Where To Eat In Queen’s Park, According To A Local
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17 minutes ago
This corner of NW London is becoming a foodie hub
For many years, boroughs like Islington, Hampstead and St John’s Wood have dominated the north London culinary scene. But the buzzy neighbourhood of Queen’s Park is emerging as a new hotspot for foodies, with a spate of exciting new openings launching amid long-standing favourites. With its leafy park and pretty cobbled streets, the area has long been known for its village-like, community feel, but it’s fast becoming a culinary corner worth travelling for.
The change is something local Daniel Land, who recently opened bakery and restaurant Don’t Tell Dad on Lonsdale Road, has witnessed first-hand. ‘Historically, NW London hasn’t been a great place for eating out,’ he tells C&TH. ‘Despite having plenty of residential neighbourhoods full of people who love to eat out, for reasons that were never that clear to me, great restaurants never arrived. Change in local neighbourhoods, to me at least, always feels gradual, then sudden. And that is exactly what’s happened here. Some early trailblazers like Carmel paved the way, and now it’s in full swing. We’re doing our bit, others are doing theirs, and QP is well on its way to being one of London’s best food neighbourhoods.’
So which spots are worth checking out? Daniel gives us his insider guide to the restaurants and bakeries of Queen’s Park below.
Best Places To Eat In Queen’s Park
Don’t Tell Dad
‘We’ll begin with Don’t Tell Dad because that’s where my day always starts and ends. First thing in the morning, we’re the neighbourhood bakery that the locals swear by – there’s lots of familiar greetings, friendly faces and regular routines. Current highlights on the menu include our evergreen cinnamon bun, the tahini and chocolate chip cookie and a seasonal special: a rhubarb and coconut meringue danish. By night, we become a restaurant, where locals and visitors can enjoy dishes like our oxtail crumpets with beef dripping crumb, or some piping hot madeleines fresh out of the oven. Just like the bakery, the menu is always changing, but you can never make a mistake with one of our sharing dishes – at the moment, a longhorn sirloin with a porcini and bone marrow sauce.’
10-14 Lonsdale Rd, London NW6 6RD, donttelldad.co.uk
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Carmel
‘Carmel upped the ante for Queen’s Park when it opened a few years ago. It’s grown up without being stuffy and elevates the excellent Middle Eastern food it serves to the perfect level. Its mixed mezze is the stuff of dreams and I always order it the moment I sit down so I can make relaxed menu decisions whilst snacking. The flatbreads are famous, particularly the za’atar one, and you can’t go wrong with any of the big stuff on the grill – the whole bream or the urfa chilli chicken. It’s a proper neighbourhood restaurant that is incredibly popular with the locals.’
Ground Floor, 23-25 Lonsdale Rd, London NW6 6RA, carmelrestaurant.co.uk
Michiko Sushino
‘You wouldn’t know if you walked past but Michiko Sushino is that rarest of things: a great value sushi restaurant in London. It’s an extremely low-key setting, and not the most comfortable, but it works, whether you’re a sushi purist or not. It serves a ridiculously good value lunch set for £14 – the dressing on the veggie donburi is dreamy – and I always double up on the seaweed salad.’
74 Salusbury Rd, London NW6 6NU, michikosushino.com
Ida
‘A lot gets written about Ida but it really is a gem. As high streets get taken over by bland chains, I think it’s so important to celebrate (and frequent) places like Ida, a genuinely family-run neighbourhood Italian restaurant. The service is warm and friendly, the room is delightful and homely, and the food is generous and tasty. It’s impossible to order badly there, particularly if you go for pasta (nearly all of it is fresh pasta made there every day). I love it so much that I had my 40th there last year.’
167 Fifth Ave, London W10 4DT, idarestaurant.co.uk
The Salusbury Pub
‘The Salusbury Pub has been recently given a full makeover by locals Gareth and Alex. They’ve brought in a serious chef in Taryn Bingle and they are serving properly elevated pub food in a relaxed environment.’
50 – 52 Salusbury Road, London, United Kingdom NW6 6NN, thesalusburypub.co.uk
Casa Felicia
‘The new kid on the block is Casa Felicia. There’s a young talented chef called Francesco Sarvonio at the helm in the kitchen, fresh from London’s best pasta spot, Manteca. They serve classic Italian dishes with plenty of flair, and they’re already popular in the neighbourhood.’
79 Salusbury Rd, London NW6 6NH, casa-felicia.com
The Park Cafe
‘The Park Cafe in the middle of Queen’s Park is a fixture of local life. In the depths of midwinter, or at the height of a heatwave, the guys in the park are upbeat and smiling, serving an eclectic, if a little random, selection of things from tagines to toasties. They are local heroes, fixing up the entire community every weekend. During the week, they offer surprisingly good falafel and chuck them into wraps and salad boxes along with loads of delicious treats. I then bag myself a quiet spot in the flower garden and pretend like I’m not in the middle of London.’
25 Kingswood Ave, London NW6 6LL
The Wolfpack
‘The Wolfpack is another great Queen’s Park stalwart, started by two great local guys Al and Chris. It perfectly serves the people who live here who are looking for great beer, delivered in an incredibly casual way. It’s a great place to watch sport, have a quiet pint in the afternoon, an occasionally free Bloody Mary after the Farmer’s Market on a Sunday, and definitely some rowdy drinks and shots on a Friday night. The best compliment I can pay it is that I can’t imagine Queen’s Park without the Wolfpack. I hope that people will say that about Don’t Tell Dad soon too.’
53 Lonsdale Rd, London NW6 6RA, wolfpackbars.com
