Harden's says
This new Highbury spot is the latest from Mat Appleton and Jess Blackstone, who have opened a trio of cafés under the Fink’s name in the area over the past dozen years. There's coffee, pastries and grab-and-go bites by day, with a seasonal dinner menu from chef Phil Wood (ex-St John and Spring) in the evening, along with cocktails and low-intervention wines.
Harden's survey result
Summary
This “beautifully designed and comfortable” two-year-old from Mat Appleton & Jess Blackstone (of nearby café trio Fink’s) makes “a brilliant addition to Highbury Barn, which has strangely always been lacking decent restaurants and pubs”. The modern bistro menu is short, but all reports rate the cooking good or better.
Summary
This cool-looking, new Highbury haunt is the latest from Mat Appleton & Jess Blackstone, who have opened a trio of cafés under the Fink’s name in the area over the past dozen years. There’s coffee, pastries and grab-and-go bites by day, with a short, seasonal dinner menu from chef Phil Wood (ex-St John and Spring) in the evening, along with cocktails and low-intervention wines. In his November 2023 review, The Evening Standard’s Jimi Famurewa hailed “a wonderfully-composed, sneak-attack of a neighbourhood hit”. Our reporters are a bit more cautious: “recently opened to a wave of social media posts, Saltine is trying hard but still finding its feet”, with “food that’s good but possibly not quite up to the hype around its opening? One or two dishes were exceptional but others were just ‘nice’”.
For 34 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 Saltine?
11 Highbury Park, London, N5 1QJ
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £36.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £4.00 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Bread | £0.00 |
| Service | 12.50% |
11 Highbury Park, London, N5 1QJ
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | 5 pm‑11 pm |
| Wednesday | 5 pm‑11 pm |
| Thursday | 5 pm‑11 pm |
| Friday | 5 pm‑11 pm |
| Saturday | 9 am‑11 pm |
| Sunday | 9 am‑9:30 pm |
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