Best Restaurants in Islington
By
4 days ago
A foodie’s guide to N1
Islington locals are spoilt for choice when it comes to eating out. Stretching from the bustling Upper Street up towards Finsbury Park, the area is filled with top restaurants, from long-standing local favourites to buzzy newcomers; upmarket dining rooms to destination gastropubs. Read on to discover the C&TH pick of restaurants in Islington.
Best Restaurants in Islington
Bistro Sablé
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Though it is set in Canonbury, Bistro Sablé promises to uphold the fine French tradition of the leisure lunch. With its Parisian bistro interiors – we’re talking log fireplace, antique finds from the flea markets and all – you’re invited into that experience, too. And first by a drink: its suitably French sommelier Alex Corvez (ex-Mere by Monica Galetti) curates a 95 percent gallic wine list that revolves every two weeks. The menu – no surprise – follows suit and is equally continental – mains range bloody bavette to hearty Provençal bouillabaisse. Nonetheless, the ingredients that land on your plate are much less-travelled; the restaurateurs behind this spot, Noble Inns group, are – quelle surprise! – British, and champions of food provenance. You’ll see this reflected in their other independent dining spots, which include The Albion and The Pig & Butcher (see below). In the summer, the restaurant flings open its large bifold doors creating an exceptionally airy street terrace with prime people-watching potential. Naturally, this experience pairs best with the somm’s house white. Tessa Dunthorne
Address: 63-69 Canonbury Rd, Islington, London N1 2DG
Book via bistrosable.co.uk
Albers
In quiet De Beauvoir, Albers captures the essence of what a great neighbourhood restaurant can be – both warm and sophisticated, meeting the convivial spirit of a pub and the focus of a modern bistro. Astonishingly its chef Ania Stanton is merely 22 years old but her food suggests many more years of experience. Stanton presents a menu that reads like nostalgic dishes – but each with a twist. Think anchovies with kumquat, roasted chicken with peach and lardo, or trout with lemongrass broth. Similarly the aperitifs pull from a list that tilts the classics: a Negroni reworked with saffron vermouth, or a stripped-back Piña Colada. The wine draws from the same philosophy as the food – familiar foundations subverted. The restaurant is sweetly named for owner Scott’s dog – you’ll find nods to the pooch throughout the restaurant, the menu and in the art. Aside from the exceptional menu, the best thing about Albers is the first class hospitality. You’re immediately made to feel like an old friend as you cross the threshold, something that is rare to find today. Cosima Woodard
Address: 23A Englefield Road, London N1 4JX
Featured image. Book via albers.london
Salut!
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This little gem on Essex Road, founded by brothers Martin and Christoph Lange, serves modern European food amid relaxed settings. An open kitchen allows guests to watch their dishes being prepared, sitting alongside vintage furnishings and wooden tables. The menu showcases local, organic ingredients and ethically sourced meat and fish, with current dishes on offer including celeriac carpaccio with truffle, pork belly with turnip and mustard, and pan-roasted fish of the day, served with crushed potatoes, cavolo nero and mussels. Extra hungry? Treat yourself to the sharing chateaubriand for two, which comes with duck fat roasted potatoes and a red wine jus. Ellie Smith
Address: 412 Essex Rd, London N1 3PJ
Book via salut-london.co.uk
Pig And Butcher
The Pig & Butcher is a well-kept secret of Islington, and it’s held its spot since the mid-1800s (but renovated much more recently than that with its handsome facade). Wondering where the name comes from? The fields surrounding the pub in days-long-past used to be occupied by farmers for their livestock, later to be sent to Smithfield’s Meat Market for sale – and with that heritage in mind, it today specialises in fantastic farm-to-table fare with an in-house butcher.
For its food, you can expect succulent cuts of rare breeds (from White Park cattle to Hebridean Lamb), locally sourced game, or brilliant Cornish fish. Seasonal and changing menus mean you’re experiencing the best of British food in the heart of N1. A particular standout dish is a courgette flower, scallop and crab mousse, accompanied by basil and lemon drizzling, but it also excels with much more traditional pub fare, mastering the art of the Scotch egg with a black pudding encasing. The food is enjoyable in its relative simplicity; and it’s complimented by no-fuss interiors, reminding you that you are, of course, still in a beloved local tavern.
Be aware that you’d be missing out if you left without trying the Ginger Jamaica cake (topped with oozing whisky toffee sauce and a dollop of orange-cardamom ice cream), a delicious and seasonally apt dish to end any evening with. ES
Address: 80 Liverpool Rd, London N1 0QD
Book via thepigandbutcher.co.uk
The Duke Organic (formerly The Duke of Cambridge)
When founder of London gastropub The Duke of Cambridge, Geetie Singh, married the man behind Riverford farm, Guy Watson, it was inevitable their businesses would soon follow suit. Located in London’s Islington, The Duke of Cambridge was Britain’s first organic pub, while Riverford in Devon – known for its organic vegetable box scheme – has been farming organic produce since 1987. Nowadays, chefs at The Duke are pleased to use Riverford’s fresh vegetables across their menu, meaning lots of delicious, fresh vegetarian options, from saffron and squash risotto to courgette gratin with black truffle. Food is of course seasonal, with current dishes including taleggio curd with summer truffle, creel caught langoustines and Rhug Estate lamb with baba ganoush.
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The pub has since been rebranded as The Duke Organic, and is now part of The Culpeper Family, a fellow certified B Corp group of London pubs, having been acquired from Singh and Watson in October 2019. It remains Soil Association-certified after more than 25 years. ES
Address: 30 St Peter’s St, London N1 8JT
Book via dukeorganic.co.uk
Afghan Kitchen
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This long-standing restaurant opposite Islington Green offers hearty Afghan food amid a low-key setting. It’s tiny, with just two tables downstairs and three on the first floor – but this gives it a welcoming, friendly atmosphere, with a no-fuss menu to match. Choose between four meat and four vegetarian dishes, such as warming fish stews, dahls and rice dishes, alongside some homemade bread to mop it all up with. It’s a bargain too, with mains costing around £7.50. This year it celebrates 25 years as a beloved local haunt. ES
Address: 35 Islington Grn, London N1 8DU
Prawn on the Lawn
This Islington restaurant began its life as a small fishmonger with an eight-cover seafood bar and no space for a kitchen. Yet before long, it became TripAdvisor’s best-rated restaurant in London. Eventually it moved to a bigger spot down the road, but the neighbourhood feel has never been lost. Prawn on the Lawn still serves as a fishmonger as well as a restaurant, meaning the menu changes daily depending on which fish is available. There’s a mix of small plates – think juicy Szechuan prawns, seared tuna with soy and Porthilly mussels – alongside whole or filleted fish for the table, cooked classic, Thai or Chinese style. Despite being bang in the middle of north London, the eatery has a seaside feel – though if you want the real deal, a second site has popped up in Padstow. ES
Address: 292, 294 St Paul’s Rd, London N1 2LH
Book via prawnonthelawn.com
The Tamil Prince
Opened earlier this summer, The Tamil Prince was the brainchild of ex-Roti King chef, Prince Durairaj. It combines the feel of a classic British pub with cooking from south India, featuring dishes inspired by Durairaj’s childhood in Tamil Nadu. There are small plates of okra fries, chicken lollipops, potato chaat and onion bhajis, plus larger dishes of robata lamb chops, lamb curry and paneer masala, plus sides of roti and coconut rice. And, while it’s no longer an actual pub, there’s a strong drinks offering complete with Indian-inspired cocktails and beers. It has proven so popular that it has franchised across London with sister restaurant Tamila. ES
Address: 115 Hemingford Rd, London N1 1BZ
Book via thetamilprince.com
Niche
Back in the summer of 2013, Marc Wade and his business partner Adrian Morgan set out to serve British food with a modern twist. They opened Niche in Islington, just down the road from Sadler’s Wells Theatre, with a focus on bakery products. Not long afterwards, however, Marc was diagnosed as Coeliac, leading the pair to turn the restaurant totally gluten-free. Niche became London’s first Coeliac UK-accredited restaurant – though the principles stayed the same: great food, all made fresh on site. A far cry from some of the dry, tasteless gluten-free food on the market, here you can tuck into everything from buttermilk fried chicken to parmesan beignets to burgers to pies. The restaurant’s strap-line is ‘gluten free but you wouldn’t know it’ – and many people who visit are oblivious of its wheat-free merits, a sign that it’s a top-class restaurant in its own right. ES
Address: 197-199 Rosebery Ave, London EC1R 4TJ
Book via nichefoodanddrink.com
How We Curated This List: The C&TH Food & Drink Promise
From Michelin-starred dining rooms to hidden neighbourhood gems, the C&TH team is dedicated to guiding you to the best culinary experiences. Our editorial independence is paramount. While our editors and writers occasionally accept press invitations to review a menu, nobody pays to be featured in our guides – nor will we include anything that doesn’t meet our editorial standards. On those occasions, we will typically give feedback to the restaurant on exactly why we couldn’t include them. Whether a restaurant has been rigorously tested by our team on the ground, or included for its undeniable industry reputation and exceptional chef credentials, we only ever recommend places that will be worth your time and money.
Reviews by: Ellie Smith, Tessa Dunthorne, and Cosima Woodard.
