LDNGuide

Where To Eat In Newington Green

From low-key wine bars, to comfortable coffee spots, to some of north London's most romantic candle-lit restaurants, here's where to eat in Newington Green.
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photo credit: Karolina Wiercigroch

If you thought that the kaleidoscopic display of produce outside Newington Green Fruits & Vegetables was the best thing, food-wise, about this crossroads area of north London, then you should think again. There are plenty of quietly superb neighbourhood restaurants around Newington Green—from an excellent pizzeria to one of London’s most inventive neighbourhood restaurants—and it’s the kind of place where you can quite easily spend all day and night eating and drinking extremely well.


THE SPOTS

photo credit: Perilla

Modern European

Highbury

$$$$Perfect For:Casual Weeknight DinnerDate NightDinner with the ParentsEating At The BarFine Dining
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If your idea of the perfect neighbourhood restaurant is a spacious and shabby-chic corner spot serving dishes like chocolate tart with a peanut and salted caramel base, then Perilla is the place for you. Come evening this classy (but decidedly casual) fine dining-ish restaurant is glowing from the yellow of dancing candles inside and, for £66, you can enjoy a four-dish tasting menu that will more often than not play with your idea of the classics. Think leek, potato, and aged comté rarebit, or a variety of sensational tart. As far date night restaurants with a difference go, Perilla up there.


Green Lanes Grand Parade rightfully gets plenty of attention when it comes to ocakbaşi restaurants, but the Newington Green end shouldn’t be ignored either. As well as a fine lahmacun specialist, you’ll find 01 Adana.  Everything from the spiced adana kebabs to their grilled onions is fresh and delicious, while the mercimek corbasi (lentil soup) is a winter essential. The room is big and bright, and open from early morning until midnight, making it a no-brainer when you’re moving in numbers or on your own, and need somewhere delicious to eat.


Everyone’s welcome at Oi Vita. Inside the small, casual pizzeria, children’s drawings are proudly displayed, tables are pushed together to accommodate groups despite the small-ish space, and solo walk-in diners are encouraged to spend as long as they like at the bar. The warm atmosphere isn’t just from the heat of the pizza oven, but from the friendly servers. They’ll let you know with a knowing wink that you made the best choice from the succinct menu of Neapolitan-style pizzas. It’s the Siciliana, by the way—with tender aubergine, salty, grated ricotta, and Oi Vita’s signature, pleasingly chewy crust. There are plenty of classic topping combinations, but a decent selection of vegan options as well. So you can bring your mate, date, or mum—they’ll all be welcome.


Having somewhere to drink pinot noir and lazily fork meaty slices of pâté en croûte at 10pm on a Sunday night is something that London could do with a lot more of, and Cadet is that place. The wine bar, charcuterie maker, and small plates restaurant was once one of London’s most aesthetically pleasing chicken shops (RIP Chicken Express), but now it’s a breezy, communal corridor full of good people, good food, and good wine. You’ll be loath to leave after a couple  of hours and a few delicious plates.


Primeur was the original converted garage restaurant before Western’s Laundry, though the same people run both. It’s on a residential road near Newington Green and when the sun has got its hat on and the main door is slid open, it is truly one of most enjoyable restaurants in London to be in. Although its candlelit winter vibe is pretty special as well. The food, European-style small plates, is the perfect accompaniment to a bottle of wine. The ideal time to book is for early evening, so you can eat jamon and gnudi in sunlight, and then cheese and meringue in candlelight.


The original Newington Green location of Jolene is one of the friendliest and most comfortable spots in north London.  It’s an all-day bakery and cafe, serving homely autumnal stews, soups, and pastas in the day before lighting its candles and turning into a small plates restaurant by night. Despite the bare industrial space, dinner at Jolene always manages to feel intimate and lovely. Thanks, in part, to their daily changing menu that always includes fantastic oily focaccia and a handful of brilliant vegetarian combinations, like fettuccine with roast garlic, crème fraîche, and chervil.


This artisan gelateria just south of Clissold Park serves some seriously good and seriously creamy gelato. There are plenty of options like white chocolate, hazelnut, and ricotta with caramelised figs, but if the biscokrok is on you shouldn’t hesitate to get it. Plus, the black cherry praline is some of the best vegan gelato we’ve tried. Don’t miss the mini ice cream cones that you can use as a spoon, which is basically the single most useful invention since someone came up with big ice cream cones.


Nothing hits quite like a lunchtime caffeine pick-me-up from Lizzy’s alongside one of its BLTs in a crispy white roll. The cafe on Newington Green itself is a go-to for morning cuppas, homely sandwiches, and afternoon sweet treats. It’s an outside-only affair, so wrap up or get something to go. Bread is bought from Spence Bakery in Stoke Newington and produce is from the greengrocers down the road. It's a local’s favourite for good reason.


Yield N16 is one of those (fairly) rare things in London: a wine bar that focuses on selling wine. Sure, they do some tasty charcuterie spreads and other little food bits, but wine is their thing and wine is what they do. Bang on Newington Green it’s an excellent spot to sit outside when London’s weather allows you, alongside a bottle of something and a spread of cold cuts.


The area around Canonbury station and Newington Green isn’t short of pubs and casual drinking spots, but Bergen House has the comfortable feel of a place that you’d want to call your local. It’s only open from 4pm in the week, which is a shame because it’s a place that looks like it was made for day drinking. It also has a full menu, so once you’ve installed yourself at their big wooden bar—or one of the two seating areas—and ordered a beer, a rib-eye steak with fries, and then another beer, it’s very easy to forget what time it is.

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