Let’s put an end to the argument over the Battersea/Clapham border once and for all in favour of getting together for delicious meals and putting aside pointless arguments over boundaries. Instead, in the time it takes to wait for a train, we are here to dismantle boundaries, obstacles, and bread.
Even though Clapham Junction is the busiest train station in Europe, its dining scene is perhaps a little less intense; that being said, there are still a tonne of fantastic restaurants close to the station. Here are the top eateries in Battersea as well as our recommendations for places to eat close to Clapham Junction, without further ado.
Saint John’s Hill, Kaosarn
Perfect for BYOB beverages and comfort food Thai…
Although this seems like a weird way to start an essay about the top restaurants in Battersea, please with us. There are plenty of shops and cash ATMs around Clapham Junction station and the surrounding area.
You’ll need both at Kaosarn, a cash-only, no-frills Thai restaurant where the food is prepared with the utmost simplicity and flair. Bring your own alcohol. The menu has a selection of famous dishes from around the nation that are sure to delight even the most jaded rail traveler. The flavours are strong and prominent here.
The restaurant’s som tam, prepared in the Bangkok way, was recently recognised as one of Time Out London’s top 100 dishes, and it does the job admirably. Get it with a basket of sticky rice (khao niao) and some grilled chicken (gai yang) for a vibrant, upbeat Thai dinner that will set you back less than £20.
Pellone’s Pizza, Lavender Hill
Perfect for some of the greatest Neapolitan pizza found in South London
Lavender Hill’s Pizzeria Pellone is like a two-sided game. The menu’s first section is presented in the classic, austere Franco Baresi manner, which is flawless in its execution. The latter is imaginative, exuberant, and perhaps Roberto Baggio-inspired.
Let’s move on from the football analogies; this is some seriously delicious pizza made with real Neapolitan recipes made using Caputo flour, Divella tomato sauce, and Campania-sourced Buffalo mozzarella. It should come as no surprise considering the family owns five Pizzeria Pellones in Naples and always receives praise for its Motherland restaurants.
Nevertheless, the real action is found in the Pizze Le Pizze Gourmet area of the menu; the housemade salami and black pepper-heavy Calzone Fritto, which is a cult classic, are also excellent white pizza options.
Given that Pizza Pellone is presently offered by Uber Eats and Deliveroo, it’s possible that this Neapolitan pizza is the greatest for takeaway in South London.
This is the place to go if your train is delayed and you need a quick and delicious meal in the interim. The restaurant is only a fifteen-minute walk from Clapham Junction station, and the pizzas cook in Pellone’s blazing hot wood-fired oven in only one minute. Alternatively, they can deliver to the back of the net station!
St John’s Hill, Vietnam
Perfect for a perfect banh mi—among the best we’ve ever had outside of Vietnam—
Searching for a nearby Clapham Junction lunch that is even quicker, just as tasty, and ready to eat in a matter of minutes? Would you like to accompany that with one of the world’s silkiest and most opulent liquid pick-me-ups? Should your response be in the affirmative, you should go see Viet Caphe.
These folks have only been in business for less than a month and are still in the soft launch phase, but they are already producing some of the greatest banh mi in the area in addition to a limited menu of other simple Vietnamese lunchtime favourites like summer rolls and bun cha.
Alright, let’s get back to the banh mi. There are currently nine (and counting) different varieties available, the majority of which use pig. We loved the crispy pork version with all the rich mouthfeel and sharp cut that came with it. It was liberally stuffed with fatty pig belly and crackling, coriander, and pickles. Among the best banh mi we’ve ever tasted outside of Vietnam, this one is magnificent and excellent. We are eager to return and explore their menu in greater detail.
Although the restaurant is currently operating without a licence, they do serve excellent, take-away Vietnamese iced coffee that is robust, sweet and delicious. Your fellow passengers will be ogling that train picnic with jealous eyes.
Simply take the St. John Hill’s exit off of Clapham Junction and spend five minutes climbing that hill. You’ll know you’re in business when you see the pastel pink building and block, as well as the italicised capitals for VIET CAPHE.
