London Dalston Restaurant Guide

“Remarkable food combinations”, “full of delicious surprises” win high ratings for this Italo-Japanese project in Dalston, whose “innovative dishes” are paired with “excellent wines” by “well-informed and thoughtful” staff. Meals are served kaiseki-style, with 13 courses on a menu that changes every five weeks. Success here has led to a follow-up venture, pasta and grill specialist Osteria Angelina, opening in Shoreditch last spring (see also).

2024 Review: “Delicious food” and “attentive service” are the order of the day at this ambitious gastropub on the Dalston-Haggerston border, where the kitchen is headed by chef Tom Oldroyd, whose self-named restaurant in Islington closed down during the pandemic.

“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”.

2023 Review: This Dalston two-year-old from MasterChef: The Professionals 2019 semi-finalist Arbinder Dugal is a “very solid representative of the by-now-not-quite-so-new wave of modern Indian restaurants – probably the best in this part of town”. Named after the owners’ home village in the Punjab, it serves a short menu of tasty north Indian dishes.

“Be prepared to queue, as these are very popular irrespective of the gentrification label they have undeservedly been given” – a duo of hip East End bakers, which support at-risk young Londoners and operate out of an urban-grunge alley near Dalston Junction (the original), now with a Harringay spin-off in Green Lanes. As well as pastries, cakes and bread to take away, both provide excellent brunches: “towering sandwiches plus good coffee”. “Wish there was one in our neighbourhood instead of the ever-expanding Gails juggernaut!”

“Sunday lunch where the plates of traditional roast dinners are overflowing” typify the “great meat dishes” which are a highpoint at this East End duo, run by a firm of outside caterers. Both occupy fine spaces, be it a Victorian factory in Dalston (the original, opened in 2013, and famous to fans of the 2021 hit film ‘Boiling Point’); or a fine “airy” Georgian building in South Woodford, complete with large outdoor spaces. Vegetarian options, though, win less praise. Top Tip – bottomless brunch is a feature in both locations.

“Excellent fried chicken with a Korean twist” and “good cocktails” earn a “hallelujah” for this upbeat duo, whose original Haggerston branch celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2025; the Covent Garden branch came later. Although their punchy cocktails are a big part of the attraction, it’s also “great for kids, with a special offer every half term”, and the “beef dripping chips” go down well.

“Simple surroundings belie the quality of the food” at former Pidgin head chef Adolfo (‘Fofo’) De Cecco’s modest Dalston heavyweight, whose “excellent-value tasting menu”, “friendly, attentive staff, amazing and surprising wines, and astounding value for money make for a perfect experience”, at least for those preferring substance to style. “Your chef serves you from an open kitchen”, introducing each dish in the absence of a printed menu.

This 10-year-old group with six sites offers a “good-value and tasty” take on the Middle Eastern kebab, served with a “modern twist” alongside “noteworthy cocktails”. “A seat at the counter is fun” at the original Kingly Court branch in Carnaby Street, which has a ‘fine dining’ option downstairs, Kebab Queen (see also).

2023 Review: “Great value and unusual tasting menus, nice wines & lovely service” win all-round applause for this yearling in a Hackney Downs warehouse from Anthony Lyon (of Lyon’s in Crouch End). Head chef Giuseppe Pepe (ex-Pidgin and Marksman) is responsible for the seasonal, minimal-waste menu, and his “food is beautifully presented and served”.

“Lively” Turkish fixture in Dalston which shot to foodie fame when brothers Ferhat and Sertaç Dirik took over from their father Ali in 2000, heading off in a funky new direction with “incredible, unusual flavours”. But there’s a growing mismatch between repute and feedback – perhaps a consequence of Copenhagen-trained chef Sertaç leaving the business a couple of years back to pursue new projects, including a prestige cookbook for publisher Phaidon. Most reports still say the food is good, but it risks becoming “overpriced”.

“Really thrilling wild-fire cooking” is behind the “exciting menu” at this “buzzy venue” – Dalston’s 40FT Brewery. Chef Andrew Clark launched the project when lockdown forced him to cook outside – and he stayed there, although guests have the option of eating indoors. Alongside the obvious meat, the menu features plenty of vegetables and fish – such as “the best mackerel ever – cooked to perfection and huge!”

2024 Review: On a site that was Rotorino (RIP), this year-old music venue (named for a jazz album) is from the brothers behind Hackney’s ‘Brilliant Corners’. It has yet to generate much in the way of survey feedback, but London needs more jazz diners; and its Japanese-inspired robata cuisine received a big shout out from the Guardian’s Grace Dent in November 2022, who found it be “far grander and ornately executed than it needs to be”.

“A great neighbourhood restaurant” is the verdict on this Hackney destination, which – perhaps not helped by Michelin’s blessing when the premises famously traded as Pidgin – has sometimes struggled under the burden of unfair expectations. In its current guise since mid 2024, it provides “original dishes which can be shared and that are always interesting”, all provided by the “super staff”. “The small dining room can initially seem a little cold but it has a decent vibe”.