Hardens Guide to the Best Restaurants in London Islington
Hardens guides have spent 30 years compiling reviews of the best Islington restaurants. On Hardens.com you'll find details and reviews of 92 restaurants in Islington and our unique survey based approach to rating and reviewing Islington restaurants gives you the best insight into the top restaurants in every area and of every type of cuisine.
Featured Islington Restaurants
1. Oldroyd
British, Modern restaurant in Islington
344 Upper St - N1
“Tiny, really tiny!” – Tom Oldroyd’s converted Islington house is “either intimate or cramped… it’s hard to decide”, but “even though the space is confined, it has character” (“upstairs is slightly better”), plus it’s staffed with “nice people”. The draw is the “simple and well-prepared food”, which is “really tasty and interesting”: in the space, “how they do it is a mystery!”
2. The Wilmington
British, Modern restaurant in Islington
69 Rosebery Avenue - EC1R
“Our local – we’re so lucky!” Near the foodie mecca of Exmouth Market, this “busy” Clerkenwell corner-boozer receives a consistent thumbs-up in reports: “the standard of the food is high”.
3. Isarn
Thai restaurant in Islington
119 Upper St - N1
2018 Review: The “pretty authentic food” and attentive staff win consistent praise for this Islington fixture. The “modern decor is a cut above the normal high street Thai”, making the best of what could be a tricky narrow space.
4. Salut
International restaurant in Islington
412 Essex Road - N1
Tiny Canonbury fixture, with “a small but perfectly formed menu” of ambitious modern European dishes, prepared in an open kitchen – “wonderful, well-flavoured, light cooking”, from “the amazing roast potatoes to the soups and everything in between”.
5. Arenella
restaurant in Islington
29 Penton Street - N1
A new "autumnal alfresco terrace" opening at The Chapel Bar.
6. Frederick’s
British, Modern restaurant in Islington
106 Camden Passage - N1
“Tucked away in Camden Passage”, this Islington institution is “still going strong after all these years” and remains a real “go-to place for family celebrations” for many north Londoners; as well as “a great place for a romantic dinner”. “The ordinary fascia hides a true gem inside”, leading onto “a modern, spacious and stylish interior” where the top seats are in the “lovely, light and airy back area”. It’s not a foodie kind of place, but the cooking is “contemporary and varied (the set menu never disappoints)”, and “staff are par excellence, always professional, but fun and cheery”.
7. Top Cuvee
British, Modern restaurant in Islington
177b Blackstock Road - N5
“A brilliant addition to Norf Landon”: this “buzzy” and “notably hip” new Highgate wine bar and bistro offers a fashionable formula, combining a curt menu of “lovely small plates” – showing “real depth of flavour” – with an “excellent wine list, which may tend a tad to the ‘natural’, but which offers plenty of choice”. “Knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff” add to the picture. “Only slight issue is acoustics: this is a hard-walled box, so noise-sensitive folk may want to pass… but I’m looking forward to returning soon”.
8. Pig & Butcher
British, Modern restaurant in Islington
80 Liverpool Road - N1
Craft ales and on-site butchered meat combine at this “great local pub” in Islington – where the “hearty fare” is (perhaps unsurprisingly) “great for meat-lovers”. It’s “buzzy and busy”, so “expect to queue” at prime times.
9. Stefs @ Oregano
Italian restaurant in Islington
18-19 St Albans Pl - N1
2017 Review: “Consistently good thin-crust pizza” makes it worth remembering this cute, family-friendly Italian, hidden off Upper Street.
10. Le Cellar
French restaurant in Islington
130 St John Street - EC1V
Promising initial feedback on this tiny, wine, cheese, charcuterie and tapas yearling in Clerkenwell, whose backers include wine buyer Anthonin Charlier (formerly at Cellar and Club Gascon). French and Spanish flavours are to the fore – “a really happy discovery: both food and wine are great, but the service makes the place”.
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