What do Alexander McQueen, LinkedIn, Faber & Faber, and Elite Traveler have in common? We’re all based in (or at least very close to) Clerkenwell.
And how lucky we are to call it home. The buzzy central London neighborhood – just south-east of King’s Cross and north-west of The City – has long been a dining hotspot (some restaurants in this list date to the 19th century) but recent years have laid the grounds for its firm revival.
Chef Jackson Boxer is one of the most recent to move business here, with his restaurant Vesper having become one of the year’s hardest seats to book. The team at Public House (the group behind The Hero, Fat Badger, and The Hart) are on the cusp of opening The Horses here, too.
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“Clerkenwell is quietly self assured with creative energy around it,” says Matt Emmerson, who opened Morchella restaurant and wine bar in Clerkenwell in 2024. “By day it’s filled with professionals then as night draws in, a new crowd arrives and areas like Exmouth Market fill with a vibrant European energy with people dining at fresco almost all year round.”
Here’s where Elite Traveler editors recommend you visit.
Best Restaurants in Clerkenwell
Morchella
A second restaurant from the team behind north London mainstay Perilla, Morchella occupies a former bank just off Exmouth Market. Dishes call on all parts of the Med and indeed wider Europe: there’s mussel pil pil and salt-cod churros inspired by northern Spain; Greek spankopita; and Italian spaghetti vongole. The wine list is similar, and jumps around Europe’s finest wine-making regions, with some big names as well as a few lesser-appreciated makers.
The Eagle
Hailed as one of London’s original gastropubs, The Eagle first opened in 1991 and is as popular now as it was then (ie, very). A short rotating menu is cooked on the grill, with dishes served as and when they’re done. Don’t come expecting fine dining, and instead relish in perennially delicious Mediterranean-inspired food. Larger tables can be booked but otherwise its walk-in only; arrive early for the best chance at a seat.
Bouchon Racine
Awarded the hotly contested title of best restaurant in the UK in the 2025 National Restaurant Awards, Bouchon Racine is less flash, more authentic charm. It is technically more in neighboring Farringdon than Clerkenwell, but well worth a couple of extra steps for a long lunch in the wood-paneled, white-tableclothed dining room, hiding away above a rowdy pub. The food is firmly French: snails, rillettes, and a sharing cote de boeuf are all regular fixtures on the hand-written blackboard.
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Quality Chop House
Just over the road from The Eagle is another of Clerkenwell’s institutions: Quality Chop House. The site has been home to a restaurant since 1869, and many original features remain – not least the notorious straight-backed bench seats. As its name suggests, Quality Chop House is renowned for its meats, with a daily menu based on seasonal availability. Expect hunks of meat in rich gravy in winter and lighter Med-inspired fish come summer. Indulgent desserts are a year-round highlight. Wines get a firm focus, too (founder Will Lander is the son of wine critic Jancis Robinson).
Luca
Clerkenwell was once known as Little Italy, so its fitting that one of London’s best modern Italian restaurants is on its streets. Luca opened in 2016 and has become a confident mainstay on the city’s fine-dining scene. The menu naturally features creative pasta dishes, but also hearty meat and fish plates for secondi. Inside is light and welcoming, with toffee-colored leather banquette seating, Art Deco-ish lighting, and exposed plaster. But when weather allows, get a table out in the courtyard for a long lunch.
Vesper
Vesper is one of the newest fixtures on Clerkenwell’s dining scene, and comes from industry star Jackson Boxer (of Dove and Brunswick House fame). It’s billed as bistro-style, but it’s sleeker than the description suggests: there’s white table cloths, an uber-cool studded zinc bar, and ice-cold martinis, as well as a lovely view out to Exmouth Market’s bustle. Boxer’s menu is modern-European and includes an off-menu, blue-cheese spiked burger, of which there are just ten per service.
Brutto
Tucked away into a Clerkenwell backstreet, opposite the doors to the notorious Fabric nightclub, Brutto is the legacy of late and great restaurateur Russell Norman. While Norman first rose to prominence for bringing Venetian-style dining to London, Brutto (Italian for ugly) looks to Florentine trattorias for its inspo, both in menu and looks. There’s hunking great T-bone steaks, penne in punchy vodka sauce, anchovies with swirls of cold butter and toasted sourdough, but the undisputed must-order are the cuddles: deep fried balls of dough to be filled with prosciutto and creamy soft cheese. Reservations get snapped up quickly, but try your luck for a walk-in seat (have a negroni outside while you wait), and solo diners are rewarded with a free spritz. Brutto is one of London’s finest.
St John
The original St John has been a temple of British cuisine since it opened in 1994, and remains one of London’s, let alone Clerkenwell’s, best restaurants. Hailed for introducing proper nose-to-tail cooking to the UK, founder and chef Fergus Henderson is known for his no-nonsense cookery: expect bone marrow, offal, and trotter, all served in a minimal dining room accented with candlelight and crisp table cloths. No time for dinner? Grab a glass of wine and a portion of Welsh rarebit at the bar.
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Best Bars in Clerkenwell
Space Talk
One for those serious about music and cocktails, Space Bar describes itself as a hi-fi listening bar. At a certain hour, the bar switches from table service to bar only, transitioning it into a more nightclub-type atmosphere. Space Talk is sexy, cool, and somehow a little under the radar; take someone you want to impress.
Around Bar
A new fixture on Exmouth Market’s scene, Around is a stripped-back cocktail bar serving creative conceptual drinks. The Kuroshio – vodka, yuzu, vanilla – and the Berry Good, Berry Nice – gin, champagne, strawberry, basil – are our top recommendations, but purists can order from the classic portion of the list. The accompanying (and complimentary) snack menu is fun, too. The list rotates but might include garlic popcorn or house-made pickles. Inside has counter seating only, but there’s also tables out front, as well as a small courtyard.
The Parlour
On the ground floor of The Zetter Hotel is The Parlour, an all-day cafe and bar serving coffee, cocktails, and everything between. The space is decadent and dark with wood panels and velvet furnishings, and a kaleidoscopic ceiling mural.
Quality Wines
Next to The Quality Chop House is Quality Wines – a self-describing wine bar. It does run a full food menu (albeit lighter than its neighboring restaurant), but you can settle in for just bottle of something wonderful and some snacks.
