We can't deny it anymore, people. Holloway Road is becoming a hot spot…read more The inevitable spillover from nearby Upper Street means that the Guardian-reading denizens of Islington are starting to mill around the lower section of Holloway Road a lot more than they used to. Although there are all the usual mixed feelings about gentrification, I can't say I'm not excited about the current influx of posh cafes and coffee shops just outside my door. EZ & Moss is a delightful new addition, serving up vegetarian & vegan fare (fantastic brunch!), great coffee and wonderful baked goods in an atmosphere that isn't "too" hipster - nowhere near the level of extreme hipster you'd find a few miles east. (Part of the reason I love Islington -- cool, but not too cool). The *only* reason it loses a star is because of the lack of meat on the menu -- I'm an unapologetic carnivore who is partial to a bit of bacon with my weekend brunch. Islingtonites, check this new spot out! PS - Unlike nearby Vagabond N7, these guys take card payment, hurrah!

I love this cafe. The southern end of Holloway Road has some real eating gems and this is one of…read morethem. I've stopped for lunch a few times and sampled very good quiche, an excellent falafel platter with shredded beetroot inside and today's lunch special: a quesadilla with guacamole, salsa and a poached egg. Mmm. The coffee is good, staff are super efficient and friendly and food comes quickly and is made with care and attention. Prices are reasonable. The cafe is compact, clean and airy so top scores all round. Oh and it's vegetarian and vegan.

Another Vagabond has opened up shop in North London. This one is on Holloway Road, just a few…read morehundred yards upwards from Highbury Corner. It's a cool place. Just like it's older sibling in Stroud Green, this one is definitely part of the hipster family: minimal and rough design; focus on great coffee, free wifi and cool people. The perfect place for me ;-) I came here on Easter Monday and it was not crowded at all. I recognised the owner from the previous location and given that there were not many customers, we had a quick chat. I didn't check if they offer the same menu as at the other place, but if they do, I recommend the omelets...they were tasty!

Nice place in Highbury . Wooden tables , bricks and garden at rhe rear…read more Nice place to relax or focus on your labtop ( free wifi). Haven't tried the food but good flat white . Staff friendly!

The London Particular beautifully captures the Zeitgeist of the London restaurant/café scene in the…read moreyear 2011: home-made food, prepared in a tiny show-kitchen; an interior that is in line with Bobo ideas; a funky-sounding menu, which is of course written on a chalk-board; stripped wooden floor boards, and the all-so-popular big communal table...sounds familiar? Granted, I might have just come across as a little snarky, whereas I really liked my visit to the London Particular. In fact, I stumbled upon this lovely place purely by accident, as I had to change trains at New Cross. When I walked in, I was immediately "turned on" by the smell of the frittata that was still baking in the oven and I decided to stay for lunch. The frittata emerged from the oven about 15 minutes later and it was served alongside two generous portions of salad...the taste of it all was very good - I especially liked that the frittata had a sweet taste to it! Also from a customer-service point of view, they got it right here at the London Particular: friendly staff and free wifi and a clean bathroom...very nice!

Excellent breakfast spot in Deptford. Ate here a few times, and everything we tried was delicious…read more The atmosphere is very quaint, perfect for a calm start to the day. We had the brunch bowl, both with bacon and halloumi. Both were scrumptious, with perfectlly soft boiled eggs, crispy potatoes, a generous portion of beans, and thick toast. The halloumi was especially good, grilled and perfectly salty. We also tried the housemade granola, which was served with plum and yogurt. It was very good, though I wish there was more yogurt in the yogurt:granola ratio. The pastries are all on display at the front, and we had a few that were both delicious. It's clear they bake these in house. In fact, everything felt like it was right out of Grandma's kitchen, and in the best possible way. A great way to start the day.

Changed this to five stars (there was a rude woman working there but I haven't seen her in a…read moreloooong time) The staff are super sweet and the food is GREAT~!

We loved this place! The food was amazing and reasonably priced. We had the big English Breakfast…read moreand couldn't finish. We will definitely be back.

Refreshing place to be in. This beautiful Vietnamese…read morecafe/restaurant with delicious and affordable prices.. Their pawn dumpling are soooo! delicious . Very, very polite staff. very child friendly.

Living in Zone 4 of South London will make you realise that your food options after 9pm are limited…read moreto: kebabs, pizza, chinese food and fried chicken. That's why I was SOO happy to find Urban Orient was open late! And they serve one of my favourite things in the world. Pho is like a nice warm hug in a bowl. it's hard to screw it up unless you try to get fancy with it. As for me, give me soe rare flank steak, some tripe and some beef balls (thatswhatshesaid) and I'm happy. Urban Orient did not disappoint. Service is good and prices are affordable. I noticed they also serve dim sum so the menu is a mix of Vietnamese and Chinese, which I've noticed is typical for London. They're also a coffee house with wifi, so they do a bit of everything. It's definitely worth checking out if you're in the Crystal Palace area.

Food is still very good, although Menu outside the restaurant contains items such as Mozzarella…read moreAubergine Bake which are unavailable on the table Menu. I ordered Blush Rose Pinot Grigio & received a white wine, £8 a glass! It took a very long time for drinks and food orders to be taken. We still had no food after 45 minutes. We asked three times for Coke Zero & Ketchup for our fries and had to physically visit the bar to finally receive what we asked for. We refused to pay the service charge of 12.5% and left a £5 cash tip which was generous considering how slow and disorganised the service was. At least take drink orders and deliver them correctly if the kitchen is overwhelmed. Fantastic Food as always but let down by poor service by the two male staff in the evening.

Del'ish offers good portions of extremely tasty Mediterranean style food. The restaurant isