Eating out in Clerkenwell & Farringdon
12 May 2025
Farringdon station is incredibly well connected for getting out and about, but there is no need to hop on a train to go out for a great meal when there are so many excellent options in the area known as Clerkenwell since medieval times.
Just next to Farringdon station is the popular smart canteen chain Farmer J,
famous for their healthy and appealing field trays and bowls. Select your own ingredients for breakfast, lunch or an early dinner since they close at 8.30pm. As the immediate area surrounding Farringdon station mostly serves local office workers, they do close at weekends.
The main eating heartbeat can be found at Exmouth Market, around an 8 minute walk up Farringdon Road from the station. Here you will find a huge amount of choice every day of the week and late into the night. Our favourites include Santore, a rustic Italian wood fired pizzeria with outside seating. Whilst there is no shortage of pizza restaurants in London (most of them very good), I once walked into Santore to find half the restaurant taken up by a large group of visiting priests from Rome tucking in enthusiastically, giving Santore the (papal) seal of approval.
On the corner of Rosoman Street is the relaxed retro themed Coin Laundry.
Open every day, the menu is modern British and European with lots of vegan and vegetarian options. They have a decent drinks menu too with cocktails although we have no idea why it is called Coin Laundry since they prefer card payments and there are no washing machines.
Macellaio RC is located in the middle of Exmouth Market and is well established as a mildly theatrical dining experience for steak lovers or as they call themselves “Teatro della Carne”. The staff provide the contagious enthusiasm and will take you to the raw materials in the display fridge for you to select your choice of cut. Watch out for their signature lard candle that melts into the blowtorched bread and a wine list that tours the whole of Italy. Open every day for lunch and dinner.
Next door is the institution known as Moro, and next door to that is little hermano Morito,
both serving Spanish and North African tapas. Moro’s inventive style includes dishes such seabass ceviche with cumin and pomegranate, chicharrones with cumin and lemon dressing and Malaga raisin ice cream with sherry. The food on your plate will come from each side of the Straits of Gibraltar. The restaurant first opened in 1997 and we have stumbled upon their cookbook in unusual corners including a little café in rural Cornwall. Open for lunch only on Sundays and lunch and dinner the rest of the week.
Exmouth Market’s opposite corner is home to Caravan, a small chain of eateries and coffee roasters. Obsessed with the detail of bean sourcing and preparation, you’d be hard pushed to find a better cup of coffee locally. During the week they serve breakfast, renamed brunch at weekends, and they are open for lunch and dinner every day apart from Sundays. Our favourites include chorizo and potato hash with saffron buttermilk dressing, Korean buttermilk fried chicken with kimchi pancake, fried egg and gochujang ketchup, Dingley Dell pork schnitzel followed by caramelised brioche with miso caramel and ice cream. Treat yourself to a tiramisu martini or one of the many alcohol-free cocktails.
Away from Exmouth Market you may like The Dovetail; a Belgian themed bar serving moules mariniere and beef carbonade (Flemish beef stew). Wash it down with a cold beer from a huge range including the fruit flavoured ones for people who don’t really like the taste of beer. Located on Jerusalem Passage which runs between St Johns Square and Aylesbury Street, it is open until late every day except Sundays.
Mugen
on Leather Lane is an established contemporary Japanese restaurant where the food looks far too pretty to eat. Choose from izakaya style sharing plates, fresh sashimi, hot pot or set bento boxes. They also offer take away but like many places, they are closed on Sundays.
Finally, Smiths of Smithfield. Located opposite Smithfield Market on Charterhouse Street, this whole building is a TV chef institution with a bar serving snacks on the ground floor, private dining rooms on the first floor, the Grill on the second floor and a covered rooftop restaurant with south facing views on the top floor. The general rule of thumb is that it gets a bit “posher” (ie more expensive) every time you go up a floor but the Grill still does an 8oz flat iron steak and chips lunchtime special for £25 (subject to change) and the bar does really good smash and plant burgers.
All our apartments in Clerkenwell are fully self catering with kitchens that will allow you to prepare all of your own meals should you wish to, but our guess is that you didn’t come to London to cook. With so many excellent options, why not try one or two on our recommended list.
