The Knowhere Guide

Eating and Drinking in Highbury and Islington, Greater London*

Highbury and Islington, Greater London Pubs, Cafes, Coffee Shops and Restaurants

Food

• The Bailey on Highbury Road has Thai food instead of your normal pub grub. Yummy.
• RUBY IN THE DUST, UPPER STREET has sadly been disappointing on every visit. A real shame, especially considering the chilled, sunny decor, and promoted 'vibe'. On 2 visits (couldnt go back again), the food has been appallingly cooked, 3 different waiters were rude and careless, forgetting orders and simple things like cutlery. we had to ask for the bill 3 times, and eventually when we went up and gave them the money they didnt even say thankyou. Perhaps under different management it would be a more pleasurable visit.
• Stringray Cafe is cheap & cheerful (opposite the Turkish place Iznicks - who by the way serve such teeny weeny portions me & my group of 6 mates ordered more starters for our desserts!! "Would you like coffee or desserts madam?" - "No thankyou - but a truck load of hummous & olives wouldn't go amiss"- very un Turkish like in their helpings) Small & Beautiful further down the hill - nice food & atmosphere - although they do serve Skippy on a plate & the prices have gone up
• La Porchetta is a highly overated restaurant used by people with poor taste. Belmondo on Cross Lane is the one to go for.
• Harry's of Highbury - best baguettes in London and Harry is a really nice bloke!
• Tuk Tuk - Service depends on how nice you are to them, food is superb. Yellow River Cafe - New, excellent food.
• Must - go -to is La porchetta's on Upper Street. sister to the branches in Crouch End and Muswell Hill, this is the posh Issie version. You get the huge - est pizzas ever for not much cash (about £4) You won't need Garlic Bread to start either. great atmos even though it looks a bit posh - you can also take away what you don't eat!
• For those who want to go a little upmarket or just want a treat, try Granitas on Upper Street (where Tony Blair shafted Gordon Brown for the Labour leadership) - newish restaurants like The White Onion (again on Upper Street). Both these offer 'modern English', which basically means it's expensive, but you are paying to be surrounded by the beautiful people (well rich). For Breakfast try the Gill Wing Cafe just off Highbury Corner. Or alternatively Jindiviks on Liverpool Road. Best curry house in the area is The Standard Tandoori on Holloway Road (keep going past the Garage - it's on the left).
• There is an excellent sandwich place at the top of Upper Street - I think its called Gorgeous George's - does American subs that slurp and over-run and generally muss you up in a delicious kind of a way
• Jeeeez... where do you start? Islington being the chattering classes mecca, provides them with loads of places for them to go and eat. Whether you want real Turkish (as oposed to crap post piss-up kebabs from the take away) Japanese, Mongolian Barbequeue, French... you got it all. They also have quite a few bistro type places: Dome and Cafe Flo etc. Best bet is just to wonder around and decide when you get there, though some get busy enough to merit booking in advance. La Finca on Pentonville Road does a mean tapas, and on Sundays you can get a huge paella for a fiver with live flamenco thrown in. There is a really nice bar that does top grub on Exmouth Market called Als Diner. No, it's not American. The food is great, the service is bloody slow, but you don't really go there for that, more to soak up the vibe and watch Roseberry Avenue go past. Opens late as well. La Maison on Upper Street (again!) is really nice: slightly inventive French food and it isn't badly priced. There are loads more, but I don't eat out much... other things to spend my money on!
• What has to be the cheapest Japanese restaurant in the capital has just opened up in St John Street, Islington, 100 yds down from the Angel - the Japanese canteen. A sushi, sashimi or Yakitori set mean is just £4.95, the quality is darned good and they even have a licence.
• Highbury as has one of the best butchers in London in Godfrey's, which does free range and organic meat and makes some excellent sausages.
• The Iznik in Highbury Grove is a slightly up-market greasy spoon by day and an excellent Turkish restaurant by night and seems to be the main focus for the legions of media types living locally. There is also Bodali's, a superb North Indian restaurant on the Blackstock Road, whose owner grinds all his own spices and makes the most wonderful fish curries. Not licensed, but you can bring a bottle.

