Harden's survey result
Summary
The UK’s leading position on World’s 50 best has helped underpin the longevity of this mould-breaking icon, which opened 10 years ago to phenomenal acclaim in the incongruous hipster surroundings of Shoreditch Town Hall. Fans “love the vibe of the room”; and say Isaac McHale’s “awesome and imaginative” cuisine “just gets better and better”. Even they, though, can concede that with the tasting menu now costing £195 per person it is “getting a little expensive now”. And then there is a minority for whom it’s not only “overpriced” but “vastly overrated and living off the PR” (“I adore fine dining and was fully prepared to spend on a fantastic meal. But the food, while technically fine, felt over-thought and overly fussy, with scant imagination or soul”).
Summary
“In the unlikely, understated but pleasant environs of Shoreditch Town Hall”, this iconic modern venue – a UK flag-bearer on the World’s 50 Best – is approaching its 10th year and, for the most part, “still knocking the ball out of the park”. With its “calm, unpretentious room table setting” and “cool open-kitchen approach”, it delivers “imaginative and precise cooking with a wide range of tastes and textures” that fans say is “the best of the best”, and bolstered by novel wine and drink pairings. (Michelin, never exactly ahead of the curve, awarded it two stars in 2022). “Professional, attentive and caring service” plays its part and there’s been “outstanding attention to detail since reopening post Covid”. The whacking bill continues to be an issue here, though. Even many fans find it “disturbingly pricey” – although they note “you get what you pay for” – but others feel the value just doesn’t stack up: “third visit probably now our last… at over £600 for two, it’s now just toooooo expensive”.
Summary
“Still at the top of their game” – Daniel Willis, Johnny Smith and chef Isaac McHale’s famous trailblazer within Shoreditch’s monumental old town hall put in a very assured survey performance this year. The odd report did query the “astronomical pricing”, even while acknowledging that a meal here is “a great occasion”. But for the most part there was nothing but veneration for the “top service and evolving tasting menu”: “intense flavours from the hands of an artist” twinned with with “an amazing wine pairing” (and a non-alcoholic matching drinks option is also available).
Summary
In terms of media profile, Daniel Willis, Johnny Smith and chef Isaac McHale’s groundbreaking, east London seven-year-old is one of the capital’s culinary titans: the highest UK restaurant in the famous World’s 50-best ranking of global gastronomic champions (one of only two UK names to be thus-recognised). Occupying a neutrally-decorated chamber within Shoreditch’s gracious old town hall – with blue-tiled open kitchen on view – the experience features prodigiously-edgy combinations using seasonal British ingredients, and is centred on an extended tasting menu (although there is also a cut-down version available Monday to Thursday, which has a mere six courses; as well another cut-down option at lunch of just four courses). The restaurant also makes a particular feature of thoughtful non-alcoholic and ‘ambient tea’ drinks pairings to complement its more traditional wine options – an innovation other big names would do well to follow. Does it live up? For many reporters the answer is still yes, with lavish praise for its “lush”, “exceptionally creative cuisine”, “unusually knowledgeable service” and “remarkable wine”. However the “pretentiously unpretentious” interior (no tablecloths of course) lacks charge for somewhere now so famous; and overall the average ratings here are starting to look thoroughly middling in terms of London’s other ‘heavy hitting’ names, by which yardstick its Top 50 placement just doesn’t stack up. Flabbergasting pricing is another issue: even fans acknowledge “you need to remortgage your home to go”, and 1 in 3 reporters now vote it their most overpriced meal of the year. Oh, and you have to pay in advance…
For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at The Clove Club?
Shoreditch Town Hall, 380 Old St, London, EC1V 9LT
Restaurant details
The Clove Club Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Simply wonderful evening - thank you"
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Filter Coffee | £0.00 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Service | 15.00% |
Shoreditch Town Hall, 380 Old St, London, EC1V 9LT
| Number of Diners: | |
| Required Time: | |
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | 12:30 pm‑1:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 12:30 pm‑1:30 pm |
| Thursday | 6:30 pm‑8:30 pm |
| Friday | 6:30 pm‑8:30 pm |
| Saturday | 6:30 pm‑8:30 pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
Best British, Modern restaurants nearby
British, Modern restaurant in Shoreditch
British, Modern restaurant in Shoreditch
British, Modern restaurant in Old Street
Best similarly priced restaurants nearby
Fusion restaurant in Tower Hamlets