Northcote Road, Franco Manca
Perfect for one of the most reasonably priced pizzas in the city…
Alternatively, if you head south from Clapham Junction station instead of climbing the hill to the northeast, Franco Manca on Northcote Road has a fairly good and very quick pizza.
The ubiquitous Franca Manca pizzeria seems to be present on every corner of London these days, so it doesn’t really need an introduction. No, we’re not whining—it’s still among the most reasonably priced pizzas in the city.
With the addicting flavour that only a great ferment can provide, their sourdough base is the key to their success. There is little risk of becoming trapped in the paradox of choice when examining the straightforward, streamlined menu because the options are constrained but inclusive, which adds to the establishment’s allure. This kind of place is made or broken by the pizza itself, and luckily for London as a whole, Franca Manca seems to stay around forever.
Bologna Osteria Antica, Northcote Road
Perfect for cosy, home-style Italian cuisine…
Northcote Road’s best “neighbourhood” restaurant is Osteria Antica Bologna, a warm and inviting Italian that has been in the same location for more than 20 years and does all of the simple, rustic things exactly right. The street is primarily defined by mid-range chain eateries.
That means freshly made pasta, ragus that taste as though they’ve been simmering since the restaurant opened, risotto that’s actually prepared to order (give it a good 20 minutes), and, for those who are especially peckish, Bistecca alla Fiorentina, the region’s signature chargrilled T-bone steak.
The locals love Osteria Antica Bologna because it offers reasonably priced wine by the glass and a lively atmosphere every night of the week (Mondays are closed).
Ploussard, Road St. John’s
The perfect neighbourhood eatery and organic wine bar
This area of town has been longing for a place like this—a natural wine bar that serves surprisingly tasty, straightforward dishes made with seasonal British fruit. It’s poised to compete with the endless number of establishments popping up in the East that seem to have nailed the formula.
Let me introduce you to Ploussard, which checks all the boxes above and then some. It’s a comfortable yet austere environment with a soft, undulating thrum of chatting and clinking classes that perfectly complements sharing plates and important conversations.
A lamb and anchovy crumpet is one of those dishes that sounds as good as it looks, yet sharing one is impossible. Big, bright green, al dente asparagus stalks were much better—at their finest, actually—served with a generous portion of sharp, spicy sauce gribiche. The idea of sharing plates was given new life when a spear and a little of that sauce were placed over the umami-packed crumpet. In fact, the two dishes worked quite well together. For less than £20, both are yours.
Named after a highly sought-after French red grape variety typically grown in the eastern region of Jura, Ploussard bills itself as a neighbourhood bistro in the vein of Paris’ bistronomy movement, but it’s not a place to stop in for a quick glass of wine on your way home from work; every night of the week, it’s already packed, barring Mondays, when the doors stay bolted.
Nevertheless, it’s far simpler to just stop by for lunch during the workday and unwind at this brand-new Battersea gem. We picture us unwinding there a lot this year, especially with a few wines available by the glass for only £6.50.
At Battersea Rise, Sinabro
Perfect for contemporary French cuisine with a dash of the world…
If it were located in Hackney or further west on Westbourne Grove, it would be impossible to get into this inventive counter-dining restaurant on Battersea Rise.
Currently, you can typically anticipate being able to secure a table (or rather, bar stool) at French chef Yoann Chevet’s outstanding restaurant with rather short notice because this area of Clapham offers a distinct kind of dining environment.
If you do this, you’ll be rewarded with a five-course, no-choice menu that is reasonably priced at £40. The food is categorised as “modern European,” although it has some Asian influences. For example, the open ravioli of braised beef with kimchi and tofu is one of the dishes.
You won’t be tested with poorly prepared fusion cuisine here; the food is flavourful, light, and expertly plated. An absolute must-see when in Battersea!
Mien Tay, Hill Lavender
Perfect for Pho from a London institution…
The most authentic Vietnamese food we’ve found in London is at Mien Tay, a Southern-style Vietnamese restaurant that’s conveniently close to Clapham Junction without having to travel all the way to Kingsland Road in the east.
