Pub review: The Knave of Clubs, Shoreditch

In the previous issue of Pub & Bar, Mike Harrington and Lee Godwin of Breaking Glass Bars reflected on the Shoreditch of yesteryear, its rise in popularity over the past two decades and the place it finds itself in 2025. It’s been quite a ride.

The operators of the William IV pub in Old Street and previous operations directors of Barworks (arguably one of the businesses that shaped Shoreditch culture way back when) told me how, alongside their debut site under their own organisation, they’re seeing complementary pubs and restaurants arriving in this flagship location of east London, potentially paving the way for a calmer culture of socialising scenesters. 

“We talk about the heyday of Shoreditch, but now I’m really looking forward to Shoreditch becoming less of a nightlife, sort of Magaluf strip,” said Godwin. “There are some great places opening up, like The Knave of Clubs, Lina Stores, and obviously you’ve got Super Eight restaurants with Smoking Goat and Brat. There’s a really nice mix of quality places.”

The Knave of Clubs, Shoreditch

He’s not wrong and he’s not the only one who’s appreciating the arrival of such anticipated venues, especially The Knave of Clubs, which announced its conception at the beginning of the year, understandably leading its PR comms by revealing the power duo behind the pub. James Dye is the co-founder of the highly respected Camberwell Arms in south east London, and Benjy Leibowitz has completed successful stints at The NoMad in New York and then JKS Restaurants over here in the UK. The food is being led by culinary director Patrick Powell, previously of Allegra, Midland Grand Dining Room and Chiltern Firehouse to name but a few. Are you now seeing why people were pumped for this pub to arrive?

I was certainly one of them, especially as I’ve watched this particular site change hands a couple of times over the years. Granted, none of us would have known the building in its original 1880s form, when it first traded as The Knave of Clubs (all the way until 1994), but I did dine in this space while it was run as eccentric French restaurant Les Trois Garcons. That shut up shop in 2015/16, before being turned into the New York-inspired restaurant brand Dirty Bones. Zip forward to 2025 and we’ve come full circle – Dirty Bones have moved to nearby Kingsland Road, and Dye and Leibowitz have brought The Knave back to the streets of Shoreditch… with a few changes, of course.

Whole rotisserie chicken with chicken fat potatoes

Minutes after The Knave of Clubs opened its doors, Instagram was awash with industry folk and foodie influencers posting shots of ‘The Knave Special’ – a whole rotisserie chicken with chicken fat potatoes, green salad, baguette and aioli. The pub centres its food around the rotisserie offer and despite also cooking up a porchetta with salsa verde and a roasted cauliflower with pomegranate, curry leaf and yoghurt, it’s the chickens that have been flying out and will most likely continue to do so. 

We visit on a Thursday lunchtime, which, if you’ve been paying attention, is basically Friday lunchtime for those working in London. At 12.30pm, I’m worried for Dye and Leibowitz, as I was one of just four people in this single-room pub offer. Eeek – has the hype died already? At 1pm, there isn’t a seat left in this beautifully restored space. It is packed with people, energy and many rotisserie chickens. I ask our waiter what’s on the handpull and am delighted to hear The Knave is working with Allsopp’s Brewery, having recently enjoyed its pints of Pale Ale at its relatively new comeback to pub operations, The Blue Stoops in Kensington. Allsopp’s will be happy to know that the team at The Knave are treating their beer perfectly.  

The stripped back interiors of The Knave

I mention the building use has come full circle, but so has its décor… kind of. More and more, we’re seeing the simplicity of design take great effect in the pubs and bars that are turning heads in the capital and beyond. Like many others, The Knave has been stripped back – lots of dark wooden furniture, presumably reclaimed; a single candle on each table; original features, including a tiled floor entry and grand mirrors on the walls. You don’t have to look too far afield to find many more examples of venues taking this aesthetic approach, and you know what? I love it. It’s a sound mix of raw style and classic pub culture, where the frills are replaced with quality and tradition.

The menu follows suit. The food, while clearly meticulously considered, reads simply on the page. I can’t help but think that this, along with the structure/presentation of the menu, encourages people to subconsciously order more than they would were they looking at an à la carte made up of complicated sharing plates with niche ingredients – I know there are appropriate places for chefs to show off these sorts of things, but is a pub one of them? At The Knave, the menu starts with ‘Snacks and Toasties’, before listing its rotisserie options. Cheddar and mushroom sausage roll? Sounds good. Fish cakes with lemon aioli? Why not. Prawn scotch egg with chilli jam? Absolutely. Grilled cheese, leek and red onion toastie? OK, fine, just bring us the whole menu and then we’ll move onto the chicken. 

Really, you only needed to read the press release about The Knave of Clubs’ arrival to know it was going to be a hit, but I’m glad I went to check just in case. High Note Hospitality, the umbrella company launched by Dye and Leibowitz at the time of that release, has already opened sister restaurant One Club Row above The Knave. Again, the cool kids are very excited about it, which means we should be too. Fingers crossed we see more outlets from this young outfit in the very near future.  

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