London Clerkenwell Restaurant Guide

“Still going strong (after all these 25 years)… the only downside is that it can feel noisy when full” – that’s long been the classic view on Sam and Sam Clark’s “old favourite” on Exmouth Market, where an “interesting range of tasty”, “Spanish/Moorish-influenced dishes” are provided alongside an “oenological tour of Spain” from the extensive Iberian wine list (which has an “exciting selection of wines by the glass”). Its ratings have been drifting south, however, over a period of years, due to the minority who “really want to like it, but find the food lacking punch” nowadays. Top Tip – “on a weekday, at lunchtimes, Moro sets up a stall in the street outside the restaurant, and sells tagine with couscous to take away: some of the best street food in the UK!”

This “very authentic Italian local” has been filling happy bellies in Exmouth Market for more than 20 years, with Neapolitan pizzas, pastas and other dishes – “nothing too refined, but plenty of choice and not expensive”. The only complaint: “some options are just too big and hearty”.

“The food is always a delight” at “the little brother of (and much cheaper than) Moro”, nearby in Exmouth Market, which serves “excellent authentic tapas dishes washed down with delicious Spanish wine” or a “half-bottle of sherry”. It’s a notably “well run joint”, with “staff who know their grub” and are “very welcoming without being fussy”. Top Tip – “arrive early to nab one of their two outdoor tables on the paved street and imagine yourself in Spain as you watch life going by”.

“Smoky perfection!” – Josh Katz’s “yummy and very moreish” Middle East-inspired grills in a vibey Haggerston railway arch and on Exmouth Market have won a massive reputation since he launched his take on ‘live-fire cooking’ in 2015; and the “buzzy, intimate atmosphere” of both locations is also a big winner. Top Menu Tip – “the flatbreads, chicken and cauliflower shawarma are standouts”.

“Much better than the long-established, tired pizza chains!” – the Elliot brothers’ growing group is the most-mentioned of London’s more artisanal pizza multiples in our annual diners’ poll, inspiring joy with their “authentic Neapolitan preparation, with quality ingredients” and featuring “yummy crusts and interesting flavour combinations”. And you get “consistent quality irrespective of the branch visited” too, even if conditions can be “a little cramped and chaotic”.

“Just the place to stuff yourself silly with beef!”, say loyal fans of Roberto Costa’s successful chain, where you choose your cut from “amazing meat displays to get the juices flowing”: a formula that’s brought expansion over the years to six locations across the capital, including on Shaftesbury Avenue (where it’s branded ‘Teatro del Carne’). Ratings sank this year, though, on a number of “disappointing” reports, with recurring themes including “quality meat undermined by poor cooking” and “high prices for wines considering their middling status”.

“Delicious shakshuka with maxing smoky flavours” is typical of the “colourful and flavoursome” brunch-friendly dishes at this “very buzzy if not loud” chain, known for its “top coffee” (which they roast themselves), and whose best-known sites are the Exmouth Market original and large Granary Square branch. Recently, they also added an opening in Canary Wharf and a brew bar at their Caledonian Road roastery (not listed), with further ‘measured expansion’ planned. For the most part, they are still mostly seen as a “reliable” choice for an “interesting and healthy” breakfast: “not everything is a hit but for a casual lunch I am pretty happy”. Top Tip – “when the sun is shining, it’s worth waiting for an outside table” in N1.

“A London institution” since 1869, when it opened to feed the working classes of Clerkenwell – this ‘Progressive Working Class Caterer’ now attracts a more bourgeois crowd with “food cooked to melt-in-mouth perfection and informative, informal service. You feel that everyone loves their job”. The menu still leans heavily on chops and steaks, leavened by good fish and vegetable options, and it’s a “favourite place to show off to people” with its listed Victorian wooden booths and “very uncomfortable bench seats”, softened by cushions. These days it is part of Will Lander and Daniel Morgenthau’s Woodhead Group, alongside Portland and Clipstone, and has its own larder, daytime café and wine bar next door.

“The original and still the best gastropub” – this no-frills boozer “just keeps churning out sublime, flavoursome food packed with punchy rustic flavours”. Set on an anonymous stretch of the busy Faringdon Road, it has never striven to go upmarket or cash in on its fame. “The Mediterranean menu changes on a daily basis and always features something interesting that you hadn’t tried before”. Many reporters have “never had a bad meal”. Any complaints? “It’s still too noisy and seating is pot luck, but the standard of cooking more than compensates”.

