Café Clement, the all-day restaurant housed within Nick Jones' St Clement Hotel at 180 The Thames in central London, opened on 16 June 2026 with considerable fanfare and swiftly became one of the capital's most coveted dining destinations. Two months into service, after the initial celebrity rush has subsided and the novelty has worn thin, the restaurant continues to deliver genuinely accomplished cooking that justifies its early hype.
Jones, the founder of Soho House who stepped down as chief executive in 2022 to pursue independent projects, has long demonstrated an instinct for creating spaces where people want to be seen. Within days of opening, prominent figures were photographed enjoying oeufs mayonnaise and lobster omelettes, even as the hotel itself remained very much a construction site. The hotel was not scheduled to open fully until September 2026, with a rooftop restaurant to follow in the autumn. Yet Café Clement's soft opening generated immediate enthusiasm, and the question that lingers is whether the cooking can sustain interest once the spotlight moves elsewhere.
The restaurant occupies an elegant space that avoids excessive decoration: white linen, vintage furnishings, and an open kitchen visible through ornate glass screens create an atmosphere of understated sophistication. The staffing is notably generous—service feels attentive without hovering—and the team appears selected as much for personality as for technical skill. A south-facing terrace overlooking the Thames and a garden seating area extend the dining experience beyond the main room. The restaurant operates as a French-Italian brasserie, offering broadly European fare designed to appeal to a central London clientele seeking comfort alongside refinement.
The menu reflects this philosophy: spatchcocked chicken with speck and green bean vinaigrette, Dorset crab with marinated tomatoes and aïoli, hearty meat and fish casseroles, pastas, grills, and a selection of chocolate and fruit-based desserts. Steak haché with crinkle-cut chips and roast duck with dripping potatoes sit alongside cosmos cocktails and a substantial chocolate mousse designed for sharing. The kitchen is led by Danny Bohan, who spent two decades at the River Café, most recently as head chef, working under Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers—names that carry considerable weight among food enthusiasts. That pedigree matters: it signals an approach to cooking rooted in ingredient quality and technique rather than gratuitous garnish.
Does the food justify the hype?
Café Clement's cooking is pleasing and careful in equal measure, suggesting a kitchen genuinely committed to exceptional produce. Eggs mayonnaise arrive jammy and generously stuffed, the mayonnaise earthy and mustardy without tipping into richness. Served plainly—no trout roe, no caviar—they benefit from their simplicity. The cheese soufflé is outstanding: upright, luscious, deeply savoury. A sharply pickled steak tartare comes free-form on the plate with carta di musica Sardinian flatbread, while sea bass carpaccio is simply and beautifully arranged, balancing sweetness and acidity with precision.
A side of summer beetroots at £7 exemplifies the kitchen's philosophy: sweet, plump, properly baked, buttery, and executed with enough care to make one wonder why baked beets do not appear on every side menu. The £18 chocolate mousse for two arrives with the energy of an unstructured brownie and the ability to induce a considerable sugar high—neither of which constitutes a complaint. A fresh, wobbly slice of custard tart comes with a mush of sweet strawberries and additional custard.
Where does the cooking fall short?
Not every dish succeeds. The fish casserole is thin and pale, a bouillabaisse in search of purpose: some mussels, a piece of fish, little else. It would suit those watching their intake, though it lacks the depth and richness the dish demands. A side of crinkle-cut potato wedges does not justify the carbohydrate commitment. These are minor stumbles in an otherwise assured performance.
What makes this restaurant matter?
Café Clement quietly surpasses expectations in a way that feels increasingly rare in central London's restaurant scene. The cooking is fun, joyous, and thoughtfully executed. The St Clement Hotel is a 90-room property with 15 apartments for long-term stays, part of the wider 180 Quarter development that is beginning to reshape this stretch of the Thames. As the area continues to flourish, access to tables will become increasingly difficult. The restaurant succeeds because it offers genuine hospitality and accomplished cooking rather than relying solely on celebrity footfall or architectural novelty. Come for the prospect of spotting familiar faces, certainly, but stay for the oeufs mayonnaise and the evident care that underpins every plate.
Café Clement, St Clement Hotel, 180 The Thames, 12 Temple Place, London WC2. Telephone: 020-4632 6660. Open seven days a week, 7am–11pm (9pm on Sunday). Expect to spend approximately £60 per person for three courses, before drinks and service.
