London Islington Restaurant Guide

James Dawson’s half-dozen wine bars are “super venues to try interesting new wines in”, with “informative service” – “food is something of an after-thought, but pretty good for all that”, and comes into its own with a “fantastic Sunday roast menu: lamb and beef are high-quality and cooked perfectly”. Top Tip – “great deals on a Monday when most others are closed”.

“Cosy, friendly corner of Paris in N1” – “simple traditional French bistro cooking done well, full in flavour and with generous servings” is on offer at this “popular neighbourhood restaurant” in Islington, which attracts “a mixed clientele of couples, families with children, and friends of different ages”. Its “charming ambience” and “amazingly good value” (“especially the prix fixe lunch”) make it “somewhere you’re happy to return to on a frequent basis”.

“Yummy mummy hangouts” that have proliferated across the capital and its surrounding high streets over the past few years, with “relaxed and colourful décor” and “friendly waiting staff”. They are very accommodating to families, both “child-friendly” and “pooch central, with snacks and water” – although if you don’t bring your own, you might find there are “too many dogs”. The eastern Med-style cooking varies between “fresh and well prepared” at best to “adequate, sometimes slow” – while “bottomless Bloody Mary or Mimosa on a Sunday can be dangerous!”.

Risking turning into “Café Rouge in disguise” – this large French brasserie by Islington Green lived a chequered past under its former owners Corbin & King, which ultimately led to its re-formatting in 2023 by the new Wolseley Group. A few fans do feel the changes are working out, lauding “basic French-standard dishes that are well executed” (“e.g. reliable chicken schnitzel”); and “with pleasant service and plenty of space between tables”. Most feedback, though, continues the downbeat themes that have long dogged it now (“very poor – what a shame!”)

2024 Review: This “cheap ’n’ cheerful Turkish operation” has been an atmospheric fixture on Upper Street for more than 25 years, offering “well cooked and presented dishes in generous portions”. “The smaller Gallipoli has gone, so all efforts have been put into this larger branch”, which has “a relaxed style, with different areas to sit in depending on the occasion”.

2024 Review: “An amazing variety of small, tasty and unusual combination dishes served in a very cool environment” continues to win a thumbs up – if from a tiny fan club – for this Israeli-Japanese one-year-old in the shiny new Islington Square development.

“When you want a hipster burger dripping in your beard, this place delivers!” – Scott Collins’s “buzzy, vibey” joints are notorious for their “really good dirty burgers” with memorable names (the ‘Dead Hippie’ and its veggie cousin the ‘Tempeh Tantrum’), plus “excellent buffalo wings with blue-cheese sauce”. In early 2025 he opened spinoff venture BLOODsports in a Covent Garden basement (see also), showing live sports and horror films on large-screen TVs.

“The menu here literally never changes but it doesn’t need to as the restaurant food (and take away) is so good!” – so say fans of this tiny, two-floor canteen on Islington Green that has been doling out a handful of curries with rice, flat breads and chutneys (and not much else) at bargain prices since the early 1990s. It’s unlicensed. Top Menu Tips – good veggie selection and lots of fresh juices.

This “always busy” family-run Indian near Islington’s Almeida Theatre celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, and offers a good choice of “really flavoursome” fish and seafood dishes in addition to carnivore classics and regional specialities from across the subcontinent. “There aren’t many good Indian restaurants around here – this is one of them”.

“Properly Italian food, properly cooked” is on the menu at this “super-authentic Puglian-style” restaurant “near the Almeida theatre” in Islington (“always a favourite place to go before a play”). “The food is rustic and always delicious” – “lovely pasta and rich, fresh, full-of-flavour sauces, in generous portions”, plus “spectacular pizzas”. There’s a “super atmosphere”, although it gets “very noisy at busy times”, and they have a second branch near St Paul’s in the City. Top Menu Tips – “they cater brilliantly for coeliacs, baking their own gluten-free bread on site and it’s fantastic”; “very good Salento Panzerotti di patate, finger croquettes with the lightest of crust rather than a mini-calzone”.

