Harden's survey result
Summary
Under chef Isaac McHale, this famous Shoreditch destination blazed a trail when it opened in 2013. McHale remains, but he parted ways in November 2024 with co-founders, Daniel Willis and Johnny Smith (who now are focused on Luca, see also). Perhaps the parting of the ways is a positive, as ratings in our annual diners’ poll only improved this year and remain consistent with the kitchen’s solidly good performance in recent times. Admittedly, for some years now there’s been a perception gap between its current level of performance (“OK, but I think I had expected more”); and the dazzling heights is scaled during the venue’s heyday (two Michelin stars, World’s 50 Best…), when it helped put Shoreditch on London’s gastronomic map by tearing up the stuffy old rule book for fine dining with its confident, casual and creative culinary cleverness. That said, it inspired no stern critiques this year and remains “a favourite” for a very loyal fan club: “simply great…”, “always a joy…”, “really great attitude and attention to detail…”. The main event is an eight-course tasting menu for £225 per person (with wine pairing at £175), or you can opt for the ‘short’ six-course version for £195 per person. Top Tip – the three-course lunch menu is £95 per person and is available Wednesday to Friday.
Summary
Daniel Willis, Isaac McHale & Johnny Smith helped establish the East End as a credible culinary destination, with the launch over a decade ago of this trailblazing venue (est. 2013) in Shoreditch Town Hall. “It is one of those tasting menu restaurants” – a no-frills (fairly uneventful) chamber whose cuisine on launch seemed dazzlingly weird and wonderful, and which is nowadays a key pillar of London’s foodie hall-of-fame, with two Michelin stars and – until this year – the UK’s leading position on the World’s 50 best ranking. However, the verdict of our annual diners’ poll has for some years been more cautious than the general critical consensus, and this uneven pattern continues this year. The main event is an eight-course tasting menu for £195 (with wine pairing at £175), which is hailed as “faultlessly executed” in upbeat feedback but seen in sceptical commentary as merely tolerable-to-disappointing. But most striking this year was a general lack of interest full stop: feedback was notably scant compared with the venue’s stratospheric media profile. Perhaps this good-but-no-longer-great view is beginning to become more widely held? The venue lost its World’s 50 Best ranking this year (slipping to 80th position).
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”.
For 34 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
Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunch | £95.00 |  |
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| Cost | Availability | Courses | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menu1 | 195.00 | Dinner only | |
| Menu2 | 95.00 | Lunch only | 3 |
| Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £60.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £3.50 |
| Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Service | 15.00% |
Shoreditch Town Hall, 380 Old St, London, EC1V 9LT
| Number of Diners: | |
| Required Time: | |
Opening hours
| Monday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑11:30 pm |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑11:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑11:30 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑11:30 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑11:30 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑11:30 pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
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