London Angel Restaurant Guide

The “reliable, delicious ramen” available at six sites across the capital, offering “tasty twists” on traditional Kyushu-style noodles from former pro cyclist Kazuhiro Kanada, is many people’s favourite Japanese fast-food option. “A newly opened branch in Westfield Shepherd’s Bush, although finding its feet, is still one of the better options for a bite to eat” in the mall.

“A fix of huevos rancheros never disappoints” at this collection of 11 all-day London ‘cafs’ (with another four across England and two pubs), whose menu mixes British greasy-spoon fare with American diner classics (pancakes, fried chicken, milkshakes) that certainly “set you up for the day”. “Basic, but with a nice buzz”, they are also “great for oldies, with half-price mains for the over 60s”.

Brunch in particular is “varied and delicious” at this vibey group: launched a decade ago as a pop-up in an ex-greasy spoon in Balham and progressing via supper clubs to six permanent sites open till late. “Great flatbreads with the mezze” and “the beautiful treatment of vegetables” are typical of the “simple and very good” Eastern Mediterranean dishes, wines and cocktails inspired by co-founder Tas Gaitanos’s Cretan/Cypriot heritage (the name honours owner Alex Large’s kid brother). Summer 2025’s Canary Wharf opening was the biggest yet, with an 80-seater outdoor terrace and a new dedicated ‘skewers’ menu.

The Segal family’s smart institution, in antiquey Camden Passage, excels for the “wonderful ambience” and “professional, attentive (but not too attentive) service” that pleases its huge loyal crowd of regulars, many of them Islington residents (“I’ve been coming here since it opened over 50 years ago, and it’s still going strong”). “Good acoustics and well-spaced tables” are further attractions – “it’s a joy to be able to talk to fellow diners” – while the varied if relatively unadventurous food is “invariably decent, sometimes very good”. “The room is light with several large abstract paintings and a large conservatory”; and it’s a “particularly nice summer venue”, with a big secluded garden for al fresco meals.

“Lovely coffee and great cakes” are the most obvious draw at this gemutlich outfit in Islington’s atmospheric Camden Passage (emphatically “not a place for dieters!”) – but “it’s much more than a coffee shop, it’s a very good Austrian restaurant too (check out the giant and very good Schnitzel)”. Top Tip – “the layered torte are worth the calories”.

“Great Louisiana Cajun food and equally super jazz in a jauntily converted pub” by the Regent’s Canal in Islington make this tribute from restaurateur Jacob Kenedy (of Bocca di Lupo) to his New Orleans roots “a real crowd pleaser, especially for a brunch” – “the menu is short but tasty”, and “the seafood stock in the gumbo is the work of an exacting chef”.

“The menu here literally never changes but it doesn’t need to as the restaurant food (and take away) is so good!” – so say fans of this tiny, two-floor canteen on Islington Green that has been doling out a handful of curries with rice, flat breads and chutneys (and not much else) at bargain prices since the early 1990s. It’s unlicensed. Top Menu Tips – good veggie selection and lots of fresh juices.

Risking turning into “Café Rouge in disguise” – this large French brasserie by Islington Green lived a chequered past under its former owners Corbin & King, which ultimately led to its re-formatting in 2023 by the new Wolseley Group. A few fans do feel the changes are working out, lauding “basic French-standard dishes that are well executed” (“e.g. reliable chicken schnitzel”); and “with pleasant service and plenty of space between tables”. Most feedback, though, continues the downbeat themes that have long dogged it now (“very poor – what a shame!”)

“An absolute top roast, and service just as it should be in a pub” inspire ongoing love for this Islington gastroboozer, especially for its “just spectacular” meat dishes, from carcases butchered on-site in their own butchery.

2022 Review: “The atmosphere is downbeat but the food is addictive” at this Chinese canteen near Angel, which serves “tasty, spicy food with lots and lots of pepper”. “Try and avoid the more conventional Chinese restaurant dishes for an authentic regional treat.”

James Dawson’s half-dozen wine bars are “super venues to try interesting new wines in”, with “informative service” – “food is something of an after-thought, but pretty good for all that”, and comes into its own with a “fantastic Sunday roast menu: lamb and beef are high-quality and cooked perfectly”. Top Tip – “great deals on a Monday when most others are closed”.

