with the launch of the Tooting Food Festival, a new two-day celebration of food, heritage and community.
Festival-goers will be able to purchase Food Tokens to sample dishes from participating traders, allowing them to explore Tooting’s culinary diversity at their own pace.
Traders include:
Tooting Market – Graveney Gin, Mina’s Shop and Grill, The Secret Bar, Mange Des Iles, Cerbero, Deekolicious, Indie Wine Club, Koi Ramen, Mezzanine, Flora, The Butcher Grill, Boom Bap Burger.
Broadway Market – McCarthy’s Irish Bar, Three Compadres, Fish@Hom, Dhamaka Bites, Dirty Habits, Flora de Samba, Chagos Bar & Restaurant.
Live music will take place on both days, and visitors can also take part in a series of guided tours exploring Tooting’s rich food heritage and local stories, offering an insight into the people, places and histories that have shaped Tooting’s food culture and community.
The festival atmosphere will continue into the evening, with more live music – and in partnership with a market bar, the London Borough of Culture “Culture Twist” cocktail will also be available to raise a glass to the occasion.
The festival is presented as part of the Mayor’s London Borough of Culture 2025: Welcome to Wandsworth, a year-long programme highlighting the borough’s creativity, cultural diversity and local stories, led by Wandsworth Council.
For more info and to purchase food tokens, visit the Tooting Food Festival Eventbrite page.
Police officers responded to reports of a stabbing on Mitcham Road in Tooting on Sunday 18 January, at 3:25am.
Officers found one victim, a man aged 38, at the scene. He was taken to hospital where his injuries have been assessed as neither life-threatening nor life-changing.
No arrests have been made. Enquiries are ongoing.
Anyone with information about the incident which may help officers is asked to call 101 quoting 968/18JAN.
To remain anonymous contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111
Drivers in Tooting and Wandsworth are advised to beware of a parking meter scam. There have been reports of scammers loitering by parking machines, claiming to work for the council, in a bid to gain pin card details.
Drivers are told by the scammers that the online system is down, and the machine needs to be used instead. They then insert their debit card which gets ‘swallowed’ by the machine. The scammers suggest they can help retrieve the card by fetching a key from their van. Instead, they drive off, with pin card details and withdraw cash at a later date.
Parking machines cannot “swallow” or retain bank cards. If your card goes missing while using a parking machine, then you have been a victim of theft and should immediately cancel your card.
Pay and Display machines accept contactless payments, and it is encouraged to use this method to avoid pin numbers being used and copied.
If anyone approaches you when you are paying for parking, please be cautious and never insert your card into a parking machine when someone you do not know is present. The fraudsters often target older residents. If you know an older driver, please warn them to be careful.
Info via Wandsworth Council.
The Vodafone store at 69 Tooting High Street (on the corner with Mitcham Road) is temporarily closed while it is assessed for repairs and undergoes a refurb due to damage caused by a burst pipe. We’ll keep you posted...
Changes to household waste collections in Tooting and Wandsworth will change from 31 March 2026, with the following materials added to the range of items that can be recycled:
♻️ Aluminium foil and food trays – these must be clean with no food remnants
♻️ Aluminium tubes – eg empty tomato paste tubes
♻️ Plastic tubes – eg empty toothpaste tubes
♻️ Aerosol cans – these must be empty
Plastic film packaging and carrier bags will also be recycled from 31 March 2027 – until then, please recycle at larger supermarkets.
Full info via Wandsworth Council.
Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
Thames Water is currently carrying out works on Upper Tooting Road, at the junctions with Lessingham Avenue, Ansell Road and Derinton Road (there is no traffic access to and from any of these roads from Upper Tooting Road while the works are underway). Temporary traffic lights and a single lane traffic system are in place.
Work is expected to be completed this Friday 23 January.
Fly tippers in Tooting/Earlsfield were caught on CCTV when dumping a pile of old mattresses on Garratt Lane recently. They were subsequently caught and fined £1,000 by Wandsworth Council.
If you spot fly tipping in the borough, you can report it (along with missed bin collections, nuisance behaviour, e-bike/scooter obstructions and more) via Wandsworth Council.
📷 Wandsworth Council
Tooting-based property advisor, Homes with Chuk, continues his ‘Meet The Neighbours’ series – this time with Rick of Rick’s Dining Room at 122 Mitcham Road!
“For this episode I’m sitting down with Rick, a true legend of the Tooting food scene. He’s been part of the neighbourhood for 25 years, and if you’ve lived around here for any length of time, chances are you’ve eaten, laughed, or celebrated something in his restaurant.
“Rick’s Dining Room isn’t just a place to eat – it’s one of those rare local spots that feels like part of the fabric of the community. A real favourite, not just in Tooting, but across the wider area too.
“I had a lovely chat with Rick about his journey, the neighbourhood, and what keeps people coming back all these years later — and I’m really pleased to be sharing it as part of ‘Meet The Neighbours’ series! Watch the full video via my Instagram.”
Chuk will be sharing ‘Meet The Neighbours’ every week in January – watch this space!
