London Restaurants - Shoreditch, Clerkenwell

70 Leonard St, London EC2A 4QX

Zapote is a modern Mexican restaurant in the heart of Shoreditch with an ex-Aqua Nueva chef in the kitchen. All their tortillas are made in-house daily and the menu features a mix of the traditional and modern, with tacos and quesadillas sitting alongside dishes like their coal-roasted sweet potato. There is a big bar here too, so it's very handy for some of their cocktails and snacks.

22 Charterhouse Square, London EC1M 6DX

If you're searching for old school French cuisine, then look no further than this longstanding restaurant. It's a great spot for a long, liquid lunch but even better for a romantic dinner with all that warm brick and candlelight.

27 - 31 Clerkenwell Close, Farringdon, London EC1R 0AT

This neighbourhood cafe in Clerkenwell is blessed with a hidden courtyard terrace which is a good-to-know alfresco option in this area. As for the food, they serve up ethically-sourced organic produce taking inspiration from both European and Californian cafes with a small regularly changing menu.

38-40 Exmouth Market, Farringdon, London EC1R 4QE

Macellaio RC have a few sites across London where the main event is the steak, and you'll see plenty of this hanging in the restaurant. It's all Italian-style steak from a female Fassona breed. There is some pasta available too - but you'll really need to be trying as much from the grill as possible to do the place justice.

46 Exmouth Market, Farringdon, London EC1R 4QE

This is an offshoot of Josh Katz's Berber & Q, and is something of a cut-down version of the main restaurant. Here you can find a combination of mezze, hummus and plenty from the grill - including the lamb shawarme of course - as well as rotisserie chicken. Make sure to stick around for their desserts.

29 Clerkenwell Green, Farringdon, London EC1R 0DU

In a quiet part of Clerkenwell, The Green comes from the same people who also run The Culpeper in Shoreditch. Either take it easy in the pub downstairs or head up to the first floor restaurant and you'll find the pub serving modern British food from an ever changing menu. Also look out for a Sunday lunch where they concentrate on Beef Wellington and one key roast dish.

82 Goswell Rd, London EC1V 7DB

This was street traders-turned restaurateurs Breddos first restaurant. It serves up excellent tacos, tostadas, tortilla-based Mexican pizza tlayudas and more. Don't forget to give their mezcal list a try as well.

12 Jerusalem Passage, London EC1V 4JP

The tiny Sushi Tetsu is both one of the best sushi restaurants in town and also one of the hardest to get into. With only half a dozen seats inside, each item served to you will be almost a work of art. This may well ruin other sushi restaurants for you. Note that bookings open on the first and third Monday of every month and go very fast.

Bleeding Heart Yard, 19 Greville Street, London EC1N 8SJ

Bleeding Heart is a London institution. Come here for classic French food with a modern touch and a vast amount of wine supplied by their wine cellar. There's also a wine bar and grill off this historic courtyard for more casual fare.

11-13 Exmouth Market, Clerkenwell, London EC1R 4QD

This is the original Caravan, where they built a reputation of creating some of the finest brunches in town. Having their own coffee roastery means the coffees here are second to none.

147 Shoreditch High St, Hackney, London E1 6JE

Previously Burger and Beyond were at street food markets all over town before they settled down in Shoreditch. Their best burgers are on offer here, all covered in excellent toppings like marrownaise and more. Their small plates action is pretty good and the truffled tater tots are some of the best in town.

58 Bethnal Green Rd, London E1 6JW

From their simple start on a Maltby Street stall to their permanent digs on Bethnal Green Road, Lahpet are introducing Londoners to the delights of Burmese food.

54-56 Great Eastern St, London EC2A 3QR

The Big Mamma group in Paris have had huge hits with their trattorias and Gloria was their first London opening, in a big space in Shoreditch. It serves up Italian food in a classic looking space (as well as a hidden 80s-set dining room) and a buzzy vibe.

301 Old St, London EC1V 9LA

Just off Kingsland Road, in an area with some excellent Vietnamese cooking, Cay Tre is held out to be one of the very best in London. Their pho is an obvious attraction here, but there's a broad menu of authentic Vietnamese cooking. (And you can pop across the street to try their Banh Mi shop Keu too.)