“Cosy, friendly corner of Paris in N1” – “simple traditional French bistro cooking done well, full in flavour and with generous servings” is on offer at this “popular neighbourhood restaurant” in Islington, which attracts “a mixed clientele of couples, families with children, and friends of different ages”. Its “charming ambience” and “amazingly good value” (“especially the prix fixe lunch”) make it “somewhere you’re happy to return to on a frequent basis”.

2023 Review: This “very authentic Italian local” has been filling happy bellies in Exmouth Market for more than 20 years, with Neapolitan pizzas, pastas and other dishes – “nothing too refined, but plenty of choice and not expensive”. The only complaint: “some options are just too big and hearty”.

“This ever-friendly cafe sibling of next door Moro is a wonderful place to eat great tapas” – “especially sitting outside in Exmouth market”. Husband-and-wife team Sam & Sam Clark’s 15-year-old spin-off provides “superb tasty food at very reasonable prices” in a “casual but professional” environment, encompassing “interesting plates” of Spanish and North African-inspired food that is “not pretentious but delivers great enjoyment”. There’s a second branch in Hackney Road.

“Very clever cooking – far more satisfying than a carnivore might expect” – is the reason for the ongoing success of this vegetarian group, founded in Soho almost 40 years ago and expanded into a modern chain over the last ten years. “Is it vegan? Yes”, fully plant-based since 2001. “Do you have to be vegan to enjoy it? No” – “the quality and intensity of the flavours” wins over many omnivores, while “the extremely friendly service and full-to-the-gills interior creates an ambience that is conducive to enjoyment”.

“Never tire of it”, declare the legion of fans of Sam & Sam Clark’s Exmouth Market stalwart, crowning it “still one of the best”; and hailing “top flavours” from a “super-reliable” Spanish/North African menu (“no tweezers here, just very tasty food in generous portions”); all alongside the “buzzy” and “cool” setting and “classy Iberian wines to boot”. “Chaotic” service seems to have been a recurring problem this year, though, and that it’s nowadays too “crowded, rowdy, and highly priced” features in ever-more reports. Top Menu Tips – “top starters include the smoky duck breast with orange, and delicate lamb’s kidneys on toast; charcoal-grilled lamb with beetroot is perfection; the yogurt cake could be described as Moroccan Mess!”

“Old-school cooking, just like you’d find in Hong Kong”, is on the menu at this tiny outfit that has become a place of foodie pilgrimage: “of all the many Chinese restaurants in London serving dim sum and other Cantonese staples, this is a long-tail success”… but only “if you can bear the hour-long queue on grimy King’s Cross Road”; the “industrial-speed” service (“a bit off-hand, but well-meaning”); and “very cramped tables”. Top Tip: “go between 2.30 & 4.00pm after the lunchtime rush is over and they’re winding down before starting up again at 6pm”; “best tasty prawns I’ve had in years”.

2024 Review: “Authentic, mostly fiery, Sichuan cooking” is showcased at this modern pub-conversion, “conveniently a few minutes’ walk along the canal from King’s Cross”. The menu includes plenty of items that in Britain used to be hidden away behind untranslated Chinese characters – chicken feet, frog legs, pig intestines – and “given the large plates, you need a big group to do it justice”.

2024 Review: “An amazing variety of small, tasty and unusual combination dishes served in a very cool environment” continues to win a thumbs up – if from a tiny fan club – for this Israeli-Japanese one-year-old in the shiny new Islington Square development.

It’s “difficult to have a bad time” at Josh Katz’s funky duo, which started as a “cool little place in a railway arch near the canal in Haggerston” and later added a shawarma bar spin-off in Exmouth Market. On the menu: “delicious small plates of Middle Eastern-inspired food” – “gutsy food and great staff too”. (It’s no criticism to say that ratings are not as white hot as when it first opened: it’s just that the competition has caught up with them a bit). Sample dishes – Miso-harissa BBQ butterflied poussin, salata mashwiya; Whole sea bream, moroccan chili honey, saffron aioli, lemon; or Smoked lamb mechoui, harissa, cumin salt, grilled flatbread.