Earlsfield is rapidly becoming a London foodie destination. Craft beer, roasting coffee beans on-site, and ruthless turn over on poor performing restaurants have all kicked in.
Only one stop from Clapham Junction Station and a walk or bus ride from Tooting Bec station a visit to some Earlsfield restaurants and cafes is now well worth taking for London foodies.
Earlsfield Restaurants – Getting There:
Take an overland train from Waterloo – Earlsfield Station is one stop past Clapham Junction. Trains are frequent. The closest tube is Tooting Bec but it is a bit of a walk or a bus ride – the mainline station Earlsfield is definitely the best option.
Earlsfield Quick Orientation:
There is only one exit at Earlsfield station and it takes you onto Garratt Lane. This main street is where it all happens in Earlsfield.
Unlike many other neighborhoods, there is very little in terms of food and wine or shops in the backstreets – it is all on Garratt Lane. You face a simple choice when you exit Earlsfield station – left or right.
The majority of restaurants and cafes are to the left but there some good choices (including my number one recommendation!). Left or right is flagged for each restaurant and café.
⇒ Heading to London? Check out my posts on 13 Unusual Experiences in London, the best London Food Tours, my virtual London Travel Blog, some great Earlsfield restaurants, 14 Things to do in Notting Hill, restaurants near Clapham Junction and Victoria Station restaurants, 16 Famous Landmarks in Europe, a mad hatter afternoon tea party and a day trip to Brighton, 67 Fascinating Facts about London, 18 Landmarks of London from a local, 15 Places to see Sunsets in London, 9 Places to watch the Sunrise in London, 10 Bridges in London Not to Miss and Cotswolds tour from London options.
Best Earlsfield Restaurants and Cafes
1. The Jolly Gardener Earlsfield – BEST CHOICE FOR DINNER
Turn right out of the station
The Jolly Gardener Earlsfield has been around for quite a few years under different leaseholders. The current holders have been in charge for the last 3 years and have the place humming.
Whilst there are several Jolly Gardeners around London the only obligation they have besides the name is the source of their beer. All other decisions – particularly menus – lies with the leaseholders.
The menu at the Jolly Gardener Earlsfield is a nice mix of pub classics done very well and more contemporary offerings like Pork Belly. I can highly recommend the fish and chips – excellent chips. And we also tried a few pub starters and the scotch eggs were winners.
The Jolly Gardener Earlsfield has also had a good name for desserts – my very satisfying choice was the salted caramel chocolate pot.
The pub has a classic front area where you can sit and drink and order from the pub or restaurant menu. There is also a restaurant area although it is quite relaxed.
Along the side of the building is an outside seating area. The Jolly Gardener is a real locals pub so most nights when you come here there is a good buzz and it is friendly and chatty.
⇒ Click here to make a booking and opening hours at The Jolly Gardeners Earlsfield
214 Garratt Ln, London SW18 4EA
2. Home Community Café Earlsfield – BEST CHOICE FOR LUNCH
Turn left from Earlsfield Station
This relatively new café has a unique location – it is inside a working church. I think we are all quite used to seeing churches converted to restaurants, flats but normally it is only the outside that remains the same. Home Community Café is literally a café inside a church – creating a lovely and very Instagram friendly interior.
Home Community Cafe Earlsfield is very much a local operation in terms of the operators, staff, and sourcing. It is currently lunch focused only Monday-Friday and serves brunch on Saturdays.
The seasonal menu has some great tarts and salads (in summer), delicious cakes, great coffee and a wonderfully comfortable environment complete with comfy couches. The real highlight of the Home Community Cafe is the soups which are all homemade with locally sourced ingredients.
Home Community Cafe has very strong ethical and community principals. Many of the staff are volunteers, local charities are supported, both the tea and wine are ethically sourced, all possible ingredients are sourced from an organic farm in Kent and the list goes on.
All of this plus a working church creates a unique atmosphere and a fantastic lunch.
⇒ To make a booking at Home Community Café Earlsfield Click Here
Home Community Café is marked as 571 Garratt Lane SW18 4SR on the map below.
3. Bean & Hop Earlsfield – BEST CHOICE FOR COFFEE
Turn left from Earlsfield Station
Love the name! And craft beer and coffee are not normally put together as a tagline but it works for me. Bean & Hop Earlsfield are also focused on local suppliers where possible, offering brunch and cakes every day and pizzas on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday evenings.
The coffee supplier for Bean & Hop Earlsfield is Nude – a fantastic London based roaster. And when it comes to craft beer they do their best to stay on top of the fast-growing London craft beer scene, stocking new and interesting operators.
This is a lovely comfortable café with a great atmosphere. And I can highly recommend their gluten-free brownies.
⇒ Opening hours or make a booking at Bean and Hop Earlsfield
424-426 Garratt Lane London SW18 4HN
4. The Eclectic Collection – BEST CHOICE FOR BRUNCH
Turn Left out of the station
The Eclectic Collection has a slightly unusual but perfectly apt name. This place is gorgeous. It is made up of several beautifully decorated rooms. The devil is in the detail here with everything from stunning wallpaper to statues of servers gone by.
The brunch menu at the Eclectic Collection Earlsfield is a sensation. It is very difficult to make a decision. It is a large menu with a great mix of savoury and sweet.
