Craft Kitchen

Twelve hours a day, seven days a week, brunch, lunch, and dinner all take on a decidedly international flavour at Clapham’s Craft Kitchen. This family-run restaurant along Abbeville Road, close to London’s Clapham South station, have had a recent facelift, making this local hotspot an even better place to enjoy quality food and real ale, plus hand-picked wine straight from the barrel, each glass considerately matched to dishes from Craft Kitchen’s extensive menu.

The day starts leisurely at Craft Kitchen, with their Abbeville Road premises opening at 11am (10am on Sundays) to a crowd of brunchers from Clapham (and further afield in London – close to Clapham Common, this is a popular spot to begin a day in the park) all thirsting for freshly-squeezed juices, glasses of Buck’s Fizz or long and enervating Bloody Marys on those more weary of weekends. Affordable staples like a three-egg omelette, a classic full English, eggs Benedict and royale, or a simple smoked salmon bagel do the trick until lunch rolls around.

Besides a great selection of lunchtime sandwiches, starters and share plates such as Craft Kitchen’s superlative charcuterie board and meze platters, the mains at this Clapham restaurant are mouth-watering affairs. Taking a variety of culinary styles on board – British, Italian, Greek – take your pick from hearty dishes like pan-seared, free-range chicken supreme, wild boar ravioli, the seafood catch of the day, cottage pie and a reliable Greek salad. London burger gourmands will want to make the journey just for this Abbeville Road restaurant’s selection of craft burgers. The handcrafted steak burger tops the list, and is also available in diminutive form for the kids or weight conscious – though burgers and dieting are, we think, a contradiction in terms. Our absolute favourite is Craft Kitchen’s pulled pork burger – one of the best in the city.