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.

2021 Review: “Utterly magic shakshuka served with chunks of roasted sourdough…”, “stand-out salt beef bagels…”, “incredible coffee with a selection of babka sweet breads (in different flavours!)…”, “ZFC – ‘za’atar fried chicken’ – to die for!…” – these “bustling” Israeli delis in Stoke Newington and Soho’s Kingly Court create queues (especially at brunch) with their “quite exceptional and startlingly fresh Middle-Eastern-cum-north-American food. They also make a worthwhile destination at dinner, when the pace is more sedate, the natural wines are flowing and you can actually book a table”. “Casual and relaxed”, they look “gorgeous” too.

“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”.

“Literally the size of a dinner plate”, the schnitzels at this tiled Stoke Newington two-year-old are “freshly made”, “tender & super-tasty”, and come with “great sides – especially the pickled cucumber salad”. The classics (veal, pork, chicken) take their cue from German-speaking central Europe, but the menu strays as far as Mexico and Japan to up the variety. A spin-off opened in Hoxton under the name Schnitzel Heaven in early 2023.

“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”.

“Well done Rasa!” – the revered veggie Keralan has “opened up a new restaurant in Stokey”: opposite the original bright-pink Rasa, now in its 30th year, the latest venture from Das Sreedharan “stays true to the original, but also offers yummy fish dishes” with “a whole array of beautiful and tasty new options” – and “it’s already a local hit”.

“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.