Helen’s Guide to Clerkenwell
23rd July 2024
Designing a kitchen can be hungry work… After two hours, sometimes more, of poring over colours, cupboard layouts and all sorts of appliances it’s time for a little treat. We’re frequently asked for our suggestions for coffee, a small bite or even supper, and luckily our two London showrooms have an abundance of delicious spots right on their doorsteps. Our Creative Director, and resident foodie, Helen, always knows the best places to go, so we asked her where she’s loving right now… (We’ve popped a handy list at the very bottom with them all together).
“I absolutely love Clerkenwell, it feels very different to other parts of London, calm yet fun, green yet industrial, everything is independent and quirky, but not too crafty, it’s all about quality and uniqueness. It’s not bougie, it’s real, it’s full of trendy designery folks but also locals and shopkeepers, everyone is aware of how special this place is. Just walking is a joy, tiny alleys with pubs like the Dovetail or the Holy Tavern, both a perfect after work spot for a good beer among ordinary people, nothing pretentious. The interiors of the Holy Tavern are so good you wouldn’t believe they weren’t original.”
“St John’s Square is home to my favourite hotel anywhere, the casually exceptional Zetter Clerkenwell, an afternoon tea or an early cocktail here is a very bohemian experience. Vintage tassels, old velvet sofas, taxidermy and rich moody paintwork, this place is a haven of style and the cocktail bar is just glorious, you don’t want to leave.”
“If you are after some historical interiors go to Sessions Arts Club for your supper, it’s hard to get in so you will need to book well in advance. It’s places like this that make Clerkenwell so special, it literally takes your breath away when you enter the restaurant through the red velvet curtain, and the original gaselier lighting is spectacular. If the weather is fine, you can finish the evening off on the rooftop overlooking Clerkenwell and beyond.”
“If you can’t get into Sessions Art Club, then it would be no disappointment to head to St. John Smithfield for a glass of house rosé in the enclosed courtyard before moving on for dinner. The interiors are spartan, white bricks and dark wooden chairs and tables, you will definitely hang out with the cool kids here.”
“Then take a very short walk to Trattoria Brutto on Greenhill Rents, no reservation or being on your own are not a problem here, the staff are so good at popping you up at the bar with a £5 Negroni and some simple Italian food, all in the perfect candlelit room with the occasional burst of Prince and Purple Rain, so atmospheric you could be in Venice!!”
“The cloister gardens of the St John’s Priory are the perfect spot to enjoy a little silence early in the morning. Walled with olive trees and seating, this place inspires readers, artists and gardeners and it’s a privilege to be able to enjoy such a peaceful place. Then head to Exmouth Market, it’s the best place to people watch. There is a very rare shop here called Mirja Hartwig, she makes ceramics on site, everything is different, delicate and unusual and the prices for one off pieces are just too good to miss. Her partner runs Café Kick, the absolute best quick lunchtime spot, all homemade food and a little tiny lunchtime glass of vino, such a good idea!!!”
“If you stay for more than a day then head to The Eagle on Farringdon Road, this is about as good as a pub gets. Stripped pine tables, bottles with candles and a freshly written blackboard of exceptional food every day. For anyone wanting to find the perfect pub, this is it!!!”
“If like me, you are always searching for a really really good taco, but you can only find ok tacos, then go to Breddos Tacos on Goswell Road. Trust me, this place blows your mind with its flavours. Their Tuna Tostada is my best bite of the decade!!!
I would generally rather eat Asian food than anything else, there are lots of good places such as Ngon Ngon on Clerkenwell Road for simple Vietnamese, but my favourite, and one I go back to again and again, is Kin on Leather Lane, a low-key pan Asian restaurant that is always great value and really great flavours.”
“I prefer to eat in a restaurant and am not a big ‘take away’ sort of person, however, the street food stalls on Exmouth Market are really authentic and easy for a quick, healthy, fresh meal. Exmouth Market has such a holiday vibe, the iced coffee at Briki is the real deal. I could go on about Exmouth Market, sitting up at the bar at Moro is my favourite way to enjoy this restaurant, which is notoriously hard to get a table at. Or Morito next door, still up at the bar (always up at the bar) but less formal and very buzzy, the tastiest little plates of North African flavours but all totally original. Tapas style can be hit and miss but every single thing on this menu is totally delicious.”
“Finally, The Quality Chop House on Farringdon Road, just because its interiors are perfection, oh and the exterior is just as good. It is a building that feels old school, proper, elegant and yet functional, it has wooden booths which I love, and it has chequered marble floors and proper white napkins.”
That’s rather a lot of places for you to remember, so we’ve put them all in easy list. Do let us know if you visit any what you think!
- The Dovetail
- The Holy Tavern
- The Zetter Clerkenwell
- Sessions Arts Club
- St. John Smithfield
- Trattoria Brutto
- St John’s Priory
- Mirja Hartwig
- Cafe Kick
- The Eagle
- Breddos Tacos
- Ngon Ngon
- Kin
- Briki
- Moro
- Morito
- The Quality Chop House
Come and visit us at our London showrooms:
– 36 St John’s Square, Clerkenwell, London, EC1V 4JJ
– 2 Tysoe Street, Clerkenwell, London, EC1R 4RQ
Find out how to start the design process here…