“An absolute top roast, and service just as it should be in a pub” inspire ongoing love for this Islington gastroboozer, especially for its “just spectacular” meat dishes, from carcases butchered on-site in their own butchery.

2022 Review: “The atmosphere is downbeat but the food is addictive” at this Chinese canteen near Angel, which serves “tasty, spicy food with lots and lots of pepper”. “Try and avoid the more conventional Chinese restaurant dishes for an authentic regional treat.”

The Segal family’s smart institution, in antiquey Camden Passage, excels for the “wonderful ambience” and “professional, attentive (but not too attentive) service” that pleases its huge loyal crowd of regulars, many of them Islington residents (“I’ve been coming here since it opened over 50 years ago, and it’s still going strong”). “Good acoustics and well-spaced tables” are further attractions – “it’s a joy to be able to talk to fellow diners” – while the varied if relatively unadventurous food is “invariably decent, sometimes very good”. “The room is light with several large abstract paintings and a large conservatory”; and it’s a “particularly nice summer venue”, with a big secluded garden for al fresco meals.

2024 Review: “Tasty and authentic” Scandinavian dishes including “excellent fish” are on the menu at this “surprisingly cosy and stylish” Nordic outfit in Islington, where “attentive service” ensures an enjoyable meal. Top Menu Tip – “the venison meatballs with lingonberry sauce deserve a special mention”.

“You will want to lick the plate” if you brunch (the highpoint) at one of Yotam Ottolenghi’s inspired deli-cafés, whose creation in 2002 helped created the TV fame of the owner, and started to popularise the Middle Eastern-influenced cuisine that’s swept London and even now is seen as fashionable. The formula is little changed: “tasty, healthy and yummy dishes” that are “beautifully flavoured” but “a bit on the pricey side”. “Ottolenghi is the master of flavoursome veg (with more veg choices than at most non-veg restaurants)” and, in particular “the cakes are wonderful!”. (Also, “they’re great on allergens.”). On the downside, “space is tight” and the “ambience could be more relaxed”. There’s also a feeling in some quarters that “Yotam has become a brand and it shows”, with food that is “good but after a while same-y”.

“Lovely coffee and great cakes” are the most obvious draw at this gemutlich outfit in Islington’s atmospheric Camden Passage (emphatically “not a place for dieters!”) – but “it’s much more than a coffee shop, it’s a very good Austrian restaurant too (check out the giant and very good Schnitzel)”. Top Tip – “the layered torte are worth the calories”.

“Reliable, long-lived French bistro in an authentic mould” on Islington’s main drag. “Expect the usual favourites, including freshly made crêpes” – rather than haute cuisine or silver service. Top Menu Tip – “stalwarts of Coq au Vin and Rabbit in Mustard Sauce are strong in conception and well executed”.

“A fix of huevos rancheros never disappoints” at this collection of 11 all-day London ‘cafs’ (with another four across England and two pubs), whose menu mixes British greasy-spoon fare with American diner classics (pancakes, fried chicken, milkshakes) that certainly “set you up for the day”. “Basic, but with a nice buzz”, they are also “great for oldies, with half-price mains for the over 60s”.

Brunch in particular is “varied and delicious” at this vibey group: launched a decade ago as a pop-up in an ex-greasy spoon in Balham and progressing via supper clubs to six permanent sites open till late. “Great flatbreads with the mezze” and “the beautiful treatment of vegetables” are typical of the “simple and very good” Eastern Mediterranean dishes, wines and cocktails inspired by co-founder Tas Gaitanos’s Cretan/Cypriot heritage (the name honours owner Alex Large’s kid brother). Summer 2025’s Canary Wharf opening was the biggest yet, with an 80-seater outdoor terrace and a new dedicated ‘skewers’ menu.

The “reliable, delicious ramen” available at six sites across the capital, offering “tasty twists” on traditional Kyushu-style noodles from former pro cyclist Kazuhiro Kanada, is many people’s favourite Japanese fast-food option. “A newly opened branch in Westfield Shepherd’s Bush, although finding its feet, is still one of the better options for a bite to eat” in the mall.