London Clapham Restaurant Guide

“A short menu of high quality” continues to win acclaim for this “great little Italian off Clapham High Street”, where the “delicious sharing plates” are inspired by renowned chef-patron Robin Gill’s time working on the Amalfi coast. He first made his name here in Clapham with The Dairy, which opened 12 years ago and closed down in 2020.

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”.

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).

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”.

This “longstanding Clapham local fave” – run by three “Nobu refugee” chefs – “keeps knocking out very good-to-exceptional sushi and sashimi” after almost 25 years (although some of the cooked dishes are less successful). “Service is local, friendly and charming but can seem overrun”, and the “ambience is Nobu-meets-nightclub”.

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”.

2023 Review: “Fab” California-style pizzas (bigger and fresher toppings, apparently) are all you can eat at this handy converted public convenience next to Clapham Common tube, apart from the breakfast butties served until 2pm. There’s also red & white wine on tap, and own-label beers by the can.

A “buzzy” atmosphere and “welcoming service” are the strong suits of this “expanding group”, with 16 branches in London and another handful nearby. While nobody disputes that they’re “lovely to sit in” and offer “value for money”, the “Middle-Eastern-inspired cooking” divides opinion, with some reporters “pleasantly surprised by the tasty food” and others bemoaning “underwhelming” dishes that “sound better than they taste”.

“The place to be south of the river!” – Adam Byatt’s renowned destination by Clapham Common slugs it out in our annual diners’ poll with Chez Bruce 10 minutes away as the top culinary destination in these parts and comes strongly “recommended to South Londoners who don’t want to go into the centre of town” to find a “memorable” meal. “Adam Byatt frequently stops by for a chat” and under chef Harry Kirkpatrick (who joined in July 2023) there’s little but hymns of praise to the “excellent and technically accomplished cooking”, which is matched by “some exceptional wines”. Front of house staff “balance the formality expected with a Michelin star with easygoing friendly service and there’s a really relaxed feel to the place”, particularly now there are more “casual” options to eat here either at Trinity Upstairs (see also) or on the relatively newly added outdoor terrace.

Set in a “light-filled room” above Trinity restaurant, overlooking Clapham Common, chef-patron Adam Byatt’s “very casual” everyday option provides an affordable taste of his “reliably delicious” cooking, served at high tables. The ‘Sunday Lunch Club’ is the stuff of local legend – “essentially it’s a Sunday roast but the 3-course menu is different every week and the roast main is always beautifully cooked. The portions are massive and they often come round offering seconds, which are hard to decline…”

2023 Review: “Bright modern tapas with some old favourites” are on the menu at this “stylish” pair south of the river, named after the food market in Barcelona. “Consistently good cooking” and “reasonable prices” are the plus points, although they may “lack the extra zing of the very best places”.

“Only just opened and very popular” – Dom Hamdy (of Bistro Freddie fame) looks to have another winner on his hands with this spring 2024 newcomer, which occupies part of the lobby of a Clapham studio complex: “the space is the entrance, at night disguised by brown curtains”. “Friendly staff” succeed in boosting the mood of what critics say “is not the best interior”; and they “serve small and large plates from a changing menu, which can sell out fast”. (In his April 2024 review, The Evening Standard’s Jimi Famurewa was reluctantly bowled over: “Hamdy and his team have done the unthinkable: brought cool, swagger and weapons-grade restaurant sexiness to an area that even locals are prone to decry as a culinary tundra”).

“We love the pistachio decor and the spacious seating”, say fans of this expanding chain, which had operated as a treasured old deli in Soho for over 75 years before starting to branch out as a pasta-chain in 2018. Impressions of it are something of a mixed bag though. To fans, its stylised outlets are “very convenient” and “can be trusted for a good-value and enjoyable experience with excellent food” (mostly pasta) in “sensible portions”. On the downside, though, are a fair number of diners to whom it’s a good concept whose execution is “perfectly fine but unexciting” (“starters good, pasta average-to-good, but compared with folk who had raved to me about other branches, I was left with a sense of ‘meh?’”). Still, their backers are enthusiastic and this year they added new locations in Greek Street and South Kensington.

This “large” and comfortably appointed pub in Clapham Old Town has made a “great addition to the local scene” since it reopened in 2023 under the team behind Ganymede in Belgravia and The Hunter’s Moon in South Kensington. Culinarily, the aim is a ‘Contemporary Twist on Traditional British Pub Cuisine’, with brunch a feature.

With its “top-notch, meat-focused food, warm and friendly service” and “great rustic dining room”, this “magnificent old boozer in Clapham Old Town” is “lovely to have as a local but also worth a trip to visit”; even if there is the odd concern that “it doesn’t know whether it wants to be a restaurant or a pub”. It’s from the team behind Islington’s Smokehouse and the Princess of Shoreditch, who took over three years ago.

“Flavours with tingly freshness and a big punch” mean that this “tightly packed” (and “noisy”) Clapham four-year-old is “the best Thai” for its fans – “it’s definitely reservations only”. “Service is friendly and efficient and the ambience is good but it’s not for lingering these days as they turn the tables”. (“I hate Harden’s because it’s now so popular that it’s goodbye to the days of walking up to this local with any confidence”).