More than 100 people have been arrested as officers were attacked, police vehicles damaged and shops looted.
Disorder spread to Enfield, Walthamstow and Waltham Forest in north London and to Brixton in the south of the city.
Home Secretary Teresa May has cut short her holiday to return to the UK following the disorder.
Some 35 officers have been injured over the two nights of rioting.
Three officers were hurt when a vehicle hit them as they tried to make an arrest in Waltham Forest, east London.
Clashes broke out in Enfield, north London, on Sunday evening where shop windows were smashed and a police car damaged.
'New trainers'
There have been reports of a gang of up to 200 youths looting shops and charging police in Coldharbour Lane and the High Street in Brixton, south London.
Metropolitan Police Commander Adrian Hanstock said: "This is not groups of people acting on behalf of communities or with any consent.
"This is individuals who are actually attacking communities, businesses, properties and houses and actually causing a huge amount of upset and criminality."
The Met said it had dealt with several incidents of "copycat criminal activity" across the city.
These included:
* Three officers injured after being hit by a vehicle in Chingford Mount, Waltham Forest, at about 00:45 BST
* More than 30 youths vandalising and looting a number of shops in Walthamstow and Waltham Forest
* Vandalism carried out by about 50 youths in Oxford Circus, central London
* A police vehicle being attacked in Islington, north London
* A shop on the King's Road in Chelsea damaged
* A Tesco store in Ponders End being attacked and items stolen
Kit Malthouse, Deputy Mayor of London and Chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority, described the scenes of the last two nights as "disgusting and shocking" and said the police did a good job.
He added: "Obviously there are people in this city, sadly, who are intent on violence, who are looking for the opportunity to steal and set fire to buildings and create a sense of mayhem, whether they're anarchists or part of organised gangs or just feral youth frankly, who fancy a new pair of trainers."
Talking about the impact on the capital's image, one year ahead of the Olympic Games, he said: "It's pretty rotten for London, it does not look good.
"What we need to do over the next few months is to underline to people the fundamental truth about London which is that it is one of the safest, great big cities on earth.
"We have a low murder rate and this kind of violence is very rare."
The Home Secretary, Theresa May said: "Last night, police officers again put themselves in harm's way to protect Londoners and their property.
"Londoners have made clear that there are no excuses for violence, and I call on all members of local communities to work constructively with the police to help them bring these criminals to justice."
Read more: bbc
