Saltine

With its exposed brick walls, mid-century chairs, and St. John alumni chef, Saltine in Highbury could be mistaken for just another small plates restaurant. In some ways, it is. You can drink whiffy pét nat and eat lush crab on toast, and the bathrooms have a whole hand-painted Matisse-ish thing going on. Only Saltine isn’t just trendy, it’s friendly too. You’ll see babies being bopped, as well as chips and gravy being mopped up. Sure, there are imperfections, but few cool London restaurants feel as warm as this one.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Run by the team behind Fink’s, this gallery-feeling space is an aesthete’s dream for dates and anyone open to a bit of afternoon daydreaming. There’s a cafe-cum-bar up front—as good for a pastry first thing as it is for bits on toast with a glass of something later on. And the light-filled dining room is a comfortable haven whether you’re planning to eat crispy potato cakes with a buggy, or splitting langoustines and béarnaise with your best pal. 

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Come dinner, it’s a bit of a low-lit EVOO and clog convention, but a lovely one at that. You can have pickled mussels and an elegant pumpkin salad, fantastic chunky chips or a satisfying (but sadly not spectacular) osso bucco on risotto Milanese. Sometimes it’s great, sometimes it’s just fine. Sometimes what you’re missing is closer to home than you think. In Saltine’s case, it’s bolder seasoning.

Back when it was Famous Chicken N Pizza, you might trudge in here post-match to bemoan Arsenal over a few hot wings. Now, wheelchairs can roll easily, big families take the open booths, and the sticky toffee apple cake is a unanimous plate-licker. Saltine isn’t unimprovable, but it’s got the makings to be a brilliant neighbourhood restaurant for Highbury.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Shiso Martini

This martini is crisp, crunchy, with a background hum of citrus and, most importantly, drinks like an ice-cold glass of water. It is dangerously good.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Potato Cakes, Crème Fraîche, Trout Roe

It’s hard to argue with a restaurant that excels not just in one form of crispy potato, but two. This little plate is a perfect snack whether with aperitifs or to sate rumbling stomachs around a table. The thin slices of confit potato are crisp and golden, and the creamy-salty combination to pile on top is a timeless classic.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Chips

Chips, chips, chips. You should always order them if they’re on the menu. Particularly when they’re as good as these chunky creations. Part roast potato, part chip, and begging to be dunked in their EVOO-heavy mayonnaise.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Pumpkin Scapece, Roast Hazelnuts, Spenwood

This salad, which mixes surprisingly flavourful pumpkin and a few classics (bitter radicchio, walnuts, and shaved ricotta salata) is fantastic. Colourful, nutty, and delicious. It’s something you’re going to try and recreate at home.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Osso Bucco

Saltine’s osso bucco on a wonderfully sloppy bed of risotto Milanese is one of the best-looking dishes in town. The beef is tender and pink, the rice cashmere-like, and it’s something you’ll want to be spoon-fed. It’s not the richest version of osso bucco we’ve ever had, though. If the flavour was ramped up a couple of notches, it would be a total knockout.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Sticky Toffee Apple Cake

There is no better dessert than a glimmering slice of brown and this is just that. The sponge is moist, the toffee a dentist’s waking nightmare, and the little chunks of stewed apple a happy addition.