London Barnsbury Restaurant Guide

2022 Review: 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.

Nick Gibson’s famous Islington gastropub offers “British cuisine with a creative twist” that is “utterly delicious, generous, and most of all memorable”. There’s a “strong selection of craft beers and ales”, and a “renowned wine list put together by Nick and priced ungreedily”. This year’s worst complaint – “just a bit too noisy and busy, which can affect the service”.

“I couldn’t love it more”, say regulars of this Islington Vietnamese – “a family-run and family-oriented original, with reliable and delicious food”.

2022 Review: “Brilliant burgers charmingly served in a student-friendly hang-out” – that’s the deal at this indie four-year-old, which is located at the northern end of the new developments near King’s Cross.

“Is it actually a pub? Who cares when the food is remarkable?” – this “refreshingly different” converted corner-tavern in Barnsbury “takes you by surprise” with its “superb, punchy Indian food, served to you perched on a bar stool, amidst a crowded boozer vibe”. Opened in 2022, it’s quickly become one of the Top-100 most talked-about restaurants in our annual diners’ poll and lives up to the hype for most customers, even if “the elongated bar can feel a bit cramped and the interior becomes too noisy” (“on a balmy night, it’s great to sit outside”). “Delicious cocktails and a mean Bloody Mary too”. Top Menu Tip – “the lamb chops, the Lollipop chicken and the huge Bhatura will make you go back again and again”.