The story
One Club Row, at 1 Club Row in Shoreditch, London, serves an American kitchen shaped by New York taverns and Paris bistros, and The Good Food Guide rated it Good in 2026. The dining room sits on the first floor above The Knave of Clubs, a gastropub, and is reached through a graffiti-covered door at the back of the pub.
Patrick Powell, formerly of Allegra and the Midland Grand Dining Room, looks to New York for the menu. Founders James Dye and Benjy Leibowitz built the restaurant around big flavours and generous portions. The National Restaurant Awards describes it as crowd-pleasing, with a strong martini list.
Start with the pickled jalapeño gougères and the steak tartare on beef dripping toast. The cheeseburger au poivre comes with a jug of peppercorn sauce for dunking. Pork schnitzel arrives with sauce moutarde and gorgonzola, and the Caesar salad is finished with aged Parmesan. The New York style cheesecake, served with quince and calvados, suits the menu's tavern theme.
The Grade II listed Victorian building keeps its original 19th century panelling, fireplace and cornicing. Prints by London artist Joy Yamusangie hang on the walls. A piano player performs at weekends, and the room grows louder as the martinis go out. Upstairs, rooms that once held a private apartment now host private dining and events.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
One Club Row, the dining room above the revitalised Knave of Clubs in Shoreditch, is a restaurant at the height of its powers. Unless you pounce early (reservations open eight weeks ahead), you may be stuck with 5.30pm or 9.45pm. We choose early and find we’re not even the first there, the evening buzz building with every martini shaken and served. New York meets Paris in a classic bistro setting, characterised by colourful posters, white tablecloths, bentwood chairs, and a piano player at the weekend. Chef Patrick Powell (previously at Allegra and the Midland Grand Dining Room) looks more towards New York for his menu. The burger, with ‘au poivre’ sauce for dipping, is a signature, along with excellent Caesar salad, sirloin steak, and lobster and country ham croquettes. It’s not the weather for tomato and peach gazpacho at inspection but we can still admire the flavour (even if the peachy sweetness is near absent) and the addition of goats’ curd and red pepper is a nice touch. Steak tartare is pleasingly coarse-cut, arriving ready dressed and spicy. Pork schnitzel with sauce moutarde and Gorgonzola is as rich as it sounds but is well fried and not oily. Side orders – including nicely snappy green beans – prove necessary for balance. Desserts are uninspiring though respectable: the New York cheesecake fits the theme. The Francophile wine list opens at £35 and keeps mostly under £100. Prices are fair across the board; One Club Row feels like a restaurant that genuinely hopes to see you again. N.B. Walk-ins are often available; an illuminated ‘walk-in seats available’ sign at street-level lets you know if so.
The creation of James Dye and Benjy Leibowitz, One Club Row is located above gastropub The Knave of Clubs and is accessed by an inauspicious but much photographed graffiti covered door to the back of the pub.The restaurant, which is inspired by the brasseries of Paris and taverns of New York, was last year's One to Watch and its enduring popularity means that it has made it onto the 2026 list proper. The appeal is simple: One Club Row is an unashamedly crowd-pleasing offer, with big flavours and hearty portions, a strong drinks offer that leans into the martini, and a bright and buzzy first floor dining room that makes you feel you could step outside and be in Brooklyn. Start with the pickled jalapeño gougères and the steak tartare with beef dripping bread before moving on to the burger au poivre that comes with a jug of rich peppercorn sauce for dunking, or the pork schnitzel with sauce moutarde and gorgonzola. The space itself has been lovingly restored, with original 19th century panelling, fireplace and cornicing still intact, complemented by a series of prints from London artist Joy Yamusangie. It's a buzzy, jovial space that has old fashioned hospitality at its core.
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