Restaurant in London, United Kingdom
Mediterranean sharing plates, serious wine, fair prices.
Morchella is a Michelin Bib Gourmand Mediterranean restaurant in a converted Clerkenwell bank, with a serious natural wine bar and a sharing menu that holds up across multiple visits. At ££ pricing, the set lunch is one of EC1's better-value meals. Book a table rather than the counter, and spend time on the Funky end of the wine list.
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, and 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, and 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.
Morchella occupies a converted former bank on Exmouth Market, and 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.
For a mid-range Clerkenwell restaurant, the wine bar at Morchella punches above its price point. The list is predominantly organic, biodynamic, and European, organised into three categories , Classic, Coastal, and 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, and 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.
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.
Morchella holds a Google rating of 4.7 across 624 reviews, which is a reliable signal of consistency rather than hype. 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, and 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 leading 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.
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, and 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, and counter seating is uncomfortable enough to flag in advance. Book a table, go at lunch if you want the leading value, and spend time on the Funky end of the wine list.
The counter seating around the open kitchen is the natural solo option, but it is genuinely uncomfortable for a long meal. If you are dining solo and plan to stay for two or more courses, ask for a small table rather than the counter. The wine bar to one side of the main room is also a reasonable option for a solo visit , the staff are approachable and the list rewards exploration with guidance. At ££ pricing, solo dining here costs less than at comparable-quality spots in Soho or Mayfair.
Smart casual is the right call. The former bank setting and oak panelling give the room some formality, but the vibe is laid-back Clerkenwell rather than City formal. Jeans and a decent shirt or similar work fine. There is no stated dress code, and the Bib Gourmand positioning confirms this is not a jacket-required room. Overdressing will feel out of place; underdressing slightly will not.
The spaghetti alle vongole is the one dish on the menu worth keeping to yourself rather than sharing , order it if it is available. The lobster spaghetti with shellfish and tomato sauce and the slow-cooked pork jowl with quince compôte have drawn consistent praise. The spanakopita is the right snack to open with. For dessert, the black fig and fig-leaf choux bun is the kitchen's leading closing argument. On wine, if you have been before and stayed in the Classic category, move to Coastal or Funky this time.
The large converted bank space means Morchella can handle groups more comfortably than many comparably-priced London restaurants. The sharing menu format is well-suited to groups of four to eight. For larger parties, contact the restaurant directly to discuss arrangements , the space has capacity, but the open-plan room and hard surfaces mean noise levels rise sharply when the room fills. Groups wanting a quieter experience should aim for an earlier sitting rather than peak Friday or Saturday evening.
Easier to book than its Bib Gourmand status might suggest. Weekday lunch slots are often available with a few days' notice. Weekend dinner is the hardest window , aim for one to two weeks ahead to be safe. The lunch set menu is the best-value entry point and also the most accessible booking. If you are flexible on timing, midweek dinner is the sweet spot between availability and atmosphere.
The Mediterranean sharing menu includes both seafood and meat dishes, with some vegetable-forward options. The kitchen's track record with dishes like spanakopita suggests awareness of non-meat diets, but the menu is not structured around dietary categories. For specific requirements , particularly allergies , contact the restaurant before booking. The website and phone number are not listed in Pearl's current data, so the most reliable route is to contact them directly via their reservation platform at the time of booking.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morchella | Mediterranean Cuisine | ££ | Set in a converted former bank, Morchella sports a small but well-stocked wine bar to one side, offering largely natural and biodynamic options that the wine list describes as either ‘Classic’, ‘Coastal’ or ‘Funky’. On the food side of things, the menu has a Mediterranean slant and is designed for sharing – although if the spaghetti alle vongole is available, you’ll be loath to give any up. Service is bright and breezy, while the great value lunch menu means you can dine without breaking the bank, so to speak.; While Ben Marks and Matt Emerson's restaurant Perilla is known for its cool, bijou space, their second opening in Clerkenwell's Exmouth Market has gone large, taking over a former bank. It is grand in scale, buffed up by oak panelling, parquet flooring and oak furnishings, while arched wood-framed windows let in loads of natural light; there’s an adjacent wine bar, too. However, it can get noisy when it's busy due to all the hard surfaces and the clatter from the open-plan kitchen (with achingly uncomfortable counter seating), which sits bang in the centre of things. Still, Perilla and Morchella are proof that the best things do come in pairs – here the ambience is laid-back, with a great soundtrack and a bevy of friendly, relaxed staff. Food-wise, expect a repertoire of Mediterranean-inspired dishes that are warming and generous: our snack of spinach and feta spanakopita wrapped in the most delicate filo pastry fitted the bill perfectly, while lobster spaghetti, served with a rich shellfish and tomato sauce topped off with fresh basil, was a perfect antidote to the dreary weather outside. The kitchen is equally adept with meat and we were impressed by a tender slow-cooked pork jowl with beautifully thin, crispy crackling) and a dollop of quince compôte. To finish, we recommend the black fig and fig-leaf choux bun. There's a good-value set menu too, and the owners have nailed their vinous colours to the mast with a list of predominantly organic, biodynamic and European wines, categorised as ‘classic’, ‘coastal’ or ‘funky’. Those with a taste for cocktails aren't short-changed either.; Opinionated About Dining Casual in Europe (2025); Michelin Bib Gourmand (2025); Michelin Bib Gourmand (2024) | Easy | — |
| CORE by Clare Smyth | Modern British | ££££ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Restaurant Gordon Ramsay | Contemporary European, French | ££££ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library | Modern French | ££££ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| The Ledbury | Modern European, Modern Cuisine | ££££ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Dinner by Heston Blumenthal | Modern British, Traditional British | ££££ | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Morchella and alternatives.
It works, but solo dining is not where Morchella shines. The sharing-format menu is designed for two or more, so you'll either over-order or miss half the menu going alone. The wine bar side is the better option for a solo visit — order a glass from the organic and biodynamic list and a plate or two without committing to a full spread. The counter seating in the main room is reportedly uncomfortable, so aim for a table if you can.
Casual is the right call. Morchella holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand — which recognises good cooking at reasonable prices, not formal dining — and the vibe is described as laid-back with friendly, relaxed staff. Come as you would for a good neighbourhood restaurant: no need to dress up, but scruffy is out of place in the oak-panelled former bank room.
The spaghetti alle vongole is specifically flagged as a dish worth keeping to yourself rather than sharing, which is about as clear a recommendation as you'll get. The kitchen is noted for handling both seafood and meat well, with slow-cooked pork and spanakopita cited as strong performers. If available, the black fig and fig-leaf choux bun is the dessert to order. The set lunch menu is the highest-value entry point.
Yes, with caveats. The former bank space is large by Clerkenwell standards, so groups are manageable. The sharing-format Mediterranean menu actually suits groups well — more people means more dishes covered. The main drawback is noise: hard surfaces and an open kitchen make the room loud when busy, which can make conversation difficult for larger parties. Book ahead and request a table away from the counter.
A few days to a week should secure a table for most sittings, making Morchella notably easier to book than most London restaurants with comparable recognition. The lunch set menu is the most accessible time slot. Back-to-back Bib Gourmands in 2024 and 2025 will have increased demand, so weekends may need slightly more lead time — but this is not a months-in-advance booking scenario.
The venue data does not confirm specific dietary accommodation policies. What is clear is that the Mediterranean sharing menu includes both seafood and meat as prominent components, so pescatarians and omnivores are well-served by the format. If you have specific requirements, check the venue's official channels via 86 Rosebery Ave, London EC1R 4QY before booking — the sharing-plate format can be limiting for strict dietary needs if substitutions are not available.
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