St John is a modern british restaurant in Clerkenwell, London.
Fergus Henderson's St John in Clerkenwell has cooked the nose-to-tail British canon in London since 1994. Priced at £££. Kitchen leans modern british.
Editorially verified May 19, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Signature dishes: Roast bone marrow and parsley salad, Eccles cake with Lancashire cheese
Must order: Roast bone marrow with parsley salad and toast, then Eccles cake with Lancashire.
Tip: The bakery counter near the front sells the same Eccles cakes, doughnuts and brown loaf to take away if you can't get a booking.
Address: 26 St John Street, London EC1M 4AY
Tomos Parry's Basque-fired wood-grill room above the Smoking Goat in Shoreditch London, opened 2018 and the whole-turbot benchmark for the city.
Signature: Whole grilled turbot, Smoked potatoes
Order: Whole turbot for two off the wood, with smoked potatoes and grilled lettuce.
Tip: Bookings open thirty days ahead at 10:00 and burn fast. Walk-up bar seats are released on the day from 11:00.
Taz Sarhane's one-Michelin-starred tasting-menu room inside the Blue Mountain School in Shoreditch London, opened 2022, runs a 90% British menu cooked.
Signature: Whole roasted fish over open fire, Foraged-herb tasting course
Order: Whatever Cornish day-boat fish is cooked over flame, and the foraged-herb course that anchors the tasting.
Tip: One tasting menu per service; book six weeks ahead. The wine pairing leans natural and biodynamic UK growers.
Isaac McHale's tasting-menu kitchen inside Shoreditch Town Hall in London, opened 2013, kept its Michelin star and a place on the World's 50 Best list.
Signature: Buttermilk fried chicken, Wood-fired raw scallop
Order: Whatever the seasonal seafood opener is, and the buttermilk fried chicken canape that started the room.
Tip: Counter seats face the kitchen pass directly. Book the bar for an a la carte run if the tasting menu is full.
Ben Chapman's wood-fired Northern Thai counter in Soho London, opened 2016, sits in front of an open grill that turns out skewers and clay-pot noodles.
Signature: Clay pot baked glass noodles with brown crab, Cured pork skewers
Order: Clay pot baked glass noodles with brown crab, plus a skewer of aged Tamworth cured pork.
Tip: Counter seats are walk-in only after 17:30. Lunch tables behind the counter take bookings two weeks ahead.
Erchen Chang and Shing Tat Chung's original Bao counter on Lexington Street Soho in London, opened 2015, the bao that put Taiwanese food on every restaurant.
Signature: Classic bao, Fried Horlicks ice cream
Order: Classic pork bao with peanut and fermented greens, plus the fried Horlicks ice cream to finish.
Tip: Walk-up only. Put your name down on the chalkboard outside; the queue moves in 20 to 40 minutes from open.
Margot Henderson's daily-changing British canteen inside a converted bike shed off Arnold Circus in Shoreditch London, open since 2004 for lunch.
Signature: Crispy lamb sweetbreads, Custard tart
Order: Whatever offal opener is on the chalkboard, then the custard tart for pudding.
Tip: Open Mon-Sat for lunch and Thu-Sat dinner only. No music, no menu printed; the writeup is on the wall.
