Reviews of Esca

Another great place for brunch in Clapham! Very big and spacious, with plastic separating the tables so you are safe and feel like you're in your own little world. There's an open kitchen, which is a nice touch. I had the Veggie Londoner (pictured) with extra mushrooms, because mushrooms belong on everything, especially brunch. It was all so delicious, though potentially a bit too much avocado. Big portions, I had to leave some falafel and a bit of the flatbread. Unfortunately the coffee wasn't amazing, but the food made up for it.

I’m a fan of this place because the food is great and interesting plus it’s very spacious. The space and design gives it a nice vibe so it’s good for catch up with friends, going with kids and buggies or alone browsing on laptop. It has also baby friendly toilets. We went for brunch options which we both really liked but their salad look a very tempting option for lunch as well. Service was friendly, genuinely welcoming and fast.

Captivating café and restaurant located by Clapham Common station. Really good and fresh products, great value for money. Portions are generous as well. They have a wide range of breakfast options, as well as homemade pastries, sandwiches and salads. Iced coffees and smothies are also fresh made and delicious. Fantastic and intimate atmosphere and excellent service from all the team. Definitely will come back whenever I can.

Had a lovely lunch and staff were really nice and accommodated us with our buggy without a problem. The deli food looked really nice, I had the beef lasagna and it was really nice. Couldn't leave without trying something sweet - used to love coming here back when it was a coffee shop - so I went for the 3 chocolate brownie... Absolutely amazing!! Will defo come back!

Currently the best restaurant in Clapham! Me and my partner turned up last night and choose 5 small plates. They were all delicious!! The staff were lovely and very warming. Sophie was our waitress and she was a delight. Every waiter/waitress should take note, she was well mannered, smiley and hard working. Thank you for a lovely evening. One note to the restaurant managers we were a little chilly, but a very minor note, we soon warmed up when the food arrived 😊

Fluffy pancakes doused with maple syrup, scrumptious eggs on toasts, a delicious floral Earl Grey to go with them all – this is what breakfast dreams are made of. The reality is that most breakfast menus will contain the classical dishes and little more, like muffins or eggs Benedict (not that this is necessarily a bad thing). So whenever a restaurant offers something like “Truffle-infused hollandaise and asparagus” for my Benedicts, it’s an instant choice for what I will order.

Snapshot: Something for everyone: Carnivore, pescetarian, vegetarian. Independent eaterie with a quirky, creative menu, starring well-sourced food made with passion in a smart casual eaterie. <br/><br/>Whilst 4 may seem a high rating for a restaurant with what seems at first glance to be a fairly simple menu, let it be said that when you scratch the surface, Esca transpires to be something of a haven for Bon viveurs, gastronomes, and other such epicureans. The team behind Esca are the same knowledgeable and passionate restaurateurs behind neighbouring pizzeria Eco, and both are noteworthy for their attention to detail, their individuality and the evident thought and creativity that has evidently gone into decor and menu design. <br/><br/>I was invited along to the relaunch party of Esca in August which was a full on who's who of Clapham glitterati, featuring a barrage of cocktails and vats of wine flowing, although it was when I went back with my blogger hat on to chow down through the new restaurant menu that the concept really began to make sense, and to stimulate the taste buds as well as the imagination.<br/><br/>To anybody not familiar with this neck of the woods, it should be said that Clapham is a gem for those who like their eateries to be chain-free. Clapham Old Town, the high street, and other pockets of the wider area, boast an abundance of independent restaurants, many of which are worth a visit, and as anyone who has lived and worked here will testify (myself included), there exists a thriving community, centred largely around the shared joys of dining and conversation.<br/><br/>So what on earth is Esca when it's at home, or in a restaurant for that matter? Esca is a Celtic word for water, and Latin for tinder which of course has a certain irony, as there may well be a few first daters in amongst the clientele. The decor and menu both contain references to Celtic influence, denoting the passage of water along the river Thames and you can if you wish, follow the sketched and painted murals along the walls running throughout the restaurant and up the stairs. <br/><br/>I started with a Smoked Blood and Sand cocktail, containing smokey Arbeg whiskey, Antica Formula, Cherry Heering and oj, with a Celtic salt rim. It was a taste explosion and although I was sceptical about the salt rim, it was in fact a marvel, complimenting the sweet smokey syrupy concoction in the glass, to deliver a beach rockpool hit. I then opted for sourdough toast with a selection of dips which were all delicious, especially the stilton and walnut. Classic ingredients assembled with due care and attention will never fail, and the fact the sourdough was baked in a wood oven made it all the better. Apparently each batch of sourdough is left to rise and ferment for a minimum of 21 hours, otherwise it's not a true sourdough. I'm gluten intolerant but was informed that sourdough can be consumed by those with gluten intolerance and in fact I didn't have a strong reaction, so there may be some truth in this, although I would say proceed with caution. <br/><br/>A skewer of haggis was served with pearl barley salad and had middle eastern flavours reminiscent of tabbouleh. The meat had a firm texture and smokey flavour imparted by the coals, with an edge of offal influence. It was a nice enough dish and one I would encourage people to try if just for the novelty factor of eating what is essentially a Mediterranean haggis kebab, but it was the next dish that stole the show for me. Chilli chorizo and octopus tentacle was amazing. Tenderized and charred tentacle fused together perfectly with bean and garlic puree, chorizo, leaves and celery tops. It had everything: taste, texture, heat and excellent presentation. Smokeyness is a definite theme here (they even serve smoked beans as a side), as the ribs must have come from a 40 a day smoking sow. The meat was tender and fell off the bone, however the sauce was too sweet for my palate. I love eel almost as much as I love octopus, so the grilled eel was an obvious choice and it certainly didn't disappoint. Served with crispy fried kale, it was too good to leave any, so I finished the whole portion even though I was close to bursting point by this time. <br/><br/>With an open plan theatre kitchen and bar that make you feel somehow connected to the passion and dedication the team display, you can be sure to have a full on experience rather than just "a meal" if you allow yourself to be absorbed into the Esca way of dining. Or you could just pop in an have a burger...

