Italian restaurant near Exmouth Market, Clerkenwell
Exmouth Market is one of Clerkenwell's best-loved streets, lined with cafes, restaurants and independent shops. It also has a surprising Italian connection. ...
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Comedy, music, family shows and student theatre: the Bloomsbury Theatre on Gordon Street has one of the busiest programmes in this part of London. It's about 870 metres from Fiena, our family-run Italian cafe, bar and restaurant at 4 Medway Court, Judd Street, London WC1H 9QX, roughly a 12-minute walk. Here's a little about the theatre, what's coming up, and how to fit in dinner first.
The Bloomsbury Theatre, at 15 Gordon Street, WC1H 0AH, is part of University College London and is the official theatre of Students' Union UCL. It first opened in 1968 as the Central Collegiate Building Auditorium, later the Collegiate Theatre, and was renamed the Bloomsbury Theatre in 1982, when the cartoonist Gerald Scarfe designed the logo it still uses. After a major renovation, in which the original concrete walls and brick foyers of the Brutalist building were refurbished, it now has a main auditorium seating up to 545 people and the smaller Bloomsbury Studio, seating up to 70.
Its stage has hosted UCL alumnus Ricky Gervais, the singer Adele, who played her first solo concert here in January 2008, US jazz artist Gregory Porter, the comedian Jo Brand and the percussion group Stomp. Background from the Bloomsbury Theatre's about page and Wikipedia's Bloomsbury Theatre page.
At the time of writing, the theatre's listings include the comedy show We Must Stop Meeting Like This by Celya AB on 24 October, Collabro's album launch on 7 November, UCL! The Musical from 24 to 28 November, as the university marks its 200th anniversary in 2026, and the family show Stick Man from 3 December to 3 January. Check the full event listings for times and tickets.
Details from the theatre's Find Us page.
From our door it's about 870 metres, roughly 12 minutes on foot (walking route from OpenStreetMap): west along Leigh Street, then past Tavistock Square and Gordon Square to Gordon Street. It's a pleasant walk through Bloomsbury's garden squares; see our post on Tavistock Square. Coming by train? See eating near Euston.
Our main menu starts at midday. For a quick, filling dinner, a pizza is hard to beat: the Margherita, the Capricciosa or the Vegetarian pizza, with a gluten-free base available. For pasta, try the Spaghetti carbonara, the Ravioli ricotta & spinach in sage and butter, or the Linguine Fiena with chicken, mushrooms and cream; gluten-free penne is available for every pasta dish. Lighter options include the Caprese and the Goat cheese salad. See our posts on the Margherita, carbonara and pre-theatre dinner near King's Cross.
Let your server know your curtain-up time and we'll do our best to keep things moving. From the bar, an Aperol spritz, a Negroni or a glass of prosecco gets the evening started; alcoholic drinks are served from 10:30. After the show, the main menu runs until 22:00 Monday to Saturday and 21:00 on Sunday.
Guests often find us on foot from Euston. Tina enjoyed an Interesting walk from Euston station as well via the back streets.
(Tina, Google review) And Neil, who stopped in for a quick lunch, wrote: Food was great, arrived quick, service was lovely.
(Neil, Google review)
“The service was warm and helpful without being intrusive.”
Nasipa, Google review, 2025
Dinner on Judd Street, then twelve minutes to your seat. Book a table or just walk in.
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