Discover Some of the UK's Best Dining on Your Doorstep

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There’s a lot to love about working in Clerkenwell. It’s creative, well connected and full of independent businesses, fascinating history and plenty of character.

It’s also home to some seriously good food.

In fact, five Clerkenwell restaurants have recently been named among the UK’s Top 100 Restaurants: Bouchon Racine, Restaurant St Barts, The Quality Chop House, St. JOHN and Luca.

That’s an impressive concentration of nationally recognised dining within one small corner of London. From a relaxed French bistro hidden above a pub to Michelin-starred tasting menus and pioneering British cooking, Clerkenwell offers something for almost every occasion.

And for FBC Clerkenwell members, these restaurants are right on the doorstep : perfect for a business lunch, a client dinner, a special celebration or a well-earned catch-up after work.
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Bouchon Racine: the UK’s number-one restaurant

66 Cowcross Street
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Taking the number-one spot and being named National Restaurant of the Year 2026, Bouchon Racine is a pretty remarkable neighbour to have.

Chef Henry Harris’s unashamedly French restaurant is inspired by the bouchons of Lyon and the classic bistros of Paris. The setting is intimate and full of charm, with daily menus written on chalkboards and a warm, lively atmosphere that feels worlds away from formal fine dining.

The restaurant sits above the Three Compasses pub, with a secret dining room tucked away upstairs. It’s the kind of place that feels like a discovery, even when you know exactly where you’re going.

The menu changes regularly, but classic dishes might include steak tartare, escargots and a rich crème caramel with Armagnac prune. It’s traditional French cooking with plenty of confidence : generous, comforting and made for lingering over.

For a client lunch or a dinner with people who appreciate excellent food, Bouchon Racine is one of Clerkenwell’s essential tables. It’s worth planning ahead, particularly for a Friday or Saturday evening.

Restaurant St Barts: seasonal British produce with a view

63 Bartholomew Close
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Ranked 79th in the UK, Restaurant St Barts offers a very different dining experience.

The tasting-menu restaurant comes from Johnnie Crowe, Luke Wasserman and Toby Neill, with a focus on British produce sourced from small-scale suppliers across the British Isles. Seasonal ingredients are at the heart of the menu, which unfolds over a series of carefully considered courses.

The setting is just as special. Restaurant St Barts overlooks St Bartholomew the Great, giving diners a beautiful view of one of London’s oldest churches while they eat.

There’s a shorter lunch menu available during the week, making it a particularly appealing option for a more memorable business lunch. In the evening, the multi-course tasting menu offers the chance to slow down and enjoy a complete dining experience.

This is a restaurant for those occasions when you want to make an impression : welcoming a new client, celebrating a team success or simply trying something new with friends.
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The Quality Chop House: a Clerkenwell institution

88–94 Farringdon Road
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The Quality Chop House has occupied its Farringdon Road site since 1869, making it one of the area’s true culinary landmarks.

Step inside and you’ll find a Grade-II listed dining room with Victorian details and its famous church pew seating. There’s a real sense of history here, but the cooking is far from stuck in the past.

Chef Shaun Searley’s modern, innovative approach brings new energy to the restaurant’s traditional foundations. The legendary chops remain a major draw, while the menu changes daily according to the best available ingredients.

One dish that has achieved near-legendary status is the restaurant’s confit potatoes : a simple-sounding side that has developed a devoted following. It’s a good reminder that exceptional cooking doesn’t always need to be complicated.

The Quality Chop House works equally well for a relaxed lunch, a team meal or a celebratory dinner. As The Infatuation notes in its Clerkenwell restaurant guide, it manages to feel hearty and refined at the same time.
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St. JOHN: the spiritual home of nose-to-tail cooking

26 St John Street
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Since opening in 1994, Fergus Henderson and Trevor Gulliver’s St. JOHN has changed the way many people think about British food.

Its pioneering nose-to-tail approach makes use of the whole animal, celebrating cuts and ingredients that have often been overlooked. The result is food that is direct, distinctive and deeply rooted in British culinary tradition.

The menu changes, but iconic dishes include roasted bone marrow, the middle white chop with trotter and prune, and Eccles cake served with Lancashire cheese.

The dining room is characteristically simple, with stark whitewashed brick walls and an unfussy atmosphere. There’s no need for elaborate décor when the food is doing the talking.

St. JOHN is an excellent choice for introducing visitors to Clerkenwell, entertaining an out-of-town client or enjoying a long lunch that turns into an early evening drink. It’s an essential part of London’s food story, and it’s right here on St John Street.

Luca: modern Italian cooking through a British lens

88 St John Street
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Just a short distance away, Luca brings a stylish Italian influence to Clerkenwell.

Created by Johnny Smith and Daniel Willis, the founders of The Clove Club, and led by chef Robert Chambers, Luca takes high-quality ingredients from the British Isles and presents them through an Italian lens.

That might mean fresh pasta, Orkney scallops, Hebridean lamb or Cornish turbot, prepared with the precision and generosity you’d expect from a modern Italian restaurant.

The setting has an Art Deco-inspired 1950s Italian feel, giving Luca a warm, polished atmosphere that works well for both business and pleasure. It’s smart without feeling stiff, making it a natural choice for a client dinner or an after-work meal when you want to mark the end of a busy week.

Luca is also a great example of Clerkenwell’s creative character: familiar ideas reinterpreted in a fresh, individual way. You can explore Luca through its listing in Time Out’s guide to Clerkenwell restaurants.

More than five restaurants

These five restaurants may be the ones attracting national attention, but they’re part of a much wider food scene.

Around Clerkenwell and Farringdon, you’ll find everything from independent cafés and relaxed neighbourhood restaurants to wine bars, gastropubs and casual places for a quick bite. Exmouth Market is always worth exploring, with plenty of options for lunch, coffee and after-work drinks.

We’ve previously shared some of our favourite Clerkenwell hotspots, including local cafés and restaurants that are popular with the FBC community. And, of course, our own onsite café is always here when you need barista-brewed coffee, a quick break or a delicious pizza on our awesome new terrace!

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A neighbourhood that brings people together

Great restaurants do more than serve good food. They give people a reason to come together.

That might be a team celebrating a new contract, two founders sharing ideas over lunch, a first meeting with a potential partner or colleagues catching up after a busy day. Having such a varied food scene nearby makes those moments easy to arrange : and gives you plenty of opportunities to support independent local businesses while you’re at it.

That community spirit is a big part of life at FBC Clerkenwell. We’re proud to be based in a neighbourhood where creativity, individuality and entrepreneurship sit alongside longstanding local institutions and independent venues.

Our members have access to flexible coworking spaces, private office spaces, meeting rooms and a welcoming community in the heart of EC1. And when it’s time to step away from your desk, some of the UK’s best dining is just a short walk away.

So, whether you’re looking for somewhere to impress a client, celebrate with your team or discover a new local favourite, Clerkenwell has you covered.

The only difficult decision is where to book first.

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