A stylish, welcoming Hotel Indigo restaurant with broadly praised food and standout hospitality, though the current menu is fairly compact and one recent review reports a serious fish-quality failure.
Wilderness Kitchen delivers strong food quality and attentive service, anchored by consistently praised staff and well-executed modern British cooking. A recent quality dip and occasional inconsistency prevent a higher grade, while the hotel setting offers pleasant but not distinctive ambiance, keeping it from approaching grade A territory.
Wilderness Kitchen is the polished dining room inside the recently opened Hotel Indigo London Clerkenwell: warm lighting, smart hotel design, and a generally calm, comfortable room. Reviews repeatedly describe the welcome as effortless and attentive—one representative impression is that staff seemed to appear just when needed without hovering. The adjoining pub can add energy, and occasionally some noise. The cooking is modern British comfort food with a Mediterranean-leaning supporting cast: steak, pie, burger, fish and chips, roast chicken, risotto, prawns, arancini, and octopus. Familiar plates are given thoughtful touches rather than theatrical reinvention, and the strongest review mentions cluster around risotto, pork belly, prawns, arancini, Scotch eggs, and burgers. Most diners find the food delicious and reasonably priced for a central hotel, although one recent, highly specific report of overcooked red snapper is a meaningful reminder that execution can vary. Families have plenty of realistic choices: burger, haddock and chips, chicken, pie, roast chicken, hand-cut chips, and gelato are all more approachable than the adventurous starters. Reviews include a child enjoying the chicken, and the menu also offers several vegan dishes for mixed groups. It is family-suitable, though the compact menu and polished hotel setting may feel better suited to a relaxed meal than a noisy kids-first outing.
Area vibe: Creative, design and food-focused area with a mix of historic streets and modern developments.
Safety: Generally safe with good evening footfall around main roads, though side streets are quieter at night.
What's nearby: Close to Farringdon and Clerkenwell Green, near design studios, offices, Exmouth Market and good transport (Farringdon tube/rail).
The menu’s safest bets range from mushroom risotto and chilli prawns to pork belly and the chicken pie, with one fish-related caveat.
Expect polished hotel dining and attentive service, but plan ahead for a compact menu, an occasionally noisier adjoining pub, and variable service speed.
The room leans calm and polished, though the connected pub can bring extra energy and occasional noise to an otherwise understated hotel setting.