Need some property advice? Email Chuk at hello@homeswithchuk.co.uk, call 07940 546 190, or pop into Tooting Works at 89 Bickersteth Road and ask for him at reception!
📷 @square_haus_media (Instagram)
JANUARY is Dental Care Month for Dogs at Tooting’s Pawpadour, with 10% off Ultrasonic Teeth Cleaning (see below)!
Pawpadour’s Wiktoria tells us, “Bad breath isn’t just unpleasant – it’s often the first warning sign of dental disease. Over 80% of dogs show signs of gum problems by the age of 3, which can lead to pain, tooth loss, and even heart or kidney issues if left untreated.
“At Pawpadour, our ultrasonic teeth cleaning is a gentle, non-invasive treatment that uses high-frequency sound waves to break down plaque and tartar – no anaesthetic, no stress, making it perfect for nervous, senior, or first-time dogs.
“One client told us, ‘After just one session, Bella’s breath improved instantly – and she stayed so calm throughout!’”
Get 10% off your dog’s Ultrasonic Teeth Clean with code TOOTHY10 via their website.
📅 Limited January slots available – book early! Offer ends 31 January 2026.
📍Pawpadour, Tooting Works, 89 Bickersteth Road, SW17 9SH
Open 9am-5pm, Monday-Saturday.
More info via Pawpadour’s website.
Baby bank charity Little Village HQ (who have a branch in Tooting) are looking for volunteers and have the following opportunities:
📦 One-off volunteering:
Volunteers can join sessions at the Wandsworth warehouse on Tuesdays and Thursdays (6–9pm) or Saturdays (10am–3pm). These sessions offer a direct way to make an impact, with the final one-off session taking place on 31 January.
🚗 Volunteer drivers needed:
Volunteer drivers are also needed to collect and deliver essential items to families, helping ensure support reaches people quickly and safely.
To find out more, visit their website.
Adorable sisters Holly and Ivy, came to RSPCA South London Branch over Christmas after they were abandoned in Croydon. As you can see, they’re doing really well in their foster home and are enjoying being playful kittens without having to worry about keeping warm or where their next meal will come from.
They are very friendly and have a fair amount of sass thrown in to keep you on your toes! Holly is mostly white, and Ivy is the tortie and white. They are about 4 months old and would be fine with children and other cats. Here they are with their half sister, Comet.
If you could offer Holly and Ivy the permanent home they deserve, please email enquiries@rspcasouthlondon.org.uk
A fantastic Tooting success story! Congratulations to the family-run Lahore Karahi who, 30 years on from first opening its doors on Tooting High Street, are now franchising their restaurant and brand around the country – so that people all over the UK can enjoy their superb Pakistani & Indian food! They’ve just finished building a network of nationwide delivery kitchens as well as a huge, state-of-the-art central production unit in Croydon!
Owned and run by Numan Iqbal (son of the original founder, Zahid), Lahore Karahi are gearing up for 2026 and the start of an exciting new phase in their history.
Numan tells us:
“Lahore Karahi has always been about more than just food – it’s about community, culture and bringing people together. From our first restaurant in 1995 to where we are today, our focus has remained the same: creating authentic flavours that stand the test of time.
“We’ve grown from a single family-run restaurant to something we’re incredibly proud of, and as we expand, we’re excited to share what we’ve built with communities across the country. It’s the start of an exciting new chapter!”
We wish Numan and the team the very best of luck!
Sai has opened Aromé Café at 287 Mitcham Road, serving hot and cold drinks, sandwiches, paninis, cakes and more, including homemade tiramisu and milk cake, and freshly-baked pastries!
Sai tells us, “we’re really happy to open in Tooting, and look forward to welcoming the community to try our freshly-made food! We’re kid-friendly and we have toys for kids to play with – plus we offer a free babyccino with every purchase!
“We also welcome dogs and are very happy to have paw buddies in our little café!”
Sai is a professional barista and bartender, and has also applied for a premises licence with an aim to serve alcohol, including a range of cocktails!
Open Monday to Sunday, 7am-7pm for eat-in and takeaway. Vegan, vegetarian and halal options available. More info via their Instagram.
Congratulations and good luck to Sai and the team!
📍287 Mitcham Road, SW17 9JQ
COMING SOON TO TOOTING: Kamuü, serving Sri Lankan cuisine, is to open in Broadway Market, where Rincon Guaraní was previously located.
Kamuü (who already have a branch in Hounslow) plan to open in the next few days. We’ll keep you posted...
COMING SOON TO TOOTING: Kaptaan’s, serving Pakistani cuisine, is to open at 45 Upper Tooting Road, occupying some of the space where Afters was previously located. We’ll keep you posted...
Mitcham Road in Tooting, depicted in this postcard from 1924! The Wesleyan Methodist Central Hall can be seen in the distance (demolished in 1967), on the site of where Primark is now. The Foresters Arms pub can be seen on the left, which became Jack Beard’s around 1998 after a former publican of that name, and changed hands to become The Antelope in 2009.
Postcard available via ebay.
Spectacular skies over AFC Wimbledon last Saturday late afternoon, as the local team hosted Doncaster Rovers!
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