We adore their take on banh xeo, a deliciously texturally and flavorfully balanced Vietnamese pancake/spring roll hybrid. In true Vietnamese style, the décor is very simple and lets the cuisine speak for itself. And bring your own beverage. Now, all together: “Tram Phan Tram!”
Clapham Common’s Trinity
Perfect for great dining with a Michelin star…
Recently granted a Michelin star, this Clapham mainstay, managed by the lively and unapologetically classical chef Adam Byatt, is the greatest fine dining option in the neighbourhood and has come alive.
This is not to suggest that Trinity wasn’t fantastic before the little red book finally acknowledged its remarkable celebration of British food with style and respect; nonetheless, it is still nice to have Trinity recognised by Michelin as one of the greatest restaurants in London. The eatery has a special fondness for games, therefore it’s imperative to go during the grouse season.
If fine dining isn’t your thing, chef Byatt just established Trinity Upstairs, a more laid-back, small plates restaurant upstairs. The food here is just as precise and attentive as it is at its bigger brother’s restaurant on the ground floor, but it’s more reasonably priced.
Thai Cafe Rosa’s on Northcote Road
Perfect for regional specialities and traditional Thai curries…
The second Thai restaurant on our list is there for good reason—is there any other food that can revitalise a traveler weary of the hustle and bustle of the capital while they wait for their connecting train to Epsom? Certainly not in our opinion.
Rosa’s Thai is a popular restaurant with locations throughout London that serves reasonably priced, appropriately spicy Thai food with influences from all over the Kingdom. Northcote Road is now home to the Clapham branch, and in a street dominated by burgers and pizza, the energising touch of smoke and chilli is much appreciated.
Rosa has authentic woks and burners out back, and you can sense the crucial ingredient called “hei” on the plate, so go for the stir-fry dishes. This is a wonderfully delightful one-plate wonder stir fry of chilli and basil, similar to the popular pad gra pao in Bangkok, but with Thai basil instead of the sacred kind. In any case, it functions.
Additionally, the restaurant emphasises local dishes. We really enjoy returning for the chicken larb, papaya salad, and sticky rice dishes, all of which are native to the northeastern Thai province of Isaan.
The restaurant firm claims to have served over 1.6 million Pad Thais on its website. To be honest, we’re a little embarrassed to acknowledge how many of those numbers applied to us.
At Battersea Rise, Bababoom
Perfect for falafel, halloumi kebabs, and chicken shish…
Please ignore the name, which makes you think of Thierry Henry sexily and suavely selling a Renault Clio, and focus instead on the delicious kebabs being made at Bababoom, the best Middle Eastern-inspired restaurant in Battersea Rise, at a very reasonable price.
Bababoom is best enjoyed at lunchtime when one of London’s best offers can be found: a truly large, packed chicken shish, falafel or halloumi kebab, fries, and a drink (the frozen lemonade is ace) for just £10. The charcoal grill is lit up at noon every day. Yes, ten pounds. And that drink can even be beer, which in certain parts of the city is probably going to cost you about a tenner on its own. This one ends at 5 p.m. on weekdays. Participate!
Battersea Rise Soif
Perfect with natural wine and French cuisine…
For many years, Soif was the go-to spot in Battersea for elegant, laid-back dining and drinking. One of the first and perhaps most prominent natural wine bars in London, Soif was inspired by the Parisian “bistronomy” movement. It has outlasted its sister restaurant Terroirs, which established the biodynamic movement in the city.
Thankfully, Soif’s natty juice is still flowing and pairs well with the rustic, French rural cuisine that draws diners from South London every day. The terrine of pork and pistachios, accompanied by toasted sourdough, is very stunning, and the veal chop, which is pink and has a spicy charcuterie sauce, is a sophisticated take on current London cuisine.
Ever on the lookout for an affordable London set menu offer, we had to mention Soif’s “Wine & Chicken Mondays” before leaving. For just £20, you can get ½ of a rotisserie chicken that is juicy, golden, and perfectly salted, along with chips, bitter leaves, and proper aioli (not just garlic mayonnaise). The only problem is that it seems hard to distribute this one!
With a glass of Rheinhessen Pinot Gris, a floral and funky wine from Germany, you can create a light and elegant dinner that will make yesterday’s roast envy.