“Best brunch in London!” is an oft-repeated claim for Aussie celeb chef Bill Granger’s chain of “pleasant light and airy” spaces, which its army of fans see as “perfect breakfast venues, with great food, strong coffee, and a buzzy atmosphere”. The “varied” menu has the “Antipodean slant” you’d expect, but arguably “the food doesn’t quite live up to its style” and “it pays to be adventurous with your ordering: be bold and try something new! – the safe options are very… safe”. In August 2022, the group adds a fifth Marylebone site in what older readers will remember as ‘Maison Sagne’.

“Believe the gushy reviews!” This “stunning” dining room – part of “a glorious Georgian building” in Clerkenwell which features in Dickens’s ‘Oliver Twist’ – is London’s highest profile opening of the year and “worth the hype!”: “it’s a restaurant that has everything!”. “From the moment you start looking for the inconspicuous entrance, to the concierge and the lift, then the big reveal into the dining room upstairs: it’s the perfect place to surprise someone”. And “what an interior!” – like “a faded palazzo” – “there’s something about the high ceilings and the ambient lighting and the rugs on the floor that makes it the ultimate in shabby chic glamour”. Chef Florence Knight “can somehow combine ingredients that appear unpromising and end up with the most delicious, adventurous and unusual dishes”: “delectable small plates for sharing, with some meat but mainly fishy/veggie options”. “It’s just a shame it’s almost impossible to get a table now… it’s so hot!” Top Menu Tip – “the smoked eel and potato sandwich is unmissable, crisp outside and meltingly smoky and fishy within”.

The attractively converted garden room and beautiful upstairs dining room are highlights at this fine old pub (dating from 1790) in Clerkenwell. It hit foodie fame a couple of years ago under well-known chef, Henry Harris: since then the verdict on its gastroboozer fare has been: “variable, but still capable of hitting some top notes”.

There’s a host of no-choice, multi-course meals at this unusual Clerkenwell venture, where charismatic chef, Yuma Hashemi, showcases his Persian cuisine in a “fabulous room, set up like an affluent Tehran dining room c.1970”. “The quality of the food is superb”, and “the personal attention makes one feel as if eating at a friend’s home – nothing commercial”. There are “two mild flaws, though – 1) it’s expensive for what it is; and 2) it’s quite reliant on bread and rice”.

“Subtle and original” cooking (from “the highest quality of ingredients”, all of them British) wins high ratings at this “discreet, classic high-end Italian”, which inhabits rambling and lovely premises north of Smithfield Market, complete with a beautiful rear conservatory. Other than being “a really special place”, it bears no comparison to its sibling, The Clove Club. Top Tips – the Parmesan fries are a trademark; and it’s “great for a business lunch”.

“Predictably good meat-free food that’s worth a detour” has helped win a big fanclub for this small veggie chain, which vies with Mildreds as London’s best multiple plant-based group. (The Gates are less well known than their rivals nowadays but score higher for food). In particular, there’s high praise for “the original and best” location, which occupies a “lovely light-filled” space above a church, behind Hammersmith’s Eventim Apollo (and with a ‘secret garden’ in summer). The St John’s Wood spin-off closed this year, leaving two others near Sadlers Wells and in Seymour Village. If there’s a gripe, it’s the “somewhat unchanging menu”, which has seemed more static of late.

For a “really enjoyable, reasonably authentic Tapas experience”, all served in a “buzzing” environment, many would recommend this national chain’s four London branches (in Victoria, Canary Wharf, Farringdon and Marylebone). “Uneven” service can make them “a bit hit ’n’ miss” (especially in SW1) but one constant is “a particularly strong list of Spanish wines, many by the glass or carafe”.

“A reliable spot for light Italian-style lunch or dinner” near Silicon Roundabout, with a strong drinks list courtesy of its co-founders: sommelier Michael Sager of Sager + Wilde and mixologist Marcis Dzelzainis. “The pizza dough is some of the best and the toppings are very different from your usual Italian”, the pasta is home-made, and the grills are “just as good”.

“An institution” after more than 50 years, this “superior” Greek-Cypriot veteran “tucked away” in Clerkenwell, uses “Billingate’s finest” to serve “really fresh fish at good prices”. It’s “always worth a visit, even when it gets too noisy for comfort”.

“Still The Daddy!… I was glad to return to the office and find it was still trading!” – “Leather Lane Market may not be the most relaxing venue for al fresco dining” but this busy takeaway draws fans with its “great burritos, plus a wide variety of toppings”.