The SL Guide To Eating & Drinking In Clapham
BEST FOR A QUICK LUNCH:
North Street Deli
If you’re after something quick and fresh, head to North Street Deli – where you’ll often find a queue of SL staffers come lunchtime. It serves an authentic, Italian-inspired selection of sandwiches, salads and spreads using seasonal ingredients, and the menu changes daily to keep things interesting. We love the hearty grain salads of roasted peppers, borlotti beans, sweetcorn, paprika and herb dressing, as well as the toasted mozzarella and tomato ciabatta, and the pasta of the day – all of which will give you change from a fiver.
Visit NorthStDeli.com
BEST FOR A SPECIAL OCCASION:
Trinity
Launched by Great British Menu chef Adam Byatt in 2006, Trinity serves seasonal dishes with hyper-local ingredients and is a real favourite among locals. On the menu, expect the likes of soused mackerel with white gazpacho, pickled rhubarb and tarragon; egg yolk ravioli with Westcombe ricotta, leeks and lovage; baked dover sole with white asparagus and gnocchi cacio e pepe; and Clapham honey souffle with beeswax ice-cream. Upstairs, the restaurant space above Trinity, offers guests a more casual dining experience and is just the place for a party.
Visit TrinityRestaurant.co.uk
BEST FOR A RELAXED EVENING:
The Rose & Crown
The Rose & Crown opened in Clapham Old Town in 1870. Following a major refurb in 2021, publican Josie Savry and her team kept the heart of the business as a traditional pub, maintaining its historic name, sun-catching front terrace, real ales and craft beers. The ground-floor pub is a warm, cosy spot with a walnut-panelled interior, plush booth seating and marbled fireplace. The elegant first-floor dining room, which can host private parties, offers a modern British menu, elevated bar snacks and small plates – think Cornish plaice with pomme purée, dulse cucumber and buttermilk beurre blanc.
Visit RoseAndCrownClapham.com
BEST FOR SUNDAY ROASTS:
Minnow
On The Pavement opposite Clapham Common, this flower-filled spot is a real draw for coffee, brunch and sunny lunches. Every Sunday between 4pm and 10pm, Minnow hosts its 'Sunday Evening Roast Club’, offering an organic roast with all the trimmings, a proper pudding and BYOB for £26pp. Expect topside of beef, chicken, pork belly and aubergine parmigiana, followed by apple and blackberry crumble or chocolate brownie, both served with homemade ice-cream.
Visit MinnowClapham.co.uk
BEST FOR PASTA FANS:
Sorella
This neighbourhood favourite is the brainchild of Robin and Sarah Gill and Daniel Joines – it’s the sister restaurant to much-missed Clapham institution The Dairy and popular spots Darby's, Bermondsey Larder, Bottle + Rye and Rye by the Water. Awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand three years running, Sorella offers a menu guided by seasonal produce and Robin's years spent working on the Amalfi coast. Fresh pasta and focaccia are made in-house each day, and the bar focuses on aperitivo and twists on classics with seasonal bellinis, americanos and Vault Vermouth negronis on tap.
Visit SorellaRestaurant.co.uk
BEST FOR PIZZA:
Berberè
Matteo and Salvatore Aloe, the brothers behind Italy’s much-loved Berberè Pizzeria, have sites in Rome, Florence, Milan, Kentish Town – and Clapham. The focal point of the restaurant is the open kitchen, giving diners the chance to watch pizzas being whisked straight from the oven. Alongside classic margherita, marinara and Napoli pizzas, diners can choose from the ‘Spicy Diavola’ with spicy salami and ’nduja, and ‘Aubergine’ with baked aubergine, homemade basil and walnut pesto and smoked ricotta. To finish, desserts include classic tiramisu and sweet dough balls deep fried and filled with vanilla gelato and peanut butter. The drinks list offers negroni and spritzes, plus natural wines and digestivi.
Visit BerberePizza.it
BEST FOR GREAT THAI FOOD:
Kaosarn
Award-winning Thai restaurant Kaosarn first opened in Brixton Market in 2011 – and its legion of loyal fans, including critic Jay Rayner, have kept it going ever since. Away from its popular Brixton site and newest spot in Tooting, the family run restaurant has a neighbourhood outpost by Clapham Common. Guests are invited to bring their own beer or wine, making an experience here good value for money. Great for groups, we like to order the grilled half chicken with sticky rice, and a side of spicy papaya salad.