View more
Journal
London has a reputation for being expensive but one thing that makes London unique is its wealth of top quality museums that are completely free of charge, something you don’t usually get in other global major cities. Funded by a combination of grants and public spending from the Arts Council, National Lottery, central and local government, you can enjoy some truly world class museums. Instead, to support our wonderful museums, consider making a voluntary contribution or buying something in the gift shop. Some special exhibitions may be chargeable but the bulk of the museum is free at the point of entry. Here is a list to help you plan your visit: The British Museum – the fifth most visited museum is also widely considered one of the top three museums in the world. A good tip is to book your free one hour entry timeslot online to beat the queues. See the famous Rosetta Stone, Elgin Marbles (Parthenon Sculptures), Benin Bronzes, Easter Island statues and Egyptian mummies. The oldest exhibit is the Olduvai Stone Chopping Tool which is some 2 million years old. You could spend anything from 1 hour here to 6 and still not see everything. The Natural History Museum – possibly London’s most iconic museum, it is as impressive for its Gothic architecture as it is for its animatronic T-Rex and giant blue whale skeleton hanging from the ceiling. Again, prebooked timed entry tickets are advisable as they are free of charge and help you skip the queues. At Christmas time there is a charming ice skating rink on the grounds. The Victoria & Albert Museum – located just adjacent to the Natural History Museum and nicknamed “the V & A”, its theme can be hard to describe. With changing displays that range from iconic fashion by Dior and Chanel through to Islamic ceramics and plaster casts of Michelangelo’s David and Trajan’s Column, it’s most famous object is Tipu’s Tiger; a mechanical item from 18th century India. Heavy on sculpture and glass blown objects I suppose you could day it celebrates art outside the canvass. The building features the simply stunning Gamble Room Café which is worth a visit in itself. The Science Museum – the third museum in South Kensington’s little Exhibition Road patch celebrates the history of innovation. With lots of interactive fun combined with exhibits behind glass cases, the first X ray machine and Stephenson’s rocket are a highlight. Paid experiences include the interactive Wonderlab and IMAX cinema. The space gallery inspires wonder and as you would expect, the exhibits don’t stay static as the nature of science is that it should always be forward facing. If you have been before, perhaps you should go again. Tate Modern – many years ago one of the main exhibits was Tracey Emin’s unmade bed. Some may dismiss modern art as “low effort” or simply ridiculous but others simply adore its break from the confines of classical tradition. Whatever your position, the Tate Modern is a riverside former Bankside Power Station awash with large open spaces. It is one of the largest museums of contemporary art in the world saved from demolition when repurposed. It features a Picasso, Dali, Matisse and a Warhol as well as a world class restaurant and very decent gift shop. Well worth whiling away an hour or two. The National Gallery – super famous building located on Trafalgar Square, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings including Monet’s The Water Lily, various Boticellis and da Vincis, works by Rembrandt, Stubbs, Goya, Velazquez, Renoir and of course van Gogh’s Sunflowers. One visit is not enough, firstly because you need to take your time and secondly because of the vastness of the collection and space. The National Portrait Gallery – prior to social media, important historical figures would celebrate themselves via portraits (often self-portraits) and they really didn’t hold back. If you want to look at the faces of important British people from history then this is the place for you. From Shakespeare, Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn (not together) to Samuel Johnson, this celebration of self-importance also depicts modern photography of icons such as Vivienne Westwood and the Beatles. The Imperial War Museum – covers conflicts from the Great War (WW1) to the present day. The Holocaust Galleries are particularly moving but you must be 14 years and over for admission. Worth the trip south of the river. The Bank of England Museum – this one is actually quite cute and somewhat reminiscent of a certain scene from Mary Poppins where young Michael struggles to part with his tuppence. It’s small and manageable, allowing you to pick up a gold bar and learn about the fundamentals of our economy. The London Museum in Docklands hosts 9 galleries that are free to the public, all based around the themes of London’s river, port and people. Set in a converted riverside warehouse, around 2 hours are recommended for a full tour. Excitingly, a new museum is due to open in late 2026 in Smithfield which is very hotly anticipated. Most of the river Thames in London is technical coastal, meaning tidal, did you know that? The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich actually hosts quite an eclectic range of exhibits under its maritime theme all accessed free of charge. Another riverside museum and architecturally impressive, you can get to Greenwich by riverboat for extra fun and the local area has much to offer including the Cutty Sark, Greenwich Mean Time line, Royal Observatory, the Trafalgar Tavern pub and a fabulous view of the London skyline from Greenwich Park. The National Army Museum – we need not describe this; the clue is in the name but actually it showcases soldier stories from the Army’s origins to the present day. With a strong emphasis on history and travel it offers perhaps a more interesting perspective than first meets the eye. This is not an exhaustive list! There are many many more free museums all over London and sometimes it is the smaller, lesser known venues that can pique your interest the most. A little bit of research can go a long way.
