Boutique Hotel Near Me in Clerkenwell: The Zetter's 13 Rooms and Boxing Kangaroo

The Zetter Clerkenwell has just 13 bedrooms, and the whole house can be hired from 3pm on arrival day until 11am the next morning. It occupies an early Georgian residence at 49-50 St John's Square, London EC1V 4JJ, the building that opened in 2011 as the Zetter Townhouse, and Farringdon station is a five-minute walk away. For anyone typing boutique hotel near me in Clerkenwell, this is the small, antique-crammed option: a cocktail Parlour open from breakfast to nightcap and a taxidermy kangaroo in the meeting room.

The name trips people up. The Zetter group's original hotel opened in 2004 in a 19th-century warehouse at 86-88 Clerkenwell Road, and that building now trades as Marrable's Hotel, still managed by The Zetter. The property the group's website calls The Zetter Clerkenwell is the smaller Georgian house across St John's Square at number 49-50, postcode EC1V 4JJ. Booking engines still list it as The Zetter Townhouse Clerkenwell, so make sure your booking shows the St John's Square address, not Clerkenwell Road.

Getting there is simple. The hotel's own directions give five minutes on foot from Farringdon, which serves the Elizabeth line, Thameslink and the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines. From Heathrow the Elizabeth line runs straight into Farringdon, about 45 minutes in the hotel's estimate. Buses 55 and 243 stop on Clerkenwell Road, which cuts through the square, and pay-and-display bays sit in St John's Square itself, limited to two hours on weekdays between 9am and 6.30pm.

When owners Mark Sainsbury and Michael Benyan opened the Townhouse in 2011, seven years after their first Zetter, designer Russell Sage dressed it as the home of the Zetter's eccentric great-aunt, a fictional collector called Wilhelmina, full of art she had supposedly brought back from her travels. Remodelista described the result in October 2011 as an updated take on the men's club. Ornate wallpaper, velveteen chairs, a portrait of the imaginary aunt and a stuffed kangaroo wearing boxing gloves became the house signature.

The Michelin Guide, which lists the hotel as The Zetter Clerkenwell with 13 rooms, sums up the contrast neatly: where the original Zetter on Clerkenwell Road felt airy and modern, this house went for a bohemian, antique-furnished period look. The kangaroo is still here, now billed on the events page as the resident guest speaker in the meeting room. The cocktail list at launch came from Tony Conigliaro of 69 Colebrooke Row, while today's list of cocktails and British wines is curated by the hotel's own team.

The Deluxe Double is the entry room at 18m² with a UK king bed, and the hotel itself calls it perfectly formed, which is honest shorthand for snug. If you are travelling with two large suitcases, skip it and book the Deluxe King: 27m², a UK super king, and windows that look straight onto St John's Square. The Studio is the same 27m² but adds a canopied bed, rich warm colours and a separate seating area for reading.

Junior Suites measure 32.9m² with a king bed and a proper seating zone, while The Residence is the house showpiece at 54.5m²: soft sage walls, vintage furniture, an open-plan living space and a freestanding bathtub. Every room has Hypnos beds, Raindance showers, Verden toiletries, a Bose or Marshall speaker, a flat-screen TV, an in-room workstation, complimentary still and sparkling water, robes, Zetter slippers and umbrellas for the walk to Farringdon in the rain.

The Parlour is the hotel's bar, lounge and breakfast room in one, open 7:30am to 10:30pm Monday to Friday, 8am to 10:30pm on Saturday and 8am to 10pm on Sunday, with live music every Tuesday and Wednesday evening. House cocktails on the August 2026 list include the Square Spritz is £16, the Old Mitre £19, and the Scarlet & Silk, made with Lanson Le Rosé Champagne, Ford's gin, maraschino and pickled strawberry, is £22.

The October 2026 small-plates menu is British pub food done carefully. The Zetter cheeseburger, with beef shin and bone marrow smashed patties, matured cheddar and caper relish, costs £23, beer-battered haddock and chips is £21, and crispy calamari with togarashi and lime is £13. Zetter spiced nuts flavoured with rosemary, paprika and Marmite are £7. For pudding, the sticky toffee and date pudding with whisky caramel and stem ginger ice cream is £13. Parlour bills carry an optional 12.5% service charge.

Breakfast is where you can save money. The Grab & Go spread of croissants, pain au chocolat, bloomers, sourdough, Netherend butter, preserves and cold-pressed juices costs £8, and adding a cooked plate brings it to £28. The Zetter full English on its own is £24, with Cumberland sausage, Fruitpig black pudding and a homemade hash brown. If you only want coffee and a pastry before an early train, Grab & Go plus a £3.50 flat white is plenty.

Rooms are ready from 3pm and must be vacated by 11am, and the hotel asks you to warn it if you will arrive after 11pm, because unannounced no-shows after 11:59pm lose the room. Flexible rates can be changed or cancelled until 24 hours before arrival, while non-refundable offers need the paying card and its holder at check-in. The whole group, Parlour included, is cashless, so cards only. Losing a metal room key or smoking indoors each carries a penalty of £150 or more.

Dogs are welcome for £25 per stay, must be on a lead in public areas, and well-behaved dogs can join you in the Parlour, though they cannot be left alone in the room; email reservations@thezetter.com before booking so you get a pet-friendly room. Children under 18 are not allowed in the Parlour after 5:30pm unless they are hotel residents. For a celebration, the Games Room holds up to 50 guests and the Dining Room beside the Parlour seats up to 20.

Do not book here for a quiet Tuesday or Wednesday evening downstairs, because those are the live music nights in the Parlour. If the house is full, or you want a rooftop view instead of Georgian clutter, the Plan B is Marrable's Hotel at 86-88 Clerkenwell Road, EC1M 5RJ, just across the square and managed by the same company. Its 27m² Rooftops rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows over London, and its Club Doubles start at 17m².

The hotel's own neighbourhood list starts on the doorstep. St John's Gate, a 16th-century gatehouse just south of the square on St John's Lane, EC1M 4DA, houses the Museum of the Order of St John, whose galleries and shop are free and open Wednesday to Saturday, 9:30am to 5pm. The Cloister Garden behind it opens Monday to Saturday from 9:30am until dusk, and the historic upstairs rooms, the Priory Church and its crypt can only be seen on a guided tour.

From the gate, continue south past Smithfield to St Bartholomew the Great, which the hotel's guide notes was founded in 1123 as an Augustinian property, and step inside for its medieval stonework. Heading the other way, north-west of the square, Exmouth Market has the partly pedestrianised strip of food stalls, cafes and shops that the hotel recommends for lunch, and Sadler's Wells theatre, the hotel's pick for world-class performing arts, sits beyond it on Rosebery Avenue if you want dance after dinner.

The Zetter Clerkenwell, 49-50 St John's Square, London EC1V 4JJ. Check-in from 3pm, check-out by 11am. Five room types from the 18m² Deluxe Double to the 54.5m² Residence, 13 bedrooms in total. Dogs £25 per stay. Grab & Go breakfast £8, with a cooked plate £28. Cashless property. Farringdon station is five minutes on foot.