Donna Margherita Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria, Clapham, London

http://hungryinlondon.com/2011/04/donna-margherita-batter...

You really don’t have to leave London, in fact you don’t even have to leave work, for international cultural and culinary exchange. I learned more than I ever thought I wanted to know about Neapolitan cuisine as, for the past 4 years I have worked in the midst of Little Napoli. I know now how a perfect pizza has to look and taste like (with Naples being the cradle of pizza) and I have also learned about Friarielli, a green vegetable from the same family as broccoli (only much better in my opinion) which grows on the hills around Naples.

So there I was, perfectly equipped to scrutizinze the Neapolitan food at Donna Margherita. This rustic and cosy Italian trattoria is located on Lavender Hill, about 5 minutes walk away from Battersea Junction. What makes it interesting for me is its closeness to the Battersea Arts Centre, one of my favourite theatres in London (if you like quirky and different and a lot of attention to detail you will love it too).

According to Donna Margherita’s website it is the favourite restaurant of Johnny Vaughan, Capital FM 2010. I have no idea who this guy is and in general I don’t trust radio DJs, so the maybe better recommendation comes from Time Out nominating Donna Margheritaas one of the best pizzas in London.

Interestingly, the Pizza Donna Margeritha (9.90) did not blow me away at all. It tasted lovely (what can possibly go wrong when you combine melting buffalo mozzarella with aromatic and sweet cherry tomatoes) but the dough was soggy. I learned from my Italian friends that a perfect Neapolitan pizza has to be crisp so this felt like a small let down.

The pasta on the other hand was divine. From the specials menu we chose Rings of pasta with olive oil, aubergine, pesto, cherry tomatoe, sea bass and chili. The combination of perfectly al dente pasta with plenty of olive oil, the concentrated taste of eggplant and cherry tomatoes was so good, I could have eaten a second portion straight away. I would not have needed the sea bass but then again it came as a welcomed addition. This was one of the nicest pasta dishes outside of Italy I have eaten in a long time .

Ahh and the Friarielli! It fortunately has in my opinion very little to do with broccoli, the slightly bitter taste reminds me more maybe of pak choi or some other Chinese leaf vegetable I can’t name. Again with plenty of olive oil and some garlic this was a wonderful side dish.

The service was rather bad (or deaf) I have to say – we got 2 wrong starters! instead of rings of pasta we got rings of calamari and instead of Friarielli we got Friarielli and Beans. I hope the waiter went to an ENT specialist straight afterward.

Anyway, the pasta was so delectable that I can forgive a couple of minor issues. I don’t know if the flaccid pizza base was a one time bad luck or a recurrent feature. Has any of you eaten at Donna Margherita and experienced the pizza? I wouldn’t go back for pizza but would happily eat myself through the pasta menu. Nom.

I have just been to this restaurant and in general it was a very good experience. And I would be back again, at least for their apppetizers!

The oven baked calamari and octopus salad were just out of this world as long as you weren't watching the calorie intake as they are covered in oil. I had a pizza for the main course and it was great apart from the pizza tasting slightly burnt because of what seems bad cleaning of the oven and the spaghetti that my wife had had too much tomato puree in its sauce that it was acidic.

The service was as it should be, smiley and quick. but its charge was added automatically to the bill.

The price is quite reasonable, expect to pay 15-20£ a head for food without drinks

This is not only the best Pizza in London, Id say its the best Pizza in Europe.

Having been to Italy recently I found the pizza at Donna Margherita to be vastly superior. They are right on the button with their ingredients and pizza bases.

Often after pizza I feel bloated, a bit sick or feel like I need to run 6 miles. I just can't get enough of Donna Margherita's pizzas though, it is well worth the mission.

Was in the area and fancied some italian food, and this place is really good. if im ever in the area again I will definetly eat there.

Seriously! Go! I had the most authentically scrumptious plate of pasta I've had outside of Naples. I hate the fact that Donna Margherita is so far from where I live. It's tough for me to find the time to make it down to Clapham. But if I were local, I'd go there all the frickin' time.

I found service to be exceptionally gracious. The wine list is top notch. The decor, very Neapolitan. And the glorious, glorious food is some of the best Italian you'll find in London!

Donna Margherita is a bit of a hike to get to, but worth the journey. The pizza is truly sensational with a thin yet soft base and toppings which are tasty and yet never greasy. Service is friendly and you feel like you could be in a trattoria in Italy.

Have heard it is better if you dine in than get takeaway. We ordered pizza which arrived quite soggy.

Have read reviews though about the pizza bread being amazing in the restaurant so maybe we were unlucky.

It didn’t feel much different to Firezza and is not up there with Alba from Clapham.

Donna Margherita has a fantastic menu including the best of the Italian cuisine. It has got a great selection of pizzas with a homemade taste. It is busy and a bit noisy but the food is just beyond your expectation of a Italian restaurant in London

Donna Margarita was recommended by a friend's boss and it wasn't a disappointment. Situated quite far up lavender hill in quite an out of the way spot it’s a testimony to this place's popularity that it was packed out! Its got a rustic, warm interior and great selection of pizzas, pastas and salads. Generous portions too, beats pizza express any day!