Persepolis

I could browse through this magical shop for hours! There are just so many interesting things to look at, laid out invitingly across two rooms and including all sorts of dry goods, tinned dishes and other goodies like jars of giant olives, fruit tobacco, interesting cheeses, ornate backgammon sets and much, much more.

Owner Sally Butcher is really friendly and happy to help with any questions, and is the author of the quirky information signs that appear around the shop, lending a splash of colour to their already vibrant surroundings. She even gives good tweet: twitter.com/persiainpeckham.

For Middle Eastern fetishists, Persepolis is a must-visit shop. Although really more specifically an Iranian specialty stop, it’s still the place to find delicacies from the region. Lots of fresh tasty pastries and sweets with rotating availability, all sorts of spices, an amazing variety of tea, plus different yoghurts and cheeses to far surpass any ethnic corner shop. They also sell different housewares from china and rugs to hookahs and cookbooks. And the shop is plastered in amusing handwritten signs - I suppose it’s what you’d call service with a smile.