Hop To It | Four Hundred Rabbits, Nunhead, London

We love a good restaurant name and Four Hundred Rabbits in Nunhead (they have one in Crystal Palace too) certainly ticked that box. It was by pure coincidence that we visited on Easter Friday, unfortunately we weren’t met with 400 fluffy rabbits, more like 400 young families.

The story behind the name comes down to their love of fermentation and what it creates for them – pizza and beer. The Aztecs also revered the process and worshipped both a goddess of alcohol and a god that discovered fermentation. According to aztec folklore these two got it together one night and created many offspring known as the 400 rabbit gods or centzon totochtin. So there you go – history lesson over, time to get down to the nitty-gritty.

The clues to where you are are staring you in the face. Photo: Four Hundred Rabbits

Nunhead is not an area we often venture into, despite it being just a half hour drive away. It was tipping with rain but it was still clear to see why all those young families in the restaurant were drawn to this area – it has a lovely villagey feel and plenty of little independent shops and restaurants.

Four Hundred Rabbits is cute, simple and oh-so Instagrammable with bright teal, petrol blue and yellow decor. Loved the school style chairs, the colourful, bright artwork and the worlds smallest courtyard deserves a mention too. The menu you’d expect to be the simple too but there’s some really interesting pizzas on the menu. At the time of visiting they were doing a collaboration with their neighbours at Greedy Khao – a vegan Massaman curry that was crying out my name. I’m no vegan but I cannot stand cheese and I adore Thai so this was a result for me. We’re not pizza purists but we’re also not big believers of non-traditional pizza toppings (I once had a curry topped pizza in Stockholm after some misjudged advice) but when it’s done properly, it can work.

Ade went for the unusual but delicious combination of goat’s cheese and rhubarb – sadly this is no longer on the menu but there’s plenty of other pizzas that sound equally as great. Four Hundred Rabbits use sourdough made with organic white and rye flour for their pizza bases. Then they leave the dough to ferment for at least 48 hours before the loaded pizzas are cooked in a wood fired oven.

Suppliers are well-known and of great quality – San Marzano tomatoes, Cannon & Cannon charcuterie. Locally sourced, sustainable and seasonal, these guys are ticking all the right boxes and the proof is in the tasting. We had tonnes of work to get on with after lunch so didn’t delve into the vast craft beer list but we did share a Negroni which was just £4 – bargain of the century!

Ice-cream to share… reluctantly!

Four Hundred Rabbits definitely seem to like collaborations – they’ve teamed up with one of our faves, Gelupo offering ice creams and sundaes for dessert. Loving the cute rabbit wafer, a nice little touch.

Take a peek at their Instagram feed to get a real feel of the creative pizzas and craft beers that they serve. With the Time Out Love London Award winners out this week it was a shame that Four Hundred Rabbits didn’t win or at the very least get shortlisted. This really is a lovely little local independent restaurant and we’re so glad it was drawn to our attention – we will be back, but next time we’ll bring the kids!

Find out more here

143 Evelina Road, Nunhead, London SE15 3HB
Telephone: 0207 732 4115
Email: nunhead@400rabbits.co.uk

Opening hours: Open from 12pm every day.
Last orders are at 9:30pm Sunday – Thursday, 10pm Friday and Saturday. Closed on Mondays.

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Nearest station: Nunhead (5 mins walk)

We ate as guests of 400 Rabbits, this does not affect our review in any way. We always write with complete honesty.