Morchella

Who Should Book Morchella

Morchella at 86 Rosebery Avenue is the right call for anyone who wants a genuinely relaxed Clerkenwell lunch or dinner; shared Mediterranean plates, a wine list worth spending time on, a room that earns its setting. If you went once for lunch and wondered whether to return for dinner, the answer is yes. The format rewards repeat visits: the sharing menu changes, the wine bar has enough depth to explore across multiple sittings, the Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition in both 2024 and 2025 confirms the kitchen has stayed consistent rather than coasting on early momentum. This is the kind of neighbourhood restaurant that Londoners with options keep coming back to.

The Room and the Setting

Morchella occupies a converted former bank on Exmouth Market, the bones of that building are the first thing you notice. Oak panelling, parquet flooring, arched wood-framed windows that pull in natural light even on a grey London afternoon; it is a generous, high-ceilinged space that feels considered rather than dressed up. The wine bar sits to one side, a sensible architectural choice that separates the drinkers from the dining room without making either feel like an afterthought. The open-plan kitchen sits at the centre of the room, which works visually but adds to the noise when the place fills up. Counter seating around the kitchen is the weakest spot in the room, the stools are uncomfortable enough that you will notice it over a longer meal. Request a table rather than the counter if you are staying more than an hour.

The Drinks Program

For a mid-range Clerkenwell restaurant, the wine bar at Morchella punches above its price point. The list is predominantly organic, biodynamic, European, organised into three categories, Classic, Coastal, Funky, which is a practical shorthand that actually helps rather than just sounding clever. If you are returning after a first visit where you stuck to the safer end of the list, the Funky category is worth exploring: this is where the more natural, lower-intervention bottles sit, the staff know the list well enough to guide you without a lecture. The bar also handles cocktails for guests who want to open the evening before committing to wine. For a comparable natural wine focus in London, Peckham Cellars is the other obvious reference point, though the food program at Morchella is stronger. On the broader Mediterranean-with-good-wine circuit, Oren and Bala Baya are the comparators, Morchella's wine list is more developed than either.

The Food

Chef Daniel Fletcher runs a sharing-format Mediterranean menu that is built for generosity rather than precision. The kitchen handles both seafood and meat with equal confidence: lobster spaghetti with a shellfish and tomato sauce, slow-cooked pork jowl with crispy crackling and quince compôte, spinach and feta spanakopita in thin filo, these are dishes designed to be eaten without thinking too hard about them, which is a quality that is harder to achieve than it sounds. The spaghetti alle vongole, when it appears on the menu, is the dish most worth ordering alone rather than sharing. For dessert, the black fig and fig-leaf choux bun is the one to finish on. The set lunch menu is where the value is sharpest, two courses at Bib Gourmand pricing in EC1R is a direct yes for anyone nearby. Compared to the more cerebral approach at neighbours on the London Mediterranean circuit, this is cooking that prioritises pleasure over statement.

Practical Details

Booking is easy by London standards, a Bib Gourmand at this price tier would normally mean a two-to-three-week lead time at minimum, but Morchella is more accessible than that reputation might suggest. Weekend evenings book faster than weekday slots, the lunch service on weekdays is the easiest entry point if you are flexible. The address is 86 Rosebery Avenue, EC1R 4QY, a short walk from Angel or Farringdon. The price range sits at ££, meaning a full dinner with wine from the bar should land well short of what you would spend at comparable quality in Mayfair or the City. For other dining options in the area, Bellanger on Islington Green is the nearest alternative worth considering, though the wine program is not in the same league. For a broader view of where Morchella sits in the London dining picture, see our full London restaurants guide. If you are building a wider trip around EC1, our London hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide cover the surrounding ground. For serious wine destination dining outside London, The Fat Duck in Bray, L'Enclume in Cartmel, and Moor Hall in Aughton represent the upper tier of the UK's destination restaurant circuit, different category, different spend. For Mediterranean cooking at the highest level elsewhere in Europe, Arnaud Donckele & Maxime Frédéric at Louis Vuitton in Saint-Tropez and La Brezza in Ascona are the reference points, though neither shares Morchella's casual register or price tier. For UK countryside dining at a more considered pace, Gidleigh Park in Chagford, Hand and Flowers in Marlow, and hide and fox in Saltwood offer a different kind of long lunch if a day trip is on the table. And for hotels in a different register altogether, The Twenty Two in Mayfair shows what the best of the London hotel-restaurant market looks like, worth knowing if you want to understand the full spectrum. Our London wineries guide rounds out the drinks picture for anyone whose interest was piqued by Morchella's natural wine focus.

The Verdict

Morchella earns its back-to-back Bib Gourmands. The former bank space is one of the more attractive rooms in EC1, the wine program is more serious than the price point suggests, the kitchen cooks Mediterranean sharing food that holds up across multiple visits. The main caveat is noise, a full room on a Friday evening is loud, counter seating is uncomfortable enough to flag in advance. Book a table, go at lunch if you want the leading value, spend time on the Funky end of the wine list.