Every time I hit Clapham High Street, I make sure I at least walk past this cafe so I can check out the assortment of cakes in the window.<br/><br/>They also do a range of sandwiches and cakes to takeaway and also have delicious fresh meals that you can eat in or takeaway. Definitely one of the healthier choices on the high street.<br/><br/><br/>

I tried calling uber early in the morning to book a table here knowing full well it would be jam packed - especially since a mention in timeout two weeks before (darn it why didn't I go before it became public knowledge). Who was I kidding? Making reservations in London is more futile than climbing the whole flight of stairs at the Covent Garden tube station.<br/><br/>Anyway, after sneakily hovering around a table with a family on (exploiting the fact that kids can't sit around for too long), I managed to secure a spot within minutes, albeit right by the desert display. <br/><br/>We all decided to opt for the three salad combo for just under £8 - not bad, but Willow in Hackney does the same for a third of the price, just saying.<br/><br/>We went for a range of avocado and broccoli superfood, Mediterranean veg, haloumi, chicken Caesar, chicken and mango, aubergine with bolognaise rice (sounds like something you'd concoct after coming in from a night out, I agree) and aubergine and ricotta which absolutely came out trumps. <br/><br/>We then split an insanely rich brownie and jumbo praline cookie - well we can only assume that was the flavour, because the waitress informatively told us that it was cookie flavoured.<br/><br/>My highlight however was the general vibe of the cafe. The service was top notch at the counter and despite it being mega busy we never felt hurried to leave - we actually sat in the same position from 2 - 5.30, which you have admit is a pretty impressive achievement in London - perhaps on par with those damn Covent Garden stairs.

I really enjoyed Esca, not only does the food fresh, or at least the vibe you get from the place is of fresh and organic, but i love the Mediterranean feel to the place.<br/><br/>The food is so tasty and their are different choices everyday, my lasy venture out to ECCA was for breakfast, i chose to have the full english, the food was tasty and not as greasy as you'd expect from an english breakfast, the staff were constantly smiling and being friendly. Although the space can feel  quite cramped due to the large tables rather than single tables it gives the place its rustic ambience.<br/><br/>The place can get quite busy though they deal with it well without making you feel like you're being rushed or pushed out the door.<br/><br/>Overall a great place for a quick pick me up meal, yummy food and nice cute little space.

Great breakfast. Have come here a few times now for both breakfast and lunch and always enjoy my food. The full breakfast is especially good with a decent portion of sausages, bacon, eggs, hash browns, beans, tomatoes, mushrooms and toast all for £6.50. They also do mouthwatering selection of cakes which I regularly buy to take home with me, especially if we're having guests round.

The atmosphere is nice and if you go here for lunch you would feel that everything is fresh, healthy and organic.<br/><br/>I got the special when i went there a few weeks ago, it was the pork casserole. For about £8 i could have had a way nicer meal! It came with half cooked strange tasting and probably not fresh at all rice. I would not recommend the casseroles here but I have to say the carrot soup was delicious and fresh.

HOMOPHOBIA IN CLAPHAM COMMON. HOMOPHOBIA in CLAPHAM COMMON<br/><br/>This is the first review I ever write, and am only doing so because I am so outraged and upset that this kind of behavior can still happen.. firstly in London, and secondly in a gay-friendly area such as Clapham Common. <br/><br/>My partner and I were enjoying a coffee sitting close to each other and holding hands when we were approached by a waitress who told us that she did not have a problem with us being gay, but that some of the clients might be offended and that it would be appreciated if we could be more discreet.<br/>If we were behaving in the same manner but were a heterosexual couple no one would have blinked twice, but the fact that we are a same-sex couple seems to have bothered the waiting staff enough for them to confront us about it. If in fact a client had complained, then still the waiting staff should be mature enough to know how to handle the situation better - but the fact that they felt they were in the right to approach us suggesting that we do not sit so close to each other and hold hands must surely mean that to them we were in the wrong. <br/><br/>We were in no way breaking the law, we were in no way stepping out of any social etiquette in terms of public displays of affection - this is purely homophobia and lack of management skills.<br/><br/>The coffee was fine, but the staff's behavior killed the mood for us and we promptly made our way out as we were obviously not welcome; only because two men who care for each other can't be affectionate with each other in public in the most accepting city in the world.

Good, but.... Good place for breakfast and lunch in Clapham. Lovely food, well laid out, and lots of attentive staff. Dining is either out on the pavement, or on big tables at the back.<br/>My main gripe is that while they publicise free wifi on their window, it is not turned on at the weekend, and so for that reason, as they say in Dragon's Den, I'm out.