London Crouch End Restaurant Guide

“Well-executed dishes and great wines” have established this authentic tapas bar as a Crouch End staple in the past dozen years. Founder Stephen (‘Esteban’) Lironi is a Glasgow-born sherry aficionado who started out as a record producer and met his wife, Clare Grogan, as fellow members of post-punk band Altered Images.

2024 Review: “Top Neapolitan pizza”, say fans of this Kensal Rise 11-year-old and its Crouch End offshoot, which offers a “limited and delicious menu (they stick to what they know) in cool surroundings”.

This “cosy neighbourhood bistro with good French-inspired food” and “very knowledgeable staff” has been a Crouch End fixture since 2002, from chef-patron Lynne Marie Sanders, who trained under the great Alain Ducasse. With its inviting warren of rooms and striking, colourful wall murals, it’s “perfect for date night”.

“Always a hit” for its “excellent lamb ribs and chargrilled bread”, this Crouch End “favourite” has built a strong local reputation over a decade for “very well prepared and presented Turkish staples”. Top Tip: – “go on Monday to Thursday: it gets frantically busy on Friday and Saturday nights”.

“Love JC and Robert!” – this “ideal neighbourhood restaurant” in Crouch End “punches well above its weight” thanks to its “ebullient service” and “proper French food done to perfection”. “The two owners not only greet you when you arrive, they take your order and serve you in the flamboyant style of the past when ‘Haute cuisine’ was in vogue”. This is “French cuisine as we imagine we remember it” – “absolutely superb”. Top Menu Tips – “delicious Côte de boeuf (presented raw to you for your approval before being flamed!) and the best Rum baba ever (again with the obligatory flaming of the just-poured alcohol at your table!)”; “my go-to for Fish soup” and “the Onion soup is spot-on as are the fish dishes”; “beautifully rich pear Tarte tatin”.

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”.