London Clapham Restaurant Guide

Robin Gill’s “excellent neighbourhood restaurant” – with “a delicious menu of top-quality Italian dishes” inspired by the Amalfi coast – is nowadays his only Clapham venue since the closure of the nearby Dairy (RIP). “The wonderful service and top-class food make this a local go-to.” Top Tip: “amazing arancini” (truffle or beef short rib and black garlic).

2021 Review: “A nice, laid-back American buzz” has helped win a loyal following over the years for this small chain of Kansas City-style diners: one of the first in London to bring BBQ indoors. “It’s a fun place” (in the right mood) and the food is “decent” and in man-sized portions, but “not particularly special”.

A “go-to place for top burgers”, this upmarket chain offers a chic Parisian polish that its rivals would struggle to match, and operates seven outlets in Shoreditch, Chelsea, Camden, Clapham, Balham, Holborn and Kingston. Ratings softened this year, however, and one or two reporters feel it’s “not as good as it once was”.

2021 Review: “Classic pizzas, cooked simply and well in a nice, buzzy room” has kept Franco Manca creator, Sami Wasif’s Clapham hang-out, in biz for over 25 years: “it’s always reliable, and you can nearly always get a table”.

2021 Review: “Bright and airy”, traditional-ish gastroboozer (plus garden), off Clapham High Street, “reliably serving good food” (if not of a particularly ‘gourmet’ variety).

2018 Review: “Fun, buzzy local” in Clapham High Street offering a “sensibly priced Asian-fusion menu and good cocktails” – it seems to have bedded-in in its second year, with improving scores for both food and service.

2021 Review: “When all you want is an old-school burger”, these US-based arrivals of recent years really “hit the spot” – you can “build your own”, with “tons of accessories”; plus “seriously addictive fries”, “thick milkshakes”, and “more soda flavours than is reasonable”. “The eat-in experience is as depressing as McDonald’s”, though, in fact perhaps more so – “some branches have a strangely gloomy ambience” – but fans feel that “if you don’t mind 1980s-rock, a trip can still be surprisingly fun”.

With its “great selection of fresh, authentic and interesting Japanese fusion cuisine”, this high-grade local in Clapham continues to wow reporters, even though what was super-innovative when it was launched 21 years ago by a trio of ex-Nobu chefs is now found all over London. “It’s great to have an off-West End restaurant with reasonable prices and top-quality food.” “Every year it’s my favourite – nothing in London can compare with the grilled scallops and black cod washed down with an Electric Kamikaze buzz-button cocktail!”

2021 Review: “What a find!” – “superb and authentic Indian street food” developed at a market stall is now found in a permanent home by Wandsworth Town station. “Passionate owner Tania is always there to talk about the menu”.

2018 Review: For a “cheap ’n’ cheerful” bite, long-term fans still tip this Thai canteen stalwart in Clapham; it’s no longer the area’s ‘go-to’ standby though.

A sun-drenched terrace on Clapham’s ‘Pavement’ overlooking the Common adds further lustre to this elegant (lots of marble) Clapham venture from Jorge Baumhauer da Silva, the former head chef of Ceviche restaurants. It’s a haven for fish lovers – a restaurant, ‘fish boutique’ and cevicheria – serving Nikkei cuisine, fusing Peruvian and Japanese inspirations.

This convenient spot next to Clapham Common tube station serves Californian-style pizzas (with the “brilliant option” of buying by the slice) and own-label lager from a converted public convenience. (If you are not ‘au fait’ with the distinction between Ca and NYC pizza, it’s all about the toppings, apparently).

2019 Review: “A strong new arrival in SW4” – “inventive modern British cooking” is “served by friendly, informal but informative, staff in a space which is larger than it appears from outside” at Jake Boyce’s year-old venture, tipped for its good brunch.

With their very “pretty interiors” and “great brunch” – this “reliable chain” of “cheerful” all-day hang-outs has emerged completely undaunted from the pandemic, expanding beyond its south west London heartlands as far as Islington, Marlow and St Albans. With new openings scheduled for late 2021 in Dulwich and Richmond, the roll-out shows no sign of slowing down. They’re very “dog friendly” too.

Prince Charles was one of the first post-lockdown visitors to Adam Byatt’s “sophisticated and unhurried” Clapham HQ – a further hint that this “exceptional” venture in Clapham (complete with “tables outside on newly paved area”) is “so much more than a neighbourhood local” and “one of the best south of the river”. His “wonderfully inventive” (but not over-fussy) cooking, is served with notable “professionalism and charm”, alongside a “beautifully curated” and “fairly priced wine list”. “Tables outside on a newly paved area are fun” and add another dimension to a meal here. See also Upstairs at Trinity and Charlie’s at Browns.

“A perennial favourite” in Clapham – this small-plates alternative to the more formal Trinity downstairs is “a favourite place to enjoy fantastic quality food in an unstuffy, relaxed environment”, while overall, chef Adam Byatt is “still flying the flag for the best food in South London”. Top Tip: it enjoys “the added benefit of access to the superb Trinity wine list”.

These “delightful, laid-back, buzzy local tapas bars” provide a “well curated selection” of Hispanic small plates at their two venues in Battersea and Clapham. “Helpful staff” and “good value for money” seal the deal – “Acre Lane (Clapham) needs more places like this”.

2018 Review: “A cool Clapham crowd underpin this trendy gastropub”, drawn by its “way-above-average” food, and it manages to be “romantic and ambient” as well. “Awesome” Sunday roasts rate mention as does the “indulgent Bobbin’s burger (it’s the spicy mayo that does it”!).