Harden's survey result
Summary
“I used to be a regular, now I’m so sad”. The June 2023 reformatting of this “very handsome-looking” Wolseley Group outpost on Islington Green (which had closed in 2019 and then reopened in 2020 after failing to sell the site) is not going well. It’s a large site, evoking a fin-de-siecle Parisian haunt with a “newish design that’s pleasant enough” and a fairly traditional, French brasserie-style menu. For too many, though, “since reopening after a further refresh results are dire”. One reporter neatly summarises the mood: “This is written with huge sadness, as it was my favourite place for nearly any occasion in the Corbin & King days. Now it feels like a Café Rouge, with a cynical and over-priced menu and average service (I really feel for the staff, a lot of whom were there in the good old days). What a waste, and what a loss for Upper Street: it was such a godsend to have a grown-up restaurant in the area when it first opened, and then reopened”.
Summary
“Evoking a big Parisian brasserie”, this Wolseley Group venture on Islington Green has had a chequered history. Opened in 2015, when Corbin & King owned the business, they closed it again in 2019 saying “we just couldn’t make it the success we aspired to”. But then, in 2020 – having failed to sell the property – they re-opened and had a second run at making a go of it. With Corbin & King then forced to exit the business in 2022, we are now going around again under the new owners. In June 2023, after our survey had completed, the restaurant re-opened yet again after a complete refit of the vast space and a new menu. Though brighter, the decor is still in the traditional brasserie mould. When it comes to food: out go the retro ‘tarte flambées’ and the chicken schnitzel – in comes the focaccia and – according to the PR – an ‘evolving seasonal menu… taking inspiration from the southern Mediterranean coastal regions’. Er, except it also includes very un-Mediterranean dishes like Dressed Dorset Crab, Loch Duart Salmon with jersey royals and a watercress velouté and Flat Iron Steak Frites. The weekend brunch – with its pancakes and Eggs Benedict – also owes little to Spain, Italy and Greece. Other novelties are a new cocktail bar, and a DJ booth (the latter of which really risks ‘Dad dancing’ for this kind of venue). Our pre-revamp feedback suggested the same rather ‘OK but not particularly distinguished’ performance of old. But we’ve left it unrated on the basis of the latest changes, as this sounds like a case of ‘outlook negative’.
Summary
Created by Jeremy King and Christopher Corbin, this smart brasserie on Islington Green is long on Belle Époque-style charm, and – thanks to “a menu that suits most moods and a warm welcome” – has, for many locals, become “a go-to for most occasions, particularly family lunch and brunch”. Its cuisine (with some emphasis on its selection of tartes flambées) has always tended to be “fine if not particularly distinguished” but the experience is enhanced by “decent, unrushed service”. Now part of Minor International’s Wolseley Hospitality Group following its April 2022 takeover of Corbin & King: “I fear for it under its new ownership” is a common worry among regulars.
Summary
Corbin & King’s “perfect local brasserie”, “with outside seating by Islington Green”, was reopened as a rare bonus from the pandemic. (Having decided pre-Covid that the venue wasn’t working for them, C&K then found themselves unable to off-load the site due to the downturn, so decided to revisit their decision to close it). “Islington really needs this place, and they’ve found their feet at last”, “with a menu that is rather less focused, but still works for brunch, lunch or dinner”. “It was pure comfort to be able to come back to Bellanger, as it had been sorely missed, and going back felt like a warm hug!”.
For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Bellanger?
9 Islington Green, London, N1 2XH
Restaurant details
Bellanger Restaurant Diner Reviews
"It's OK for a group outing in the area, but not for a special occasion. Basic bistro food in a pleasant setting, and reasonable value for money, but nothing stands out."
Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Always | £19.95 | £23.95 |  |
|
|
Traditional European menu
| Starter | Main | Pudding |
|---|---|---|
| £14.80 | £27.20 | £8.50 |
| Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £29.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £0.00 |
| Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Bread | £0.00 |
| Service | 12.50% |
9 Islington Green, London, N1 2XH
Opening hours
| Monday | 11:45am‑10 pm |
| Tuesday | 11:45am‑10 pm |
| Wednesday | 11:45am‑10 pm |
| Thursday | 11:45am‑10 pm |
| Friday | 11:45am‑10 pm |
| Saturday | 10 am‑10 pm |
| Sunday | 10 am‑9 pm |
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