I chose the Merchant on Venice. Poached eggs on sourdough with mushrooms, black truffle, and spinach. It was fantastic. The coffee at The Eclectic Collection is terrific and very photogenic depending on how you order it.
I chose the rose latte which is actually coffee but made with rose milk and decorated accordingly. There is then a selection of “lattes” from turmeric to matcha for Instagram heaven.
The chef at Eclectic Collection is formerly of Galvins at Windows and you can tell. They are about to bring in Friday and Saturday night dinners and I will definitely be trying them out. The Eclectic Collection also offers delicious lunch options and is very dog-friendly.
⇒ To find out Opening Hours or Make a Booking at the Eclectic Collection Click Here
575 Garratt Lane SW18 4ST
5. Belle Amie Earlsfield
Turn left out of the station
Belle Amie is a super cute instagrammable café very close to the station. It has a great brunch menu and good coffee. This was the original café in the area so it is a testimony to its quality that it has survived the recent explosion in coffee and cake retailers around them.
And speaking of cakes they have some great ones – check out the white chocolate and raspberry brownie.
⇒ For Belle Amie Earlsfield Opening Hours Click here
6. Earlsfield Gastro Pub – BEST SUNDAY ROAST
Turn right out of the station
This charming gastropub was the original ticket office for Earlsfield Station in 1884. As per what seems to be a requirement in Earlsfield they have a range of local craft beers and ciders. The menu at the Earlsfield Gastro Pub is classic but tasty twist gastropub with a big focus on great meat.
Earlsfield Gastro Pub is best known for its much-feted Sunday Roast. These, like many of the dishes on the menu, change daily or of course each Sunday for the roast. They also have Sourdough Mondays – a great name. This is an evening that focuses on great deals on sourdough pizzas.
⇒ Click here for Opening Hours and Bookings for the Earlsfield Gastro Pub
511 Garratt Lane SW18 4S
7. The Leather Bottle Earlsfield – BEST BEER GARDEN
Turn left out of the station
I am pushing the 10-minute walk proposition a little bit with this one – but if you move quite fast you will get there. The Leather Bottle is a great classic local pub.
Nice dining room, relaxed and friendly, super comfortable. There is a good menu and you will always get a decent meal. What makes the Leather Bottle stand out is its fantastic HUGE beer garden.
The garden is so big that they have multiple Shepherd’s Shacks that are available to be hired out. The perfect place for a warm Sunday afternoon in London.
⇒ Click here for Opening Hours and Bookings for The Leather Bottle Earlsfield
538 Garratt Lane SW17 0NY
8. Donburi Earlsfield
Turn left out of the station This is a relatively new arrival in the area. Donburi Earlsfield is fusion Asian cuisine. The starters list includes gyoza, yakitori, and Korean pancakes.
You can also choose from soups or steamed buns. For mains, there are noodle soups, Korean lettuce wraps, Korean Bibimbab, and the namesake Donburi. The early word is very positive.
For the moment Donburi Earlsfield only has a facebook page. Let me know if a site goes live and I’ll update the links here.
Some other Earlsfield Restaurants Options:
The two classic pubs super close to Earlsfield station are the Halfway House and the Wandle. These are both good classic pubs that will always provide a decent meal and a party atmosphere for major football and rugby matches.
IF you’re in the mood for Indian Nazmin’s Earlsfield will fit the bill. Café Amaranth is a decent classic Thai. Il Girasole has a good name for Italian.
Earlsfield’s first restaurant Carluccio’s is now gone but in its place is the fantastic Gail’s. I am a huge fan of Gail’s – particularly their cheese and chive scones.
And there is a sushi place called Maki & Co which I haven’t tried yet so drop me an email if you get there.
Right out of the tube and around the bend is CremoLoso gelateria and pizza which has a good name. Marina fish is a good quick option if you’re craving fish and chips.
Roxies Earlsfield was the first of the Roxies restaurants. There are now another three in south-west London. Very simply they do a great steak. Choose your cut, size, how you want it cooked, add prawns, or don’t a sauce and then some sides.
They also have ribs and burgers but the highlight is the steak. The prices are good for London steak and these are all sourced from high-quality butchers. Perfect for a red meat craving.
If you’re looking for some food to take home there is a fantastic butcher called DuGard & Daughters when you turn right out of the station. This is a beautiful store filled with gourmet treats as well as some stunning meat offerings.
For everything, you need to know as a local resident in Wandsworth click here for the local council site.
Want to keep up to date with what is going on in Earlsfield and Tooting? Follow the Tooting Daily Press.
Thanks to my local Earlsfield experts Craig and Lucy O’Brien for helping to build this post!
Earlsfield Restaurants Map
Who Paid for What with This Post
I got one freebie for this post at the wonderful Eclectic but everything else I covered the cost. My brother and sister in law who live in Earlsfield also provided some great insider information.
If you do click through on some of the links in this post and make a purchase I may well receive a small commission. Just wanted to make sure that you knew.
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Amanda O’Brien is the creator and editor of The Boutique Adventurer. She has visited 80 countries and is a member of the British Guild of Travel Writers as well as the IFTWTA. She is passionate about wine had has just completed Level 3 of the WSET. Born in Australia, she lives in London.