Art Meets Cake at Claridge's New ArtSpace Café

Words by
Sphere Editors

8th March 2023

London has a new Instagram-friendly five star café - and gallery - to enjoy, the Claridges ArtSpace. Open for breakfast and lunch, and of course, for cake, this space adds a jewel to London's meet-up and take-out culture, it even offers Champagne to go. 

Non guests can already eat, drink and spa in luxury at Claridge's, but now there is even more for lovers of the hotel to enjoy: a John Pawson designed art gallery and café. This being Claridge's, it’s not just any old café attached to a gallery. No packaged sandwiches here.

Fancy pastries at Claridge's
Claridge's new Art Space Café offers an array of photogenic pastries.

Here, fancy crêpes are made in front of your eyes, alongside tortillas, toasties, croque monsieurs and madames, mega-sized madeleines and photogenic Claridge’s cakes galore. Everything is designed for takeaway, even Champagne is offered in a to-go cup, allowing Claridge’s to be eaten alfresco or ‘al desko’ for the very first time.

Egg on toast
It's not all fancy, Claridges Art Space Café also offers good ole egg on toast to start the day

Inside the café, a central glass counter showcases rows of Executive Pastry Chef Thibault Hauchard’s patisserie from caramel Saint Honoré to pistachio Paris-Brest, giving  superstar Cedric Grolet at The Berkeley some competition.

Crest Cake
Claridge's Art space Café's signature Crest Cake

The most grid-friendly option so far is ‘Claridge’s Crest Cake’ – a chocolatey replica of the hotel’s historical coat of arms.  Claridge’s classic cakes are also available supersized for celebrations and collection, including ‘The Mega Mayfair Madeleine’ – a vast version of the iconic French delicacy, made of citrus sponge with a gooey caramel centre.

Veggie Reuben
The Veggie Reuben at Claridges ArtSpace Café takes two days to prepare

Team SPHERE were totally won over by their painstakingly created veggie Reuban which takes two days to make and involves marinating aubergine in soy for 12 hours. It’s then deep fried and dehydrated for extra chew before being topped with sauerkraut, cocktail sauce and grated horseradish, sandwiched between rye.  Delicious.

Gavin Turk
'Port Yellow' by Gavin Turk is at the Claridges ArtSpace, part of New Frontiers: Movements in Contemporary Art exhibition on show until April 17th

The ArtSpace’s current show, New Frontiers: Movements in Contemporary Art featuring work from Gavin Turk, Vik Muniz and José Parlá, is on until April 17th, and is free to visit.

We recommend!  

Claridge's ArtSpace Cafe