Places to eat in Clapham

As you’d expect, Clapham High Street is a hive of eating out activity, with dozens of cafés and restaurants covering all manner of cuisines.

Overlooking Clapham Common just off the High Street is The Dairy, a busy, modern bistro known for its tapas-style menu covering modern English classics with European twists.

Next door is Counter Culture that goes all-in on its Spanish-tapas theme. Plus, with a bring your own booze policy, it’s excellent value for money.

Completing the sharing plate hat trick is Carmen Tapas a short stroll away, a colourful almost rustic restaurant with strong Spanish roots including excellent paella and Rioja.

Heading up Clapham High Street from there you’ll come across Bodean’s BBQ (think American-style diner with separate burger, BBQ and wings menus), Eco Restaurant (the place for authentic Italian sourdough pizza in the area for the past 20 years), Haché (a brilliantly modern burger joint that also runs a lively weekend brunch) and MOMMI, a cool Peruvian/Japanese crossover restaurant that doubles up as a late-night DJ lounge.

Real foodies (and those who don’t mind splashing out) will appreciate the kitchen magic that’s gone into the dishes at Metro and Trinity. Metro’s fairy-light garden is the perfect summer hang-out as you tuck into their seasonal menu, while the Michelin-star Trinity is the place to come for four-course blow-outs and fine dining.

As with our restaurant round-up, many of the best cafés in Clapham can be found near the junction of Clapham High Street and Clapham Common.

Those with a sweet tooth should look no further than Tart which overlooks Clapham Common. As the name suggests, it’s the go-to place for sweet treats, while the dog-friendly café also serves a mean brunch and coffee.

A little further down the street is Brickwood, a chilled coffee shop perfect for picnic supplies or for sitting in their small garden and enjoying their weekend brunch.

Providing stiff competition on the coffee front is The Black Lab next door. The independent coffee house has one of the widest ranges of speciality coffees in Clapham, plus an array of sandwiches, salads and pastries. 

One of the closest recommended coffee shops to our Clapham hotel is Sendero Specialty Coffee. Less than a minute’s walk away, the cafe uses remote-grown Arabica coffee beans which are then hand-roasted to create their range of coffees and brews. A busy day time haunt, the coffee bar also turns into a cool wine bar from 5pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening with regular acoustic live music and a vibrant, cool crowd.