Al fresco dining is one of the little pleasures of summer. As the days get longer and the temperatures rise, London’s terraces, courtyards and rooftops bloom, drawing the city outdoors for long lunches, early suppers and those golden-hour dinners that make even a working week feel like a holiday.
In St James’s, a short walk from Mayfair, Claro occupies the former banking halls of 12 Waterloo Place. This Michelin Guide-listed treasure serves modern Mediterranean food with Middle Eastern influences and a contemporary touch. The kitchen, led by Head Chef Shadi Issawy, highlights seasonal British ingredients lifted by aromatic herbs, bold spices and vibrant flavours.
The dining room features high double-height ceilings, chequered stone floors and a sweeping open-kitchen counter that anchors the space. Diners can sit there to watch the chefs at work, or book the upper-level loft for a more intimate chef’s table experience. In summer, Claro opens its terrace, a small oasis with a handful of tables framed by herb planters, many of which find their way into the cooking.
Set inside a grand, Grade II-listed former banking hall, the main dining room of Claro London features
impressive double-height ceilings, original cornicing, and elegant chequered stone flooring.
As the restaurant is strictly ingredient-led, the menu changes daily, depending on the best produce available at the market each morning. When we visited, the food offering was an anthem to the sea. Assistant manager Sebastiano, immensely proud of the menu, brought us enough food to feed an army.
Our feast started with frena bread, a soft Middle Eastern loaf with the dangerous comfort of a buttery brioche. It is utterly delicious and terrible for the waistline in the most forgivable way. A colourful plate of fresh-cured sardines with pickled chilli and cured blue radish followed, together with slow-cooked salsify and parsnip. The sardines were clean, bright and beautifully handled: fresh enough to taste of the sea, but sharpened by the chilli and radish so the richness never became heavy.
Something I had never tried before was the shrimp falafel, perfectly crunchy on the outside and soft, sweet and fragrant within. It is a clever dish because the texture does so much of the work: crisp shell, tender centre, then a lift from fresh herb tahini and fermented peppers that brings heat and acidity without overpowering the shrimp.
Claro’s menu changes everyday as they source the freshest ingredients available at the market. Here featured from the left: Smoked pink trout; octopus carpaccio with crème fraîche, pickled za’atar and sriracha; and slow-cooked salsify with Skordalia cream, feta and roasted onion.
For mains, I had pan-seared calamari with almond tahini, grilled lettuce and chimichurri. The calamari had enough char to bring out its natural sweetness, while the almond tahini added depth and the chimichurri kept the plate fresh, green and lively. My companion chose the halibut steak with Greek-style puff pastry, red peppers and yoghurt sauce. It was the more substantial of the two mains: the fish meaty and well judged, the pastry adding comfort and crunch, the yoghurt bringing everything back into balance.
With this kind of food, so rich in flavour and spice, wine pairing can be complicated, but we rose to the challenge and picked two winning wines. I had Xisto Ilimitado Branco, Luis Seabra, Douro 2023, while my companion chose Bourgogne Blanc, Alain Chavy, 2022. As different as they sound, both worked because they had the acidity to cut through tahini, pastry and spice, enough texture to stand up to seafood and herbs, and enough clarity not to fight the fermented peppers, chimichurri or chilli.
The dessert menu continues the Eastern Mediterranean influence with offerings such as malabi, a traditional milk pudding with roots in Persia, served with red syrup, crisp kadaif and fresh strawberries. Others show a clear British Isles influence, such as the date and whiskey caramel cake, which arrives in a sizzling cast-iron pan, balanced with pecans and coconut ice cream. Sebastiano also shared that the dark chocolate mousse is a customer favourite, served over tahini crumble, crème anglaise and a sesame tuile.
On a summer evening, with the scent of herbs drifting from the planters and the hum of St James’s just beyond the terrace, Claro makes a persuasive case for staying outside a little longer.
CLARO London
12 Waterloo Place, St James’s
London SW1Y 4AU
Tel. +44 (0)20 4580 1429
reservations@claro-london.com
Author: Lina Ress
Lead image © Joe Howard
Other al fresco restaurants in London recommended by I-M Magazine include Coq d’Argent, Paper Moon at The OWO, Cé La Vi and Angler Rooftop.
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