London Stoke Newington Restaurant Guide

“Decent hearty gastro food” that’s “great for sharing” distinguishes this Grade II listed pub in Stoke Newington as a popular choice. But while it’s “a cut above most gastropubs” – and its team even helps run the food for Kettners in Soho – it’s yet to achieve the stellar ratings of some of its siblings in the Anchor & Hope stable.

“Just wonderful” Stoke Newington tapas bar “very popular locally” for its “great sharing plates” and “wide range of Spanish wines, many by the glass”. Scottish seafood is the prime focus for dishes that put a Hispanic twist on Caledonian produce, all courtesy its Glasgow-born founder, ex-music producer Stephen Lironi. Top Tip – “we always eat early to take advantage of the half-price oysters before 7pm”.

Das Sreedharan’s famous bright pink Stoke Newington Keralan has won a legion of fans over the decades – “it was the first veggie restaurant I ever went to about 30 years ago and I didn’t miss meat one bit”. Various spin-offs have opened and closed in that time, most recently Rasa Street across the road. No longer with the rarity value it once enjoyed, its ratings remain very respectable all-round. Top Menu Tip – “lovely masala dosa”.

“Worth the local hype (and the queue)”, says fans of this small, bright and breezy modern café in Stoke Newington, which has become known over the years for its “twists on the classic brunch options” – “imaginative pairings that don’t sound like they should work but really do”.

“Lush pizza” that’s reliably “top-quality” has driven the expansion of this Islington-based group that has developed four different 48-hour ferment bases – including gluten-free and ‘black vegetable charcoal’ versions to reduce stomach gas; so “everyone’s happy”. The eight-year-old group now has nine sites in the capital (including a new one labelled as ‘Chelsea’ but on Fulham Broadway) and one in Reading.