King's Cross, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

A “great location on a quiet stretch of the Regent’s Canal” – which runs past the King’s Place arts centre – is one selling point of this modern British restaurant, which is on the ground floor of the complex. With beef and lamb from its own farm in Northumberland, it is “definitely a place for the serious meat eater”. There’s a feeling, though, that “the Rotunda has never quite reached its potential, despite years of trying”. Top Tip: “be warned: if you choose a canalside table and it rains, you’ll be handed an umbrella”.

2021 Review: For the “mind-blowing sound system”, or as “a great place to grab a drink and a bite with your mates”, this “groovy”, music-led four-year-old, near Granary Square has won quite a following. (It was founded by music consultant Paul Noble, who has worked with Monocle and the Beeb; and Canteen founders Patrick Clayton-Malone and Dominic Lake). “The new, handy Festival Hall branch has the same vibe as the King’s Cross original, and here they offer really well-prepared cooking to match the cool sounds, laid-back atmosphere and enthusiastic service... it deserves to thrive.”

“A superb, airy restaurant – comfortable and relaxed” – is the general view on this three-year-old from Richard Caring’s Ivy Collection group, which occupies “a beautiful setting” in revamped King’s Cross. There is a more downbeat alternative, though, suggesting it’s “rather trading on its name” with its “functional” menu of “bistro favourites”.

Due to its “great location on the canal at King’s Cross”, this “large and popular” modern three-storey restaurant at the Granary Square development is “always busy” and “so successful that, strictly speaking, it doesn’t need to try”. Accounts differ slightly on what that means for its food offering. The majority of reporters feel that “the traditional menu may have few thrills or surprises but everything is nicely done”. There is, though, a minority to whom the food feels “fairly bland”, or that the “pleasant buzz” can slip into feeling “really far too busy and noisy”.

“OK I guess, but could be so much better” is an increasingly common view on this once-groundbreaking chain, where the feeling that “it seems to have gone off a bit” is most prevalent at the well-known Granary Square branch, which risks becoming “a cheerless, so-so, fast-turnaround experience”. At its best, though – mostly to be found at the EC1 original, with its “great outside seating area and very relaxed atmosphere” – the group remains popular for its “innovative and delicious breakfasts”: “great sharing plates” and “something for everyone” (which includes “a good set of vegan and vegetarian alternatives”).

“Great sharing Mediterranean dishes”, many of them cooked over wood, is the USP at this Coal Drops Yard, King’s Cross, venue – the first solo outing from Pip Lacey, former head chef at Angela Hartnett’s Murano. Most reporters enjoyed the food, and ratings would almost certainly have been higher had one or two reporters not continued to gripe at the portion size (“plates were so tiny the staff asked us to double our order)”.

2019 Review: A new wine bar (with outside terrace) from the Hart Bros arrives in October 2018 at canalside retail development Coal Drops Yard (a converted Victorian coal store near King’s Cross).

2021 Review: This “beautiful” first-floor dining room is part of the restored Great Northern Hotel at King’s Cross (the name derives from the Flying Scotsman’s colours). By the standards of railway-related restaurants, it’s a distinct cut above, with a “good-value set lunch” and “some nice options on the menu”. Fair to say, though, that the cuisine is generally overshadowed by the “elegant decor”, but that helps make it “a good spot for a business lunch”.

This aptly-named, all-day café in Barnsbury is the local hot-spot for weekend brunch – “if you can get in before the queues”. “Courgette fritters, pancakes, banana bread” all get a shout-out, along with a “seriously good Virgin Mary”. It’s less frenetic during the week, when they take bookings.