Clerkenwell is an area of central London in the London Borough of Islington. Clerkenwell was once known as London's 'Little Italy' due to its extensive Italian population from the 1850s to the 1960s.

One of London's finest pubs, The Jerusalem Tavern, is in Clerkenwell, in the streets north of Smithfield Market. The Jerusalem Tavern is built on the site of a medieval tavern of the same name. It is the only pub owned by the Suffolk brewery, St. Peter's.

A number of traditional pubs line Smithfield Market and the surrounding warren of streets. Those which serve the Smithfield meat workers are allowed to open at 5.30am. These are Nicholson's former gin palace The Fox and Anchor, The Hope and The Cock (which is situated within the market itself).

London's first gastropub, The Eagle, opened in Clerkenwell in 1991. The Eagle has been joined by, among others, The Well, The Peasant, The Coach and Horses and The Green, Clerkenwell pubs which have since been converted to gastropubs.

Clerkenwell is said to be home to some of London's best restaurants. Examples are St John, a traditional English restaurant often listed as one of the best and most influential restaurants in the world and the Spanish/Moroccan restaurant Moro.

Clerkenwell is the home of one of London's largest nightclubs, Fabric, and several pre-club bars such as Smith's of Smithfield have also flourished in the area. The nightlife is centred on the north side of Smithfield Market, with revellers gathering alongside delivery teams from across Europe at the meat market on nights throughout the week. Until April 2008, Turnmills also dominated the nightclub scene from its Clerkenwell location. After closing its doors on the 22nd April, Clerkenwell lost one of its major landmarks, although the area still immensely popular for its bars and restaurants.