This is not a usual post on this site as it is not about a new restaurant. It isn’t that there are no new ones opening it’s is just that we are waiting for them to settle down (e.g. Cannon and Cannon in Brixton Market). But we have recently come across a problem so thought we might address it here.

The issue is where to eat on a Monday evening. This is never a popular day to eat. Perhaps it’s because we have gorged ourselves on the Sunday roast or that the chef needs at least one day off a week. But all over London most restaurants are closed on Mondays. In Brixton the list is endless – including of course all those in the market (although you can still squeeze into Seven if you don’t mind eating very early). It’s a little more promising along Atlantic Road with Kaff open seven days a week, with food served daily until 10.00 pm. That’s because the kitchen is off site so they only reheat it. However you can have an all day breakfast at Lounge, which then closes at 5.00 pm. Irritatingly some restaurant websites do not have their opening times (e.g. Khan’s) so it needs lots of phone calls to assess whether they will be open.

Along Acre Lane, Veranda, Brixton’s gourmet Caribbean restaurant, is tantalisingly open but only for a themed evening in the bar with table football and cocktails. Further along at 6.30pm, Upstairs is closed and so is Khamsa. Eventually you get to Boqueria, the tapas bar and it is an oasis. The bar is open for ice cold sherry and the restaurant is open for its full menu including the large chalk board of specials.

When we arrived at Boqueria at 6.45 pm it was sparsely populated, but we were not the only ones who had eventually found sustenance. So this is the place to go when the thought of the reheated Friday night Indian food or a plate of cold risotto is unappealing. It is also much quieter on a Monday, so you can actually have a conversation, sometimes tough in most popular restaurants. This one has bare walls and lots of glass so the sound just keeps bouncing around.

We left early (well it was a Monday) but after our fill of padron peppers, chorizo, fried aubergine and other delicacies (not an adjective we often give to a tapas). We washed it down with Rioja and manzanilla. We also had good service. This is not always the case in Boqueria as on other visits they have been caught out by a “rush” without enough staff. On one occasion we even found it difficult to pay the bill as no-one seemed to be paying any attention to turning over the tables quickly. But on a Monday there is a lot of attention with the food arriving at a steady pace (also lacking on the previous occasions).

So we welcome comments on other restaurants in Brixton which are open on a Monday (apart from the pubs) to add to our current very short list.

More recommendations for where to eat in Brixton on a Monday from our lovely Twitter followers

• Negril (Carribean – 132 Brixton Hill)
• Khan’s of Brixton (Indian – 24 Brixton Water Lane)
• Ichiban (Japanese – 58a Atlantic Road)
• Fujiyama (Japanese – 5-7 Vining Street)