London Primrose Hill Restaurant Guide

In a quiet location below Primrose Hill, this little Italian – specialising in Piedmontese cuisine – has long been a feature of the area, and has built a very loyal, local following. Reports were a little more hit-and-miss this year on the food front, but fans say that “the garden on a summer’s day more than makes up for any average dishes”.

This “smart” Primrose Hill veteran of 40-odd years is “a most likeable place enhanced by the patina of time, and combined with inventive high-end cooking” from chef Bryn Williams, who has owned it for the past decade. It’s “always a treat” to taste the “beautiful ingredients”, which include produce from the Williams family farm in Wales; although the patron’s tilt towards a Welsh and Irish heritage means it’s “tempting here to overdo the carbs, cream and calories: Irish soda bread, cheesy choux nibbles, creamy tarts and caramel-sauced soufflés to name but a few…”

“Vibrant”, “thoughtful” cuisine is very consistently produced at both Michael Nadra’s eponymous restaurants, in Chiswick and Camden Town. Both sites, though, are awkward in their way: the former “is a small space that’s a bit of a squeeze” (window tables are best); while the latter, right next to the Regent’s Canal, is a little stuck out-on-a-limb, and can seem “a little morgue-like” when it’s not busy. Both sites, though, are pepped up by their “friendly” staff.

“The miracle is that it doesn’t change”, say fans of this veteran Primrose Hill taverna: a “big, bustling, cheerful, noisy, Greek family-style restaurant that’s been around forever”, with particularly “warm” staff of decades’ standing, who “don’t just tolerate children, they positively welcome them.” Never exactly a foodie hotspot, “it’s time to revamp the menu…”, according to one fan, who then goes on to admit “…but I’ve been saying that since 1978!” In truth, though, the experience here is finally starting to show its age: there have always been one or two sceptics who “wonder why everyone makes such a fuss about the place”, but their number grows more numerous with each passing year.

This “excellent local” bistro in Primrose Hill – “there should be one on every high street” – has a “good buzz” and does “a nice line in deconstructed versions of French classics”. The original La Petite Ferme near Exmouth Market is a “lovely little” venue “offering brilliant value”.

2016 Review: “Find out where the Manchester Ethiopian community hangs out!” – near Canal Street, “it’s a bizarre location”: “sort-of part of a kebab shop”, “up a set of spiral staircases”. Once you’ve winkled it out, the reward is “tasty curries and sour pancake-style bread”. (It doesn’t have the highest hygiene rating though…)

A "greasy spoon without the grease" in Primrose Hill.