Pubs

• Barcosa (54 Holloway Road). This place used to be Tank before it closed down. But the new bar is much better, I think. Have a chat with Abby and chill out on a leather sofa while he serves up great Indian food and awesome acid jazz, lounge and smooth grooves. Drinks are slightly above average (£2.80-£3.00ish) but I think you get your monies worth.
• The Beerhouse on the Holloway Road is now under new management and is called Bar Cosa and well worth checking out for a laid back night out. They serve really nice and good value Indian food and have DJs on Friday nights - first Friday of each month is hip hop, breakbeat and funk. It's literally 1 min walk from Highbury & Islington tube.
• The Mucky Pup, 39 Queens Head Street, Islington, London, N1 8NQ. Tucked away 60 seconds off Essex Road. Sweet little modern type pub, with comfy couches, pool table, and one big mucky dog named Iggy. Well cared for Green Man on tap-- the Gov' looks to be retired punkster from back in the day and a stomping selection of good tunes and no prepackaged shite. I think they are just starting off, so everyone should go down and buy a pint, because they seem to be good people.
• The Percy on percy circus just up the road from where Lenin and Krupskaya lived, its a quiet old locals pub full of what a cockney bar should be full of
• More of a bar really but check out the Tank on Highbury Road. Its full of wonderful tanks with beautiful fish, snakes, iguanas, hence the name Tank. We also got free popcorn with our drinks. Totally gorgeous place, very cool.
• Gotta shout loud about this new place i found just off Upper st, PRORESS BAR, as far as I can tell it is a new venue? Wicked crowd, good prices, nice tunes supplied by couple of seemingly clued up (considering their ages!!) DJs. No Q which makes a nice change, why don't other venues take note. No door charge! Fridays is best. If you see a guy dancing around like a happy gorilla...it's likely to be me! Check it out
• The Duke of Cambridge is a good Sunday afternoon pub down St Peter's Street. All its beers, wine and food are organic. If you can brace yourself to ask for a pint of Freedom Fighter then this pub is definitely worth checking out!
• How about some of the pubs on the Holloway road? The Beerhouse is now under new managment and is doing good food and groovy tunes, and the Bailey is always good for a cheap thai - both minutes from H&I tube
• The Albion on Thornhill Road - oldy worldy, sit outsidey, hanging baskety, cosy comfy and traditional.
• The Arsenal Tavern on Blackstock Rd - an experience not t be missed - the pub that time forgot - the size of a Weatherspoons with only 5 cider mad clientele with the added charm of every animal known to man stuffed & put in pride of place above your head - I quite like it......... Islington has more pubs than Ireland so why doesn't Highbury have ANY???(decent ones I mean with Arsenal/Gunner/Football Fan in the title)- where do all the hip young things go??
• The best beer garden in London is at the Canonbury Tavern in Canonbury Lane, oppisite the Tower Theatre
• I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the Compton Arms, a small, friendly Greene King pub tucked away just off the main drag of Upper Street – turn into Canonbury Lane (opposite the Grope and Wanker – sorry, Hope and Anchor) and take the second left. Good beers – Greene King IPA, Spitfire and Abbot – decent cheap food, eg pies, sausage and mash, local crowd. Definitely not trendy and without music, though sometimes they show football on a large screen – provides a welcome relief from Upper Street for old-fashioned drinkers.
• The Kings Head - theatre at the back, friendly staff, always fun.
• Try the other organic pub near noel road - the duke of Cambridge for a change
• The 'other' pub on Noel Road is The Island Queen--excellent!!
• purple turtle. the best bar in the world.tons of different bottled beers from all over the world, cheap prices compared to the rest of islington! great jukebox covering from sublime and the bloodhoundgang to sex pistols and jayne county to underworld and fatboy slim.sexy barstaff, a laidback attitude. monday nights open mic comedy, "turtley hilarious" a night where comedians come to die. sunday afternoons open mic accoustic session.( scene of big cheese magazine parties, and much bad behaviour fom uk pro skateboarders)
• Check out the new 'Old Parr's Head' - it's like new bar now it's been done up. The free bar snacks (especially Sunday) have recently been voted best in Britain by GQ magazine - and you can certainly see why!
• To whoever wrote the stuff about The Old Parrs Head I suggest that you come back and take another look. After a fab refurb and barring of just about all the old punters I think that you will be pleasantly surprised by the charm, character and type of person who now frequents this pub. Gone are the days of kids, fights and coke, I think that maybe before you start writing off someone elses business that you do your research properly or at least up date it.
