Moro

Sam and Sam Clark opened Moro on Exmouth Market in the spring of 1997, after months travelling through Spain, Morocco and the Sahara, and the restaurant has cooked from that southern-Mediterranean territory ever since. A wood-fired oven and charcoal grill anchor the open front kitchen; bread bakes as lamb and chorizo cook over the coals, and the long dining room fills with the smell of it. The wine and sherry list leans deep into Spain, and the cooking has held the same clarity of purpose for nearly three decades.

For private events the restaurant offers two options. The Private Dining Room, tucked just off the kitchen pass, seats up to 32 along a custom banquette and holds 40 for a standing reception, with its own waiter and a seasonal set menu. For larger occasions the whole restaurant is available exclusively, seating up to 110. Casa Moro handles off-site catering for events beyond Exmouth Market.

Moro reads as a neighbourhood institution rather than a grand room, which is much of its appeal for a private gathering: a warm, convivial dining room with a long-established kitchen behind it, on one of Clerkenwell's most enjoyable pedestrian streets.