La Casbah

Often filled with locals inside, hovering and joking by the doorway, or outside moped helmet in one hand and a hefty baguette in the other, La Casbah is a little Mediterranean cafe that encapsulates Blackstock Road’s energy. The most popular menu choice is a beef mince baguette, fried within an inch of its life on the hot plate, with an egg cracked in, before being mixed together with chips and chunks of onion, all stuffed into a soft baguette liberally spread with Tunisian harissa paste and mayo. It’s a big boy. But it’s the merguez you want. The spicy sausage has a much better punch of flavour, plus sausage and chips in a sandwich is always, always, a winner.

photo credit: Giulia Verdinelli