London Clapham Restaurant Guide

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.

“Reliable local with better-than-pub fare”; an attractive, and well-established gastropub (which looks more like a wine bar – complete with opening frontage in summer – than a trad boozer), which sits at the heart of ‘Abbeville Village’ life.

Adam Byatt’s “classy” Clapham star is “at the top of its game” and there are only a few restaurants south of the river that give it a run for its money: “a trip always feels special, no matter what the occasion”. “Outstanding”, contemporary cuisine (from a three-course, or four-course menu) is at the heart of a “wonderful”, straightforward formula incorporating “service that’s always on point”, plus the “relaxing atmosphere” of a room whose “exterior view is much improved now the public WC has been demolished and the area landscaped!”. “Really good cocktails” and a “diverse and interesting wine list” complete the picture – look out for vintages marked ‘Chef’s Cellar’. See also Trinity Upstairs and Charlie’s at Browns.

The “buzzy, relaxed sibling of the fancier place downstairs”; some fans of chef Adam Byatt’s modern British cuisine may even prefer Upstairs for its “informal atmosphere” and “keen prices”, which means they can visit more often than down below. There are “delightful small plates to share” with “food of the same quality as the main restaurant”, along with “the same wine list”. Byatt is very much a man of the moment, having added the role of chef-director at Brown’s Hotel in Mayfair in September 2019 (see also).

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”!).

“Exquisite Japanese fusion food as well as fabulously creative cocktails” have made this slick Clapham operation “a perennial favourite” for two decades; and it still gives West End names a run for their money. Top Tip – “gin dara – black cod with sweet miso. I know it’s a Nobu original but this is the best version in town”.

“A great local addition that’s worth travelling to”: Robin Gill’s small, neighbourhood two-year-old, near his Clapham HQ, The Dairy, takes its inspiration from the Amalfi coast, and its traditionally presented Italian dishes (cicchetti, antipasti, primi, secondi and dolci) are consistently “wonderful”; and it’s “good fun” too.