Café Clement, London WC2: ‘Turns out it’s really rather good’ – restaurant review
A restaurant review of Café Clement, the newly opened all-day bistro inside Nick Jones' St Clement Hotel in central London, praises its elegant atmosphere, skilled kitchen leadership under chef Danny Bohan, and carefully executed European cuisine, despite some inconsistent dishes and inevitable high demand from celebrity diners.
Summary
Café Clement is an all-day restaurant that opened in June 2024 inside the St Clement Hotel at 180 The Thames in central London, created by Nick Jones, the founder of Soho House. The venue immediately attracted celebrity clientele including Stanley Tucci, Nick Grimshaw, and Paul Mescal, though the hotel itself was still under construction. The full hotel and rooftop restaurant Lunette are scheduled to open in early autumn with chef Florence Knight.
The restaurant itself features elegant but understated design with white linen and vintage Cassina chairs, an open kitchen behind ornate glass screens, a south-facing terrace, and a back garden. The staff is notably personable and competent, described as numbering around 345. The menu offers broadly European fancy bistro fare including spatchcocked chicken, crab dishes, pastas, grills, and desserts, designed to provide comfort and mollification rather than challenging cuisine.
Chef Danny Bohan leads the kitchen after spending 20 years at the River Cafe, most recently as head chef working with Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers. The reviewer finds that while the food could be merely passable given the venue's celebrity status and prestige, it proves to be genuinely well-executed. Standout dishes include eggs mayonnaise (jammy with earthy mustard mayo), a stunning cheese soufflé, sharply pickled steak tartare, delicately arranged sea bass carpaccio, and gorgeous baked beetroots. The chocolate mousse and custard tart are also praised.
However, not all dishes succeed: the fish casserole is described as thin, pale, and lacking substance, while retro potato wedges don't justify their carb content. Despite these minor missteps, the reviewer concludes that Café Clement quietly surpasses expectations, offering fun and joyful dining with thoughtful execution. The cost is approximately £60 per head for three courses plus drinks and service. The reviewer predicts increasing difficulty in securing reservations as the Thames area develops.
About this episode
<p>I am forever curious as to how these kind of sizzling places feel on a normal Tuesday two months in, especially when the celebrities are all off sunning their bottoms in Tuscany</p><p><a href="https://stclement.co.uk/cafe-clement">Café Clement</a>, the all-day restaurant inside Nick Jones’ new St Clement Hotel at 180 The Thames in central London, opened with a bang in June and immediately rocketed to the top of every “sell your grandmother for a terrace table” list in London. Which isn’t <em>that</em> much of a surprise, seeing as Jones, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/nov/16/founder-of-soho-house-private-members-club-to-step-down">founder of Soho House</a>, is the master of restaurant rumpus.</p><p>Within days, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/stanley-tucci">Stanley Tucci</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/nick-grimshaw">Nick Grimshaw</a> and full-length-trouser-phobic heart-throb <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/paul-mescal">Paul Mescal</a> were all there, tucking into <em>oeufs mayonnaise</em> and lobster omelettes while politely ignoring the fact that the place was still, in many ways, a building site. The hotel itself isn’t due to open fully until early autumn, when a rooftop restaurant, <a href="https://www.lunette.london/">Lunette</a>, will also arrive with some of London’s most wondrous views and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/profile/florence-knight">Florence Knight</a> at the helm. Still, Café Clement opened to frothy praise, and I am forever curious as to how these kind of sizzling places feel on a normal Tuesday two months in, when the celebrities are all off sunning their bottoms in Tuscany and, frankly, lunch is not free.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/food/2026/aug/23/cafe-clement-london-wc2-restaurant-review-grace-dent">Continue reading...</a>
Key Insights
- The reviewer argues that Café Clement's food quality is unexpectedly excellent given that many high-profile celebrity restaurants could succeed on prestige alone, with the kitchen choosing to invest in exceptional produce rather than garnishes destined for the bin.
- Chef Danny Bohan's 20-year tenure at the River Cafe—a restaurant where starters cost £51 and mains £69—translates into careful, considered cooking that elevates Café Clement beyond typical celebrity brasserie fare.
- The reviewer observes that the restaurant maintains elegance without excess, suggesting that Nick Jones' design philosophy favors restraint and personality-driven staff hiring over ostentation.
- The author identifies inconsistency in execution, with some dishes like the fish casserole failing to deliver substance despite the kitchen's generally high standards, indicating variable performance across the menu.
- The reviewer predicts that Café Clement will become increasingly difficult to book as the Thames area continues to develop, suggesting location advantage will compound the restaurant's existing celebrity-driven demand.
Topics
Transcript
Café Clement , the all-day restaurant inside Nick Jones’ new St Clement Hotel at 180 The Thames in central London, opened with a bang in June and immediately rocketed to the top of every “sell your grandmother for a terrace table” list in London. Which isn’t that much of a surprise, seeing as Jones, founder of Soho House , is the master of restaurant rumpus. Within days, Stanley Tucci , Nick Grimshaw and full-length-trouser-phobic heart-throb Paul Mescal were all there, tucking into oeufs mayonnaise and lobster omelettes while politely ignoring the fact that the place was still, in many ways, a building site. The hotel itself isn’t due to open fully until early autumn, when a rooftop restaurant, Lunette ,…
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