The best pizza in Clapham
Bologna-style sourdough on Venn Street, New York slices in the old toilets by the tube, Neapolitan on the Pavement and Detroit deep-pan on the edge of the Common. Clapham's pizza, sorted by style.
By Clapham London Editorial
The best pizza in Clapham is at Berberè on Venn Street, where the sourdough is proved for 24 hours, and the best slice is at Joe Public, two minutes away by the tube. Clapham now has every style of pizza in a ten-minute walk: Bologna sourdough, New York slices, Neapolitan and Detroit deep-pan. Here is where to go for each, and when.
Berberè, 67 Venn Street
Berberè started in Castel Maggiore, outside Bologna, and has more than twenty pizzerias in Italy. The Clapham branch on Venn Street is one of only a few in London, alongside Kentish Town and a newer one near Tottenham Court Road, and Harden's readers rate the food highly. The dough uses organic stone-milled flour and is proved for 24 hours, so the crust is light, blistered and tangy. Order the margherita to judge it, the diavola if you like heat, or the aubergine with walnut pesto and smoked ricotta if you want something different. The toppings change with the seasons. On Mondays and Tuesdays at lunch, a pizza and a drink is £12. It is popular in the evening, so book for a group.
Joe Public, 4 The Pavement
Clapham's most famous pizza counter is in a converted public toilet next to Clapham Common tube. The pizzas are US-style, cut by the slice from 20-inch pies with Italian-American toppings, and the prices are low. There are a few stools and not much else, which is the point: grab a slice and a house lager, then take it across the road onto the Common. It is the late-night slice and the post-pub slice, and on a sunny evening there is no better picnic for the price.
Rudy's Pizza Napoletana, 15 The Pavement
A few doors up the Pavement, in the space where The Dairy used to be, Rudy's does Neapolitan pizza, the classic style from Naples. The marinara, with San Marzano tomato, garlic, oregano and basil, is the purist's order. For more, the Carni brings finocchiona, spicy spianata and wild boar salame. It opens at 11.45am every day, which makes it a reliable lunch, and you can book online. Have a Morello Cherry Spritz while you wait for the oven. Groups of thirteen or more can ask about the party package, which makes it a sensible choice for birthdays.
Common Pizza, Rookery Road
On the edge of the Common itself, by the skate park and basketball courts, Common Pizza does two styles. Thin-crust New York pies, or deep-pan Detroit pizzas with that caramelised cheese crust round the edge. Order the Detroit, a hot honey burrata and a dip of nduja mayo for the crusts. There is live music from Thursday to Sunday and a terrace for warm evenings. It opens at 4pm in the week and at noon at weekends. It is mostly walk-in, so if you are a big group, book.
Venn Street Records, 78 Venn Street
Venn Street Records is a bar that knows people get hungry. Pizza slices come with the cocktails, and the #CheapDate deal gets two drinks and two pizzas for £15. Cocktails are two-for-one from 5pm to 8pm every day, and there is a heated garden. Eat here, then stay for the music.
Northcote Records, 8-10 Northcote Road
Its sibling at the top of Northcote Road, by the Junction, does pizzas from £6 and two-for-one cocktails until 7pm, Monday to Thursday. There is live music most nights. Come for pizza before eight, stay for the band.
How to do pizza on the Common
On a warm evening the Common is the best dining room in Clapham. Pick up slices from Joe Public, or a takeaway from Common Pizza on Rookery Road, walk a few minutes in, and find some grass away from the paths. Take your boxes home or to a bin when you leave, because the Common's volunteers do enough litter picking already.
Which pizza, when
- A proper sit-down pizza dinner: Berberè on Venn Street. Book at the weekend.
- A slice on the way home: Joe Public on the Pavement.
- Lunch on a weekday: Berberè's £12 deal on Mondays and Tuesdays, or Rudy's from 11.45am.
- A summer evening outside: Common Pizza on Rookery Road, with the Common all around you.
- Pizza and a night out: Venn Street Records or Northcote Records, with the cocktail deals before 7pm or 8pm.
All of these are within a short walk of a station: Clapham Common tube for the Pavement, Venn Street and Rookery Road, and Clapham Junction for Northcote Road. Pick your style, pick your street, and go hungry.
