A new deli, wine bar and bistro named after a much-loved grandmother is already winning over the Shoreditch neighbourhood with its trattoria spirit, serious culinary credentials, and unfussy brilliance.
There’s a turntable spinning a soothing Sault album in the corner, shelves groaning with artisan produce, and a counter displaying possibly the most generously proportioned pain au chocolat I’ve encountered this side of the Channel, plus countless other delights. Clara’s, which opened on Bethnal Green Road in east London in mid-October, is the kind of place that makes you want to linger — and then return with other cool pals you want to impress.
Not only is it hip, tasty and calming, but the convenience is irresistible: turn left out of Shoreditch High Street station, cross the road, and you’re there. You can’t miss it, with its sunshine-yellow exterior and sunny vibes inside, emitted by Clara’s young, friendly and supremely talented staff. It already feels like a fixture of the neighbourhood.
The name honours Clara Clarke, the grandmother of two of the founders, George and Louis Hartshorn, who passed away a couple of years ago. The brothers have teamed up with Brian Hook to launch the venture under HHH Hospitality. George, who spearheaded The Farrier — a food-focused boozier in Camden Stables Market — explains that the trio had been searching for the right site to realise their vision. “We wanted to cook good seasonal food with amazing ingredients,” he says. “What we were doing didn’t quite work in Camden because people wanted street food. So we’ve been looking for a site ever since where we can really express our passion for food, working with the best suppliers — people who are doing something really traditional or really forward-thinking, people who’ve got heart and soul in their produce.”
The solution was a hybrid model. “We thought the best way to do that was a deli where we can sell that food directly to our customers, but then we also have the bistro where we can use those ingredients in our food as well.”
The choice of name was deliberate. “Clara had a particular joie de vivre which we want to bring through our hospitality,” George continues. “She was unfussy and laughed a lot, never took herself too seriously. People don’t go into the restaurant game to make money — it’s notoriously difficult — so you might as well be having fun.”
That philosophy permeates the place. Positioned opposite the station and a pain au chocolat’s throw from Boxpark, Clara’s occupies a bright, welcoming space that shape-shifts throughout the day. Mornings bring coffee from Extract Coffee Roasters and pastries from Dusty Knuckle; lunchtime sees sandwiches and salads emerge from the kitchen until they sell out, usually by mid-afternoon. “Our shop is full to the brim of just all of the most incredible ingredients,” says George. The deli counter backs up his claim: charcuterie, cheeses from Provisions, butchery cuts from HG Walter, and a selection of tinned fish that would satisfy even the most devoted store-cupboard enthusiast.
Come evening, from Wednesday to Saturday, the 45-seat space transforms into a bistro proper. George is keen to emphasise the distinction. “We’ve gone for a bistro rather than a restaurant because we want you to know you’re going to get good quality food, but it’s more focused on the ingredients and the flavour than the presentation. It’s somewhere you can come multiple times a week for a glass of wine and a nice hearty dinner — not a fancy small-plates restaurant, more a trattoria style of eating. We want to keep it casual, but that doesn’t mean the food has to be of bad quality. It’s going to be excellent quality.”
The kitchen credentials support those ambitions. Head chef Elie Fourcroy arrives from Artusi in Peckham, which earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand under his watch. George describes the approach as “incredible quality at an accessible price point”. The evening menu leans Mediterranean with a British sensibility: duck croquettes to start (£9), followed by hake with cavolo nero, anchovies and Iberico tomatoes (£20), or a properly hearty veal goulash with gnocchi and white cabbage (£29). The Manchego fritti with ajvar sauce (£10) has already earned a reputation as something of a signature.
On the deli side, general manager Rochelle Hutchinson brings experience from the River Café, where she worked as a pastry chef. Her eye for quality suppliers shapes the retail offering. “It’s about championing small suppliers that care about the products they’re growing or creating,” she explains, “and sharing that with people in the neighbourhood. I have such a passion for food — I travel a lot and always bring back food from different cultures — so having that opportunity in Clara’s is what drew me to it.”
She’s already dreaming bigger: visiting olive farms, seeing where the salt is harvested, understanding the journey from source to plate. Suppliers are mainly European, though some hail from as far as South Africa.
The wine list deserves mention too. Thoughtfully compiled with help from Les Caves de Pyrène and others, it ranges from a Crémant de Loire by Catherine and Pierre Breton — whose family has tended plots in the Loire Valley since 1886 — to a Benjamin Bridge Brut from Nova Scotia, made by a certified B Corp that supports the local Mi’kmaq community. Glasses start at £7.50, and there’s even a house beer, Pacifico ‘Clara’, for those who prefer hops to grapes.
For those seeking involvement beyond eating and drinking, Clara’s launches workshops in the new year. In January, pastry chef Grace Bailey — currently at Noble Rot and formerly of Dusty Knuckle and Luminary — will lead a tarte tatin masterclass. The £75 ticket includes four hours of hands-on baking, anchovy toast, fresh madeleines and house wine, and you leave with your own tatin.
Clara’s represents something increasingly rare: a genuinely independent neighbourhood spot with serious culinary ambition and zero pretension. The grandmother it honours would, one suspects, approve.
Clara’s, 17 Bethnal Green Road, London E1 6LA. Deli open daily from 8am; bistro Wednesday to Sunday evenings. For reservations and workshop bookings, visit claraslondon.com and see also clarasdeliwineandbistro on Instagram. The tarte tatin masterclasses with Grace Bailey are priced at £75 and booking now, click the link for tickets on the 18th January and 25th January.
