The best restaurants in Clerkenwell

The original ‘nose-to-tail’ pioneer and a Michelin-starred restaurant for those who flee from the very idea, St John is a defiantly casual, bare-bones kind of place with come-as-you-please decor and famously full-on cooking. Born-again British dishes are given a surprisingly sophisticated spin that often belies their humble origins. We’re talking snails with barley and bacon, devilled kidneys and, of course, the emblematic bone marrow and parsley salad. Powerful stuff.

Chef Henry Harris knows London well and knows restaurants even better. The menu is unashamedly French, with humble roots and an emphasis on hearty food. A ‘bouchon’ is a type of restaurant found in Lyon that historically catered to workers, and remains focused on the idea of relaxed conviviality, which captures Bouchon Racine perfectly. Bouchon Racine’s offerings are written on a blackboard and change often. But there are a number of staples, such as jambon de noir de bigorre, a cured meat from a heritage breed of black pigs near the Pyrénés. Bouchon Racine is cosy and romantic, but relaxed and perfect for a friend date too. 

You can only book a perch at this seven-seater sushi joint online (and it’s a real palaver), but there’s no doubting that Sushi Tetsu is up there with the best in Tokyo, let alone London. Toro Takahashi is a master of his craft and every detail is correct, right down to the last dab of soy or blast from the blowtorch. Sushi heaven – at a price.

The second opening from the team behind Newington Green’s chi-chi neighbourhood eatery, Perilla, is situated in a former Victorian bank, with sky-high ceilings, marble columns and huge street-facing windows. Food here is pitched as modern interpretations of classic Mediterranean dishes and it all delivers. Think; crisp yet yielding pork jowl, salt cod churros and mini spanakopita. Pudding isn't a mere afterthought – divine blood orange portokalopita comes with salty slithers of black olive tucked away inside the syrup spattered cake.

From the creators of Shoreditch’s Clove Club, this upscale venture channels the Riviera-style glamour and primi/secondi decadence of Italian restaurants that are a world away from ‘Lady and the Tramp’ trattoria set-pieces. Luca is billed as a ‘Britalian’ eatery, so expect Italian dishes using homegrown ingredients – as in Cornish halibut with romanesco, gherkin and seaweed butter. Expensive but worth it – and they've got a Michelin star, too. 

Originally a Dickensian ‘workers’ canteen’, this grade II-listed chophouse now feeds Clerkenwell creatives and others who come here for rebooted British victuals with punchy flavours and a modern accent (Cornish pollack with Tokyo turnip, green sauce and orange, for example). The wine list also promises cut-above drinking. 

A stunner of a Michelin star spot near Smithfields with a 15 course tasting menu of champions for £140 a head. Here you'll feast on prime British seafood and meat, cooked with the ingenuity, focus and care of the Scandinavian greats. But don’t hurry; you’ll be here for at least three hours. 

Ostensibly a wine bar – the clue is in the name, right? – Quality Wines has far transcended the sum of its nomenclature by not only offering pages of perfect plonk, but by serving it alongside a short but extremely well considered menu of Mediterranean-inspired dishes. The seasonal à la carte blackboard menu changes monthly – three or so mains, a handful of starter-sized offerings and seriously good snacks. You'll find it to the side of Quality Chop House, of course.

Widely credited with launching the food-in-pubs revolution when it opened in its current form in 1991, the Eagle has long since passed into both legend and middle age. Still, if some of the kids it inadvertently spawned put half as much effort into their food as the Eagle, ‘gastropub’ might not have become such a dirty word – this high-ceilinged corner room remains a cut above the competition. Globetrotting mains are chalked twice daily above the bar/open kitchen, the service is peerless (especially during lunch, when the place is humming) and the tables remain slightly too close together.

Former pop-up Breddos is now in the big time – and making the most of its dinky Clerkenwell hideaway. Ogle the wall of disco records while you sit elbow-to-elbow at a communal table – no worries, the food will get you talking. Creative global tacos are the headline acts, and they’re mould-breakers: honey-glazed smoked aubergine with chocolate-nut mole and feta, anyone?

Bang next to its acclaimed big brother Moro, teensy-weensy orange-toned Morito is a slice of Spanish street life teleported to Clerkenwell. It’s always frantically busy, but perseverance pays dividends – especially if you bag a spot overlooking the kitchen counter. Inventive tapas plates and stonking Spanish regional wines are the stars, but staff are delightful and the whole place is properly buzzy.

A pocket-sized offshoot of Haggerston’s fêted Middle Eastern grill, Berber & Q’s Exmouth Market outpost is great for a boozy catch-up over some dirty cocktails and spit-roasted meat (with a rice bowl or pita). Veggies, fear not – the menu is also stuffed with flesh-free mezze and dishes such as blackened aubergine or a shawarma riff involving cauliflower and juicy sultanas. Lush ice-cream desserts too.

Three separate eateries crammed into a former warehouse off Charterhouse Square, Le Café du Marché is a local stalwart serving up broad-shouldered French provincial dishes to the accompaniment of live jazz (in the evenings, anyway). Soupe de poissons, tartiflette, cassoulet maison, wild mushroom ragoût, hazelnut and chocolate pudding… you get the picture. Expect to be well fed and well looked after.