• For a spot of pre-club atmosphere try Matt & Matts Bar near the Screen on the Green. Laid back grooves early on, then funky house and drum & bass to get you in the mood for clubbing. They do a happy hour too!
• Check out Matt & Matt, 112 Upper Street, Islington N1 Regular DJ's playing a mix of Funk,House, Drum & Bass and ambient journeys through the universe. Available for private hire & Sunday Chill-Outs. Tues to Fri 5pm-Midnight. Sat 6pm-Midnight. Happy Times 5pm-7pm. Tues & Weds All Night.
• We found it almost mindboggling that there was no mention made of the Islington nannies' local pubs ;the Walkabout and O'Neills. The Walkabout is great for watching sport during the day and , although it gets a bit crowded, is great for a piss-up in the evening - also almost too easy to pull there. Pity it closes at 11.00 o'clock. Pretty easy to get hold of some illegal contraband aswell, if you know the right welshman. o'Neills stays open until 1.00 am and has more than its share of slappers and obliging men - all in all a great time is always had by all, even if the male:female ratio is sometimes a bit cock-eyed, trust our favourite australian to fix that though, mate!
• Two spring to mind: The Crown in Cloudesley Road, Barnsbury which is about a ten minute walk from Upper Street in a quiet, leafy Georgian Street which also does fabulous (although a little pricey) food and has a great selection of wines. Tables outside, no traffic (no entry) which is a result in Islington and inhabited by a youngish crowd of locals. The other is the Hemingford, again in Barnsbury, on the corner of Offord and Hemingford Road. Eclectic mix of locals and visitors, music some nights - good Thai food (cheap) The Mitre is now dreadful. Just another one of a number of pubs. Don't go there. Steer clear of the Parr's Head across the road from the Mitre - unless you want a fight or to score some coke that is.
• The Duke of Wellington on Balls Pond Road has a friendly, relaxed atmosphere, and one of the best pool rooms I've ever seen.
• Really nice atmosphere pub, that is closed weekends: the Papier Mache pub by the Church in Clerkenwell Green (not really Highbury, this, but still).
• Pub on the park on Copenhagen Street can be good late as is the Red Lion the Theatre Pub at the top of St. John Street.
• There's another pub on Noel Road, isn't bad, but I can't remember what it's called.
• Another nice pub is the Narrow Boat, down Noel Road (bit of a back street): the pub isn't any great shakes, but in summer you can have a pint and sit by the side of the canal chilling out.
• Loads. Some good, some crap. The Embassy isn't bad, and you can do quite a good crawl up Essex Road. Start at the Old Queens Head (always spills out onto the pavement in summer), cross the road to the Kings Head (bit stuffier) up to the Embassy then on to Disgracelands. There is also the Purple Turtle Bar... lots going down there!!! Know what I mean!
• A couple of good bars in Islington, around the Angel tube, are: The Samon and Compasses, corner of Chapel Market Street and Barnsbury Road. Good atmosphere, ok beers, cool musak, friendly bar staff and strange games. It's open till 2:00 am. Babooshka. On Caledonian Road, near Copenhagen Street. Excellent decor, fire place, guest DJs and pumping on a Fri/Sat night. Closes midnight. Also just out from the tube is 'The Complex', a four level pumpin' jumpin' thumpin' trip (or so I hear). Haven't been there yet.
• The Mitre: Formerly cracking dark, young drinking venue with garden, Pride and excellent jukebox. Refitted spring '97. Any news?
• Royal Mail: Upper Street, half-way down on right from H & I tube. Tiny from front, goes further out back. Bored empty atmos makes excellent place for impromtu lock-ins and space away from Saturday Sushi & Champagne Socialists. Nice piano.
• There are loads of good bars and pubs. Ones of note include The Embassy on Essex Road, The Old Queens Head on Essex Road and the Medicine Bar on Upper Street. Particularly the Embassy, which seems to cater for the hip 25-30 somethings of Islington - good music, good beer, nice venue - cool and under-stated.
• There's a pub just outside Highbury & Islington tube that's not too bad... If you turn right outside the tube and go down Upper Street you'll come to the Tut 'n' Shive - good beers... okay atmosphere. Further down on the right is The Hope and Anchor, legendary punk venue where everyone from The Jam to.... erm, Dire Straits have played and now has gigs every night of the week. It's amazingly small. Oh, and if you go left out of the tube, past the Garage on the opposite side, you'll get to The Wig and Gown. Not too horrendous...
• What's this about no good pubs in Islington? The Albion is charming, despite being the local to the sell-out Socialist.

Cafes and Coffee Shops

• Giraffe on Essex road - good smoothies and fab brunches - huge portions. The BEST Scrambled eggs on toast with smoked salmon EVER. Hmmm!

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Last updated: 2007-12-06