Railton Road in Herne Hill is a stretch of buzzing local shops, bars and cafes that winds up to the entrance of Brockwell Park. Its newest opening, Sessa – an all-day diner and bar by sisters Molly and Liv Kyte – adds to the area’s burgeoning food scene, which also includes well-regarded restaurant Llewelyn’s and its popular sister wine bar and deli, Lulu’s, as well as recently opened Caribbean fine diner 2210 Natty Can Cook. The Kytes wanted to create a place where locals can take it slow.
“Londoners rarely take time to sit and eat food during the day as an experience,” says Molly. “We want to give people a place to slow down, but also to just meet someone for a quick coffee if they want.”
Sessa is inspired by the casual all-day cafes in continental Europe, where the community gathers for light bites and great drinks. Molly and Liv also run Planted, a sustainability-led, plant-based catering service, and “have always dreamed” of opening their own cafe.
Working with design and joinery studio Meal Deal (Lasdun, Coqfighter), the sisters fitted a custom brushed steel and wood bar that contrasts with the bright yellow walls and vintage furniture – including bar chairs from their grandparents’ house.
Diners at Sessa can expect ever-changing, seasonally led menus, spanning breakfast, weekend brunch, lunch and dinner. Molly describes Sessa’s approach to food as “straightforward and loosely European”. It gets in Toklas Bakery pastries in the mornings, and at brunch there are Spanish tortillas and Garibaldi cocktails. For lunch you might find soups and salads, and in the evening the menu shifts to dishes like fried pasta with gruyere, and lamb shoulder and potatoes. This transition from breakfast into lunch on weekends is what Molly is most excited about: giving diners the space to chat and eat, moving from coffee to wine and cocktails as the afternoon flows on.
The beverage program plays a key role at Sessa. “We really consider ourselves to be a bar that has food, not a restaurant,” says Molly. General manager Edd Clibbens (Forza Wine) designed the drinks list, which leans towards low-intervention yet “non-funky” wine. Cocktails are spirit-forward and stirred-down – think Negronis, Manhattans and Margaritas.
Affordability is important to Clibbens. He highlights the £6.50 glasses of wine and £7 house Martini.
This accessibility ties in with the sisters’ desire for the venue to be a space for locals. Or, as Molly emphasises, “to be a place to be”.
Sessa
222 Railton Road, SE24 0JT
020 4568 2668
Hours:
Tue to Thu 8am–10.30pm
Fri 8am–11pm
Sat 9am–11pm
Sun 9am–3pm
