Home to some of the capital's most influential restaurants, Exmouth Market has been a dining destination for decades, falling in and out of the spotlight, but always a key player.
Recently, a steady stream of exciting newcomers has arrived on the thoroughfare and tagged onto nearby streets, making it a prime dining destination. Here are the restaurants in Exmouth Market and its neighbouring streets that are well worth a visit.
Vesper
Unless you’ve been off-grid for the last six months, then you’ll have almost certainly heard about Vesper. If you haven’t been yet, just know that it is as good as (almost) everyone says it is.
Designed by Jermaine Gallacher (Bar Crispin, Bistro Freddie, Raleigh Chapel), Jackson Boxer’s latest restaurant sits on the corner of Exmouth Market and Pine Street, and offers up a generously proportioned, hyper-creative menu that’s fairly difficult to define: Expect some broadly European inspired flavours, and lots of fun. So far, hits have included a very juicy, aromatic chicken with bread sauce, baked crab fat rice and yet another of Boxer’s decadent off-menu burgers, servedwith parmesan rind-infused jus.
Morchella
Set inside a grand former bank on Rosebery Avenue, Morchella is the bigger, younger sibling of Newington Green favourite Perilla. With soaring ceilings, enormous windows and an energetic, wrap-around open kitchen, it's a prime setting for a long, leisurely, catch-up with a bottle from the impressive, old world-leaning wine list.
Head chef Dan Fletcher puts his own modern spin on Mediterranean flavours, with twists on familiar dishes and sharing plates galore. You might find the likes of spanakopita pastries, crisp salt cod churros, mussel pil pil and spaghetti vongole, alongside larger plates of grilled fish and meat. There's also a good-value set lunch menu at £25, a chef’s selection offering for £60, and, if the weather's good, a lovely terrace.
Moro
Almost three decades after husband-and-wife duo Sam and Sam Clark opened Moro in 1997, the pair are still showing the rest of the London restaurant scene how it’s done. Inspired by the couple's travels through Spain, Morocco and the Sahara, its menu brings together the bold, aromatic flavours of the southern Mediterranean, with heaps of smoky, charcoal-grilled meat, fragrant spices and moreish homemade bread.
The menu changes often, but you can expect dishes along the lines of charcoal-grilled lamb with seasonal vegetables and spiced yoghurt, wood-roasted chicken, and a generous assortment of vegetable mezze. Save room for dessert – particularly the famous Malaga raisin ice cream, where every soaked, shrivelled grape promises a boozy burst of Pedro Ximenez sherry.
Morito
Fancy a spontaneous evening of tapas and wine? Head to Morito, the much smaller sibling of Moro. Also opened by Sam and Sam Clark (later, in 2010), the narrow, bustling restaurant serves an sublime assortment of Spanish and North African-inspired small plates, with a vibey soundtrack and warm, laidback atmosphere to match.
Grab a stool at the bright orange counter and order the likes of crispy aubergine with whipped feta and date molasses, salt cod croquetas, patatas bravas, and lamb chops with anchovy butter. Wash everything down with a glass of sherry, a vermouth or something from the diverse, intriguing wine list.
Lucky’s
Tucked inside the Mikkeller Brewpub, this Nashville-style hot chicken specialist serves up some seriously good, juicy fried chicken, with six levels of spice to choose from, ranging from relatively tame to potentially regrettable.
The menu is short and sweet, revolving around crispy chicken stuffed into soft buns with slaw and sauce, alongside strips, wings and crinkle-cut fries. There's a plant-based version, too. Just be warned that when the team says your order is hot, they really do mean it.
Quality Chop House/ Quality Wines
Technically, these two arejust around the corner on Farringdon Road, but we couldn’t leave them out. The Quality Chop House has been around in one form or another since 1869, and its old-fashioned dining room complete with original – admittedly, pretty uncomfortable – wooden booths, is still one of the capital’s most charming places to eat.
The food is anything but stuck in the past, however. There’s brilliantly cooked British produce, excellent chops and steaks, and the crisp, indulgent bricks of confit potatoes, which are reason enough to visit on their own. There's also a three-course weekday lunch for £29.
Next door, sister restaurant Quality Wines is a more relaxed affair, with a regularly changing menu of Mediterranean-inspired dishes from chef Nick Bramham, a great selection of bottles, and an intimate, higgledy-piggledy, pared-back dining room. Look out for the Portuguese-inspired bifanas and pig fat cannoli, as well as the £30 three-course lunch.
The Eagle
Opened in 1991, this Farringdon Road institution is widely credited with kick-starting the capital's gastropub movement, and more than 35 years later, it’s as popular as ever for its unfussy service, generous portions and great ingredients cooked without unnecessary frills.
Dishes roughly hail from around the Mediterranean, with a menu scribbled onto blackboards twice a day, just before service. Depending on what's cooking, you might come across grilled fish or the pub's rightly-hyped steak sandwich. Tables are largely first-come, first-served, so get there early, order a pint and get comfy.