28-30 Rivington Street, London EC2A 3DZ

This is the Shoreditch outpost of the Blacklock group - which has become famous for its piles of chops, cooked over fire. It's also great value for money - and that includes the cocktails. This East London branch also has a large bar area.

94-96 Commercial St, London E1 6LZ

The Shoreditch outpost of the St John empire is almost like a finishing school for London chefs. This restaurant is the beating heart of seasonal British cooking in London and has spread that influence all over the UK.

95 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3BS

Grupo Sagardi was founded years ago in Barcelona. This is their first UK restaurant and it's all about showcasing the best produce from Basque farms and its coast, all flown in daily from San Sebastian. The steak is a big deal.

7 Boundary Street, London E2 7JE

One of London's biggest success stories, Dishoom seems eternally popular. Serving up all manner of Indian small plates, there's just as big a focus on the bar here as the food. Expect to wait for your table at peak times.

58 Kingsland Road, Shoreditch, London, E2 8DP

If you're after great Vietnamese food in London, then one of the places to head to is Kingsland Road with a huge selection of restaurants. This one stands out though, as the sister restaurant of Cay Tre and with something of a more laid-back vibe.

26 Rivington St, London EC2A 3DU

This Italian restaurant is from chef Jonathan Lawson, who worked with Theo Randall for five years before opening his own place, with cuisine described as Italian with a touch of Moorish and Spanish.

55 Great Eastern St, London EC2A 3HP

Santo Remedio at London Bridge has established itself as one of London's top authentic Mexican restaurants. This is their second restaurant (but also where they originally started out some years back). They call the cafe "an ode to the bustling cafés of Mexico" with hits from the original Santo Remedio - like the tacos and guacamole - as well as Shoreditch-only dishes. Expect great margaritas and there's a handy takeaway hatch.

45 Curtain Rd, Hackney, London EC2A 3PT

Bibo sees Dani Garcia, a top Spanish chef with Michelin stars to his name, take his Bibo restaurant group to the new Mondrian hotel in Shoreditch. While rollouts can sometimes be hit or miss - this is definitely in hit territory, with an excellent tapas menu and vibe to match.

240 St John St, Clerkenwell, London EC1V 4PH

This Clerkenwell pub has a long history in Clerkenwell and may only be second in line to The Eagle when it comes to pubs that went "gastro". Settle in downstairs for more traditional pub fare, or head to the upstairs restaurant if you're after something a little more fancy.

42 Osborn St, Shadwell, London E1 6TD

The team responsible for The Culpeper in Aldgate have a new project - they've opened this pub and hotel on Brick Lane which has a residents-only rooftop terrace.

88-90 Commercial Street, London E1 6LY

If you're a fan of Flat Iron's steak great value steak, then you'll be very pleased to hear they're opening a new branch in Spitalfields - which will be very handy for city-folk.

5 Clerkenwell Road, London, EC1M 5PA

Forget your greasy local frier - Clerkenwell’s fish and chip restaurant United Chip’s all about the millennial pink, Bangkok prawn burgers and complimentary aioli. But there's fisn and chips too - with traditional or Belgian fries.

80 City Road, London EC1Y 2AS

The team behind Foleys and the Rum Kitchen have come to Old Street with a pretty sizeable new restaurant, serving Italian-via-LA cuisine from 7am to midnight all week long.

22 Rivington Street, Shoreditch, London, EC2A 3DY

Award-winning chicken street food trader made its move from street food to bricks and mortar with the opening of this, their first place, in Shoreditch. Their fried buttermilk chicken sandwiches are the bomb.

97 Curtain Rd, London EC2A 3BS

We're not sure which bit of Rascals to tell you about first. There's the waterproof room, the bottomless pizza, or the Wheel of Misfortune with wooden stocks for the "losers"... plus creative cocktails, a mad menu and more for all your tableside flamb-ing needs.

153 Hoxton St, London N1 6PJ

?We want to keep pushing boundaries,? said Mr Lyan about his concept bar and restaurant. No problem there then - his new restaurant uses very (and we do mean *very*) creative ingredients in a special all-in-one kitchen and bar, reducing waste and keeping guests on their toes. Expect ambergris, Japanese knotweed and smoked compost carrot on the weekly changing menu.