London Finsbury Park Restaurant Guide

2021 Review: From its Finsbury Park base (next to the Park Theatre), this “cheerful” group of “good neighbourhood pasta-stops” subsequently expanded to Ealing and then onto Wembley branch (there’s also an outlet in Westfield Stratford); all deliver “well-cooked”, affordable pasta.

This “amazing little neighbourhood gem” is a Finsbury Park fixture, serving “100% authentic southern Italian cooking”. “The surroundings may not be glamorous but the food is very well prepared and authentic”, and service under owner Paola is “always friendly”.

This “tiny, unbookable but excellent” Finsbury Park stalwart has been a source of “great home-cooked Korean and Japanese food” for 15 years. It’s good value, too, which means it gets “a little crowded”. Cash only!

“Reliably excellent pizza” – “better than the other high street chains” – is what you’ll find at this growing Clapton-based operation, now with 12 sites from Balham and Crystal Palace in the south to Tufnell Park (which, as of summer 2024, is the latest to open). They’re perhaps “not smart as places to eat”, but that hardly matters – and the “toppings are interesting without being off-puttingly un-pizza-ish”.

This “brilliant neighbourhood restaurant” in Finsbury Park has plied regulars and blow-ins alike with “great pizza, pasta and cocktails” for more than a quarter of a century – “we’re always welcomed back like long-lost family members!”. “North London has no shortage of excellent pizza places, but this one wins by a crispy crust”.

“Buzzy, hipstery joint” by Newington Green that’s “similar to the related Westerns Laundry”: “shared tables add to the fun” and it provides “very good casual dining” – “a mix of small and large plates”, and “with the same preference for natural wines (perhaps not universally successful, but they serve a decent range)”. The output from the in-house bakery is a feature and it only uses grains grown without chemicals. The odd report discerns a “slight tendency to ‘bistromathics’, where the bill surprises” and the charge for some small plates is a mite “cheeky”. Top Menu Tips – “excellent pizzetta, fab roasted leeks in sauce gribiche”.

‘The Bugs are here Baby’ – that’s the message at this funky, no-frills Finsbury Park newcomer, created by an entomologist and a designer seeking to demonstrate that insects are delicious and good for the planet. A pop-up in Shoreditch in late 2023 proved that the proposition had legs… now it has wings to fly! Most folks seem to love it, and one early survey report praises “a high variety of small-plate dishes with high protein content and friendly service”.

This 15-strong London noodle chain (now with branches in Brighton, Birmingham and Bristol) is “a good stand-by” – perhaps it’s “not as good as some of its competitors”, but it is widely seen as “good value”: in particular “the lunch-time meal deal” is a winner.

“Opened in late 2023 in the trendy new cultural quarter around Finsbury Park tube”, this indie caff is hailed by early fans as “a fantastic addition to the area thanks to its wide choice of breakfast/brunch and lunch dishes”, plus “tasty” coffee and other brews. “The interior has a restrained Scandi-style aesthetic, but don’t think IKEA! We’re talking more upmarket”. Top Menu Tip – “divine chocolate brownies”.

On Finsbury Park’s Stroud Green Road, this Japanese-style curry specialist is a new (October 2023), slightly larger sibling to an older, more ‘hole-in-the-wall’ style sister operation at Coal Drops Yard in King’s Cross. No survey feedback as yet on its choice of three sauces (beef, mild chicken and lentils) to accompany its signature breaded chicken katsu, but when Hideaki Yoshiyama’s original branch opened, it attracted the interest of The Financial Times’s Tim Hayward who found its “stretched and battered foodway, reconstructed with the kind of rigour I find irresistible”.

This “grotty Arsenal pub” near the old Highbury stadium in Finsbury Park has won wide acclaim for its “elevated pub food”, with “small plates of tasty British classics” and a “banging Dexter burger” (“I dream about those burgers, they’re that good”). There’s a “nice old-school pub atmosphere too”, with a “lively bar” and “great beer selection”. Chef duo Jamie Allan & Ed McIlroy (aka Four Legs) have now opened their second transformation project, the former chippy Tollingtons (see also). Top Sartorial Tip – “baseball caps and trainers are ubiquitous”.

Open in June 2024 (after our annual diners’ poll had concluded) in the former, family-run Finsbury Park chippy that provides its name: a Spanish-inspired seafood spot from Four Legs, the team behind The Plimsoll nearby. Expect casual drinks and standing bites at the front bar and restaurant seating at the back.

“It’s always busy” at this welcoming Vietnamese restaurant, north of Finsbury Park as you head towards Crouch End, thanks to its “friendly staff and authentic cooking” (including a good number of options for veggies and vegans). Top Menu Tips – pho noodle soups and the bun cha (grilled pork with vermicelli noodles).