Here is our guide to getting the best out of London this season. Firstly, the best parks for those photogenic colours and squirrels doing what they do best; squirrelling: Richmond Park - Stunning autumn foliage and rutting deer season (September-October) including a 7 mile circular taking in the Isabella Plantation Hampstead Heath - Golden leaves and crisp walks to Parliament Hill viewpoint, one of the best views of London Greenwich Park - Royal Observatory views framed by autumn trees Regent's Park - Queen Mary's Gardens with late-season roses Hyde Park - Serpentine Lake surrounded by changing leaves St. James's Park - Pelican feeding continues through the autumn months Kensington Gardens - Italian Gardens and Diana Memorial surrounded by autumn colours It’s not all parks and trees, some other recommendations for London’s best head clearing walks include: Thames Path Autumn Section - Westminster to Tower Bridge with golden plane trees Hampstead Heath to Kenwood - Through ancient woodland with stunning views Canal Walk - Regent's Canal from Camden to Little Venice with autumn reflections Literary London Autumn Tour - Keats House and poets' haunts in Hampstead The calendar is full of events this season with a mixture of homegrown & adopted cultures as well as historical events providing the context: Diwali Celebrations the Hindu, Sikh and Jain festival of light with fireworks displays all over London including festivities at Trafalgar Square on Sunday 12th Oct 2025. Remembrance Sunday 9th November 2025 – head to the Cenotaph at Whitehall for a respectful and well attended ceremony and memorial services commemorating Armistice Day. Please consider buying a poppy from the Royal British Legion. Black History Month is in October in the UK rather than February in the US due to historical and culture differences. Watch out for free events, exhibitions, and talks celebrating Black heritage London Oktoberfest draws on the Munich tradition which needs no explanation and takes place over three October weekends in Finsbury Park and Hammersmith. Lederhosen optional. Hallowe’en (31st October) is muted in some areas and impressive in others, especially where there are American communities. Kensington, St Johns Wood and Knightsbridge are all excellent for trick or treating and instagrammable house decorations. Free Halloween activities include self-guided ghost walks through historic areas, Covent Garden and the West End for retail displays, pumpkin picking in some city farms such as Kentish Town and Stepney and underrated graveyard tours in Highgate and Kensal Green Cemeteries to take in the resting places and lore of bygone celebrities. The London Dungeon and The Tower of London are also excellent choices for the spooky season. Bonfire Night - remember remember the 5th of November is famous for Guy Fawkes’ gunpowder plot when he tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament and King Charles I in 1605. [GF didn’t get the King in the end but the parliamentarians did later on when HRH was found guilty of treason and executed in 1649 resulting in a temporary republic. Irony eh?] We have been celebrating this failed/foiled attack with bonfires and fireworks ever since. The best locations for such cavalier displays are Alexandra Palace, Blackheath, Clapham Common and Victoria Park. Some events are tickets only. Perhaps you have heard something about British weather being unpredictable. Don’t stress as many of the best Autumn cosy experiences can be found indoors, including: British Library - Free exhibitions and warm reading rooms Wellcome Collection – Free and special exhibitions with café Royal Festival Hall - River views and free events Barbican Centre - Brutalist architecture, lakeside dining and conservatory Somerset House - Courtyard and river terrace Historic & riverside pubs - The George Inn, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, so many others. Reward yourself with pub pit stops along the way Traditional Sunday roasts - Many pubs offer reasonably priced meals but the best Sunday roast we have ever consumed was courtesy of the Builder’s Arms in Kensington where you can order a sirloin, chicken and lamb rump “to share” for a meagre 4,081 calories Seasonal Tips: • Pack layers and thermos for longer outdoor exploring • After 1st November it will get dark by 4pm so get up and out early • Use heating in cafés and museums as free warming stations • Autumn is known for its harvest so choose produce at markets like Borough • Always carry umbrella for sudden London showers • Wear comfortable waterproof shoes for leaf-covered paths • Check museum late-night openings for shelter during rain • Keep an open mind- you may need to tweak your plans in line with the weather but with a good jacket you may still be able to sit outdoors in some cases. Our verdict: Is Autumn a good time to come to London? Yes! The weather can actually be very mild and city breaks can be uncomfortable during a heat wave. It’s a great time to get away before proper winter. Where should I stay? Our choice would be either near the river or the parks if the outdoor scenes appeal to you and Eldon Chambers is ideal. If you prefer the pre-Christmas retail vibe then perhaps you might prefer Interlude House .
