King's Cross, Middle Eastern - Restaurant Guide

A street stall serving “interesting Middle Eastern food” that has developed over the years into a fully-fledged restaurant – this “buzzy” Borough Market fixture makes a “fun” option for a simple meal, while its spinoff across town makes a “decent enough addition to King’s Cross”. Ratings are dragged down, though, by the sceptical view that – while nice enough – the food never manages to hit the gastronomic heights.

“It just gets better and better”, say fans of this winning collaboration between Israeli chef and restaurateur Assaf Grannit and designer Tom Dixon (whose London HQ is in the adjacent space). Just off Granary Square, on the path towards Coal Drops Yard, it is a “long narrow space”, whose “attentive and friendly staff” help create a vibe that’s “always buzzy”. Foodwise, it’s a “sharing plate concept” that very “rarely disappoints”, built around a “frequently changing menu” of “clever” Middle Eastern dishes (and with “delicious breads”). Top Menu Tips – many dishes are recommended in reports including “Tuna Carpaccio with horseradish and lime; Polenta with parmesan, asparagus and mushrooms; Israeli pasta with prawns, octopus with rose harissa; Semolina cake with blueberries”.

“I dream about the hummus and flatbread…!”; “Believe the hype: even the meat-eaters don’t complain” and visit “these vibrant (often heaving!)” venues whose “completely brilliant” meat-free dishes (“such variety, with great combinations of flavours”) provide “taste explosions” of “fill-yer-face food”. But even fans concede you get “squashed in” and that “the bare walls and decor make it noisy” – “then again a more comfortable ambience would just push up the reasonable prices” and the net outcome is “jolly”. From its Soho base, expansion has come to Shoreditch and – from April 2025 – also now to King’s Cross. Top Tip – avoid W1’s “cramped basement”.

“In a corner of Islington” – Chapel Market – Tel Aviv-based chef Maoz Alonim earns universal praise for this late 2024 newcomer, particularly applauded for its “lovely service” and a menu featuring “superb shellfish” (“excellent oysters”) and “the best taramasalata ever eaten”. The Sunday Times’s Charlotte Ivers is a big fan, and in her January 2025 review she described a "gorgeous" little place with “perfect seasonal cooking, with warmth to cut through the English winter but all the vitality of the Mediterranean”.