Visit KaosarnLondon.co.uk
BEST FOR A FAMILY GET-TOGETHER:
Bistro Union
This popular neighbourhood restaurant is a more relaxed venture from Adam Byatt, the man behind Trinity. Given that Bistro Union is more casual, it makes sense that it offers an outstanding children’s menu. For £8, kids will be given cucumber sticks and sour cream to snack on, followed by a choice of steak and chips, macaroni cheese, breaded Cornish cod and chips or pigs-in-blankets and chips, followed by ice cream. Between 5:30pm and 6:30pm, kids’ meals come free with an adult main course.
Visit BistroUnion.co.uk
BEST FOR A GLASS OF WINE:
Drop On The Common
Drop is a network of bottle shops and wine bars across London and its newest location can be found on the edge of Clapham Common. The idea is to offer people the opportunity to enjoy and discover truly great wine without breaking the bank. You’ll find a mix of off-the beaten-track varieties that provide great value and interest, as well as icons of the wine world. Look out for the venue’s Vintage Thursdays, when they open a few bottles of something very special. Available by the glass for a generous price, the wine is served alongside cheese and charcuterie selections.
Visit DropWine.co.uk
BEST FOR A RELAXED LUNCH:
Juliet’s Café & Bar
Juliet’s Café and Bar is open during the day at Studio Voltaire from Wednesday to Sunday. Run by the founders of local favourite Juliet’s in Tooting, it serves simple, thoughtful food led by the seasons, alongside speciality coffee and wines. Indoor and outdoor dining surrounds the courtyard garden designed by Anthea Hamilton, which really comes into its own at this time of year. Dishes could include lamb braised with mogette de Vendée beans and black garlic miso bagna cauda; grilled banana and cascara bread with salted espresso butter; and English broad bean and halloumi fritters with pickled green tomato and coconut sambal. Juliet’s serves single-origin speciality coffee from the best roasters in Europe including The Barn in Berlin and Koppi in Sweden alongside minimal-intervention wines, beers and ciders – plus home-brewed kombucha with elderflower from Streatham Common, dandelion root negronis and gin slushies.
Visit StudioVoltaire.org
BEST FOR A POST-WORK DRINK:
WC Wine & Charcuterie
Like its Bloomsbury sister site, atmospheric WC Wine & Charcuterie serves just that in a 100-year-old former loo located underneath Clapham Common tube station. This WC lay derelict for more than 30 years, before it was diligently restored. The team retained and preserved as much as possible, including its lovely mosaic floors and tiled walls; the booths are the original wooden stalls; and Royal Doulton porcelains still stand in the gents. The attendant’s office was converted into the framework of the bar, which serves excellent bottles and wines by the glass.
Visit WCBars.co.uk
BEST FOR GASTRO-PUB DINING:
The Pig’s Head
This farm-to-fork gastropub opened in Clapham Old Town a couple of years ago, and has become a firm favourite with locals . The Pig’s Head has a bar for those after a beer or casual dishes from the daily changing menu (think sweet potato chip butty with smoked turnip dip and bacon jam). There’s a bright dining room with an open-plan farmhouse-style kitchen for long lunches and dinners. All meat is butchered on site but around half the menu is dedicated to plant-based dishes using native produce from family run farms. We like to drop in for the fried Cooley Gold oysters with smoked seaweed mayo; smoked bone marrow and turnip dip with sour crackers; and 42-day aged sirloin with Marmite onions and dripping and chicken salt chips.
Visit ThePigsHead.com
BEST FOR A PROPER PUB:
The Saxon, Clapham
The Saxon opened its doors in 2021 when a major refurb saw the pub take over four floors with multiple private rooms for drinking and dining. A kitchen serves small plates such as burrata with tomato, lemon oil, coriander seeds and toast; courgette cakes with lime and turmeric dip; and chicken wings with hot sauce and blue cheese dip. There’s also a brunch menu to complement its cocktail menu – which features the likes of ‘The Clapham Fizz’ (marmalade vodka, raspberry and prosecco) and ‘The Saxorinha’ (tequila, Aperol, pink grapefruit, egg white, lemon, cassis and bitters) – as well as regular DJ nights and Sunday roasts.
Visit TheSaxon.co.uk
BEST FOR AL FRESCO DINING:
Common
Right next to Clapham Common, this neighbourhood café prides itself on quality and its commitment to sustainability – and its pavement tables are one of the most coveted spots in this part of town once the sun’s out. In the beautiful surroundings of the Grade II-listed former chemist, and open seven days a week, Common serves award-winning locally roasted coffee from Assembly and organic cakes and pastries. It is now open until 7pm, serving an evening menu of organic sharing boards and a drinks menu with carefully chosen organic and vegan wines, as well as locally brewed craft beers and London distilled spirits.
Visit CommonClapham.com
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