London Restaurants - Shoreditch, Clerkenwell

72 Rivington Street, London EC2A 3AY

Bône arrived with little fanfare to become one of the most popular restaurants in Shoreditch. Run by chef Nas Sharif, the restaurant runs a tight menu (that's also halal) with just two choices (at the time of writing, that's short rib or Atlantic salmon) and deserts like brown butter French toast with custard. That focus has made the restaurant one of Shoreditch's hot tickets.

320 Old Street, London EC1V 9DR

Great British Menu winner Kirk Haworth is behind this restaurant in Shoreditch which creates a fantastic and unique tasting menu using only plant-based ingredients. Set in a surprisingly quiet building just off Old Street this sees the chef doing wonderful things with vegetables and it's one of the hardest to book restaurants in town.

25 Bethnal Green Road, London E1 6JX

The Knave of Clubs brings together James Dye (The Camberwell Arms, Franks) Benjy Leibowitz (JKS and The NoMad in NYC) and Patrick Powell (Allegra and Chiltern Firehouse) for a proper pub in Shoreditch. Walk-in only, as you'd expect from most pubs, this puts drink front and centre but that's backed up by a great menu from Powell, which centres around Rotisserie chicken, along with top-notch snacks like their prawn scotch egg.

9 Chance St, London E2 7JB

Cycene is the restaurant inside Blue Mountain School in Shoreditch, with chef Taz Sarhane (ex Brooklands and Claude Bosi at Bibendum) in charge. Here you can expect a tasting menu-only experience, with a big focus on British produce and suppliers.The meal takes place throughout the building - from the bar to the kitchen and the dining room.

4 Redchurch St, London E1 6JL

Chef Tomos Parry's restaurant remains one of the hottest in the area and still manages to attract a celeb or two to the upstairs room that's a little removed from the Shoreditch masses. Up here, you'll find a menu that features a mix of cooking on fire, Welsh and Basque cuisine, and a big focus on wine. It doesn't hurt that the dining room is quite lovely.

49-51 Curtain Rd, London EC2A 3PT

Originally big in Soho and now David Carter (Smokestak) and Chris Leach's Manteca moved to Shoreditch. Designed around an open kitchen with plenty of open-fire cooking. The food is described as a nose-to-tail "Italian with a British accent" with both seasonality and a whole-animal approach to cooking the name of the day (alongside some great pasta).

Tea Building, 56 Shoreditch High Street, London E1 6JJ

James Lowe's restaurant at the Tea Building in Shoreditch proved that a restaurant in Shoreditch could gain a Michelin star. This all-day restaurant showcases his food with a regularly changing menu. Look out for special guests popping in from time to time. And they serve a damn fine coffee throughout the day.

70-74 City Rd, Old Street, London EC1Y 2BJ

This is the Old Street restaurant for Richard Corrigan, the top Irish chef who's also behind Bentley's in Mayfair. Expect a menu that has a modern European base mixed in with various Irish influences. There's an excellent pub downstairs too, in the shape of Gibney's.

36-37 Greenhill Rents, Cowcross St, London EC1M 6BN

The late, great Russell Norman, who also created Polpo, founded this restaurant just off Smithfield Market. It takes its influences primarily from Northern Italy with a particular focus on Florence. So you'll find Italian snacks and pasta alongside huge T-Bone steaks. It's also part-bar, with an extensive list of cocktail classics, so very handy if you're looking for a decent bar in the area.

43A Commercial Street, London E1 6BD

Serving up some of the best Thai food in London, the trio behind this is Andy Oliver, Mark Dobbie and Tom George. They originally gained a huge following at a Climpson's Arch residency before crowdfunding their own spot. "Regional Thai food with uncompromising flavours" is what they promise.

44 Commercial Street, London E1 6LT

Chef Tom Brown, best known for the Michelin-starred of Cornerstone, is behind this Shoreditch restaurant and oyster bar. It's a seafood-centric menu, featuring UK and Irish-sourced oysters, and you can even get crispy buffalo oysters here. A must-have dish is the cuttlefish lasagne and take note of the cocktails, which are created by Max Venning from Three Sheets.

Shoreditch Town Hall, 380 Old Street, London EC1V 9LT

One of the best restaurants in town and one of the few to make it into the World's 50 Best list, The Clove Club is now a London institution, on the must-try lists of all good gastro tourists. Head into the main restaurant for a regularly changing set menu which is at the heart of things here.

28 Kingsland Rd, London E2 8AA

Bar Valette comes from the same team behind The Clove Club, albeit with a slightly more casual vibe. They bill themselves as a European restaurant, with a menu (and drinks list) that features French and Spanish influences as well as a few Clove Club signatures.

16 Playground Gardens, London E2 7FA

This is the original Rochelle Canteen, from chef Margot Henderson and business partner Melanie Arnold, and has been held up by almost every chef in London as one of the best places to eat at in town. Henderson serves up classic, seasonal cooking. It's a little on the hard side to find - but well worth searching out.

74 Luke Street, Shoreditch, London EC2A 4PY

This is a French-style bistro in the heart of Shoreditch that comes from the same people behind Crispin and Bar Crispin. Here, they're serving up their own take on bistro-style dishes, backed up by an all-French wine list.

35 Sclater St, London E1 6LB

David Carter's smoky, steampunk room in Shoreditch shows that there is real innovation and creativity behind the macho 'cue look. There's a huge range of smoked delights like the brisket and pickled chilli bun, while there are also some gorgeous dishes for vegetarians.

1 Phipp Street, London EC2A 4PS

The original Padella is a London sensation, with its affordable fresh pasta winning friends far and wild. It's hugely popular, which led to this second outpost in Shoreditch. Expect the same great value, high quality pasta and more.

64 Shoreditch High St, London E1 6JJ

Sister restaurant to Kiln, this is the second version of Smoking Goat and a huge hit. Whether you're sitting up at the counter or enjoying a group meal with friends, enjoy a range of Thai dishes that change depending on produce and a lot of Thai BBQ as well.

151 Commercial St, London E1 6BJ

Husband and wife team Limor and Amir are behind this Shoreditch spot with a menu that celebrates Eastern Mediterranean cuisine. The menu leans towards plant-forward options with an emphasis on healthy cooking methods. Even the drinks list is similarly curated. Weekend brunches are particularly popular.

66 Cowcross St, London EC1M 6BP

Bouchon Racine saw the return of Henry Harris, who brought his classic French restaurant Racine back, this time above The Three Compasses pub in Farringdon. One of the best restaurants in the area, here you can expect an 'unashamedly French' menu that changes daily, written only on a blackboard. The pub dowsntairs features food from the same kitchen, so that's well worth a look too.

92–94 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3EA

The Quality Chop House, which has been open since 1869, has found more recent success as both a restaurant and wine bar featuring menus that are created in the morning based on what's been delivered. Come to the restaurant for the very best of British cooking and don't forget to have the legendary confit potatoes. Quality Wines is their corner cafe/restaurant with a separate but equally great menu.

88 St John Street, London EC1M 4EH

This Michelin-starred Clerkenwell restaurant is from the team behind World's 50 Best restaurant The Clove Club. An Italian restaurant using British produce it's split between a more casual cafe at the front and more formal dining in the restaurant at the back. It's also blessed with a beautiful courtyard.

26 St John Street, London EC1M 4AY

Fergus Henderson and Trevor Gulliver's renowned restaurant has for decades been many critics' favourite place in London. This is their flagship restaurant and its focus on "nose to tail" eating makes it a must-visit for anyone looking for the very best in modern British cooking. The bar here is also very good, so even if you're not dining, stopping by for a glass of one of the St John wines and a snack is highly recommended.

34 - 36 Exmouth Market, London EC1R 4QE

Back in 1997 when Moro first opened, Exmouth Market was still a scruffy Clerkenwell street and this restaurant with its implausibly good looking bar staff and open kitchen was the second most exciting thing to happen to the area food-wise since The Eagle threw open its doors. Run by the marvellously-monikered Sam and Sam Clark, it's still turning out great food in a room that's packed every day of the week.

24 Clerkenwell Green, Farringdon, London EC1R 0NA

This restaurant has taken over an old Grade II courthouse in Clerkenwell making it one of the most beautiful dining rooms in London, particularly in the evening with its gas-powered lighting. It originally featured Florence Knight in charge of the food. She's now moved on but the menu that is a mix of British, French and Italian cooking continues.

159 Farringdon Rd, Farringdon, London EC1R 3AL

The Eagle in Clerkenwell is often credited as the first modern gastropub - with restaurant-quality food being served inside a pub. Many years down the line, it's still a reliable spot for a good meal, serving up a seasonal menu in a faintly ramshackle pub. The steak sandwiches are some of the best in town.

32 Exmouth Market, London EC1R 4QL

Moro has long been one of London foodie's favourite restaurants - think of this as Sam and Sam Clark's sibling tapas bar to the original - serving up super small plates with ice-cold glasses of fino.

51 Exmouth Market, London EC1R 4QL

The team behind Dalston's Dan's wine bar is also behind Ken's in Exmouth Market, in a much a larger venue than its predecessor. here, there's a seasonal menu with Basque influences, featuring small plates and sharing dishes cooked on a Koro grill. As for drinks, the extensive wine selection focuses on smaller producers, offering both natural and classic wines.

1 Willow St, London EC2A 4BH

Llama Inn originated in Brooklyn from chef Erik Ramirez (finalist in the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef). The NYC twist on Peruvian cuisine has proven to be just as successful in London as in New York. Here, the restaurant is on the roof of the Hoxton Hotel in Shoreditch and in good weather, you definitely want to be on their terrace with a pisco sour.

71 Nile Street, London N1 7RD

This restaurant in Old Street comes from chef Joe Laker, previously at Fulham's Fenn. Here in East London, he's opened an all-counter dining restaurant which has just one dinner sitting a night, serving 16 guests. It's all ultra seasonal as well as making the most of bottling and preservation techniques to use some ingredients out of season. Downstairs, the cocktail bar Low Country is also well worth a visit.