Belsize Park, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

This “fun and buzzy local restaurant” in Primrose Hill is especially a brunch favourite. The food menu is a bit “hit/miss”, but it wins particular shout-outs for its “good coffee” and “hard to beat salads”.

Chef-patron Bryn Williams produces a “small and well-executed menu” showcasing north Wales at this high-quality local in lovely Primrose Hill, which he’s owned for over 15 years now. But while it still attracts many favourable reviews, the magical atmosphere that was a hallmark of its original incarnation (it was founded nearly 50 years ago) has “faded” in more recent times.

Simon & Jolanta Bradley’s “efficient” veteran of 30 years’ standing near Swiss Cottage station “never lets you down” and it’s a “great option if going to the Hampstead Theatre around the corner”. But while fans say “the quality of the food is such that it shouldn’t be only for pre-theatre”, there’s also a view that “it can feel rather soulless” as a destination in itself.