Vesper

Vesper (like the Martini, not the moped) is London’s latest restaurant du jour. With its chalk-white exterior, whitewashed brickwork, and cosy, candlelit bistro tables, there’s an unmistakable air of Paris about the place. Dancing away behind the stoves is Jackson Boxer - a chef enjoying a new lease of life following the runaway success of his Notting Hill hit, Dove.

Vesper is altogether scene-ier than its West London sibling. Where Dove recedes gracefully into the background, Vesper demands your attention with massive street-side windows and a colossal stainless-steel bar swarmed by staff in crisp white chore jackets. Tables are tight, giving the room an electric, buzzy energy. ‘Buzzy’ is, of course, what an estate agent calls your drywall studio flat with paper-thin walls, but here it actually works: the atmosphere is infectious and surprisingly accessible.

Boxer remains one of London’s most inventive culinary minds, crafting menus that double as cryptic puzzles. Vesper is no exception, requiring a fair bit of decoding. If you instantly grasp what Robiola ‘Stutz’ is, or can effortlessly parse ‘Ronde de Nice courgette, Piattone beans, Vadouvan cream, and hazelnut romesco’, all power to you. Fortunately, the floor staff are as charming as they are sharp, happily steering you past the jargon.

The famous Dove burger has made the trip across town, now re-housed in a pool of peppercorn sauce. It’s even messier to navigate than before, but no less magnificent (though best shared - only a heroic glutton could demolish a whole one). And save room you should, because the kitchen is firing on all cylinders: there are plump Palourde clams and fat Coco beans bathed in cider cream; massive prawns sporting angry char marks, brushed with black lime butter; and a sublime, nonna-level bowl of chicken liver agnolotti swimming in a glossy Madeira reduction.

Not everything hits with quite the same aplomb. Baked crab with saffron rice reads like a dream on paper, but arrives slightly over-fired, leaving the prized, crispy rice welded inexorably to the pan and tantalisingly out of reach. Still, a bit of stubborn socarrat isn’t about to derail Boxer’s latest hit. Yes, it’s flashy and a bit sceney, but underneath that cool-kid exterior, Vesper is a proper restaurant delivering moments of genuine brilliance.

Vesper is a restaurant on Exmouth Market from chef-patron Jackson Boxer, taking over a prominent double-fronted corner site at numbers 8–10. Named after the Roman word for Venus as it appears at dusk, the restaurant takes its cues from the relaxing, gentle glow of the evening star. 

Vesper follows Dove in Notting Hill, which opened in early 2025 and quickly earned both public and critical acclaim for its balance of luxury and accessibility. The same creative, approachable sensibility underpins Vesper, though the restaurant has its own distinct identity, rooted in its Clerkenwell setting and the rhythm of Exmouth Market.

The interiors have been designed by Jermaine Gallacher, creating a 70-cover space with an easy elegance and a touch of edge. Floor-to-ceiling timber-framed windows flood the room with light by day, while evenings bring a more intimate feel, with a relaxed bar at the front, a candlelit dining room beyond and a terrace of bistro tables for people-watching over drinks and snacks.

The menu is broad, seasonal and designed for flexible dining, moving from small plates to more substantial dishes. Starters and snacks include malted bread with butter and oil, oysters with green apple and chartreuse, croquettes filled with smoked fish Arnold Bennett-style, and raw beef tostadas with smoked pepper. Seafood features prominently, from red mullet with smoked cream and golden tomato to Dorset clams with black beans and white pepper, alongside sole fritters and grilled prawns.

Mains range from vegetable-led plates such as smoked squash with pumpkin seeds and peanut cream, to roast chicken with bread sauce and salted lemon, glazed lamb shoulder with merguez and devilled kidney, and beef shoulder chop with shimeji mushrooms and saffron rice. Desserts keep things classic and restrained, including canelé with milk and rum and chocolate porter cake.

A concise cocktail list focuses on clean, precise serves, complemented by an approachable wine list with a few more ambitious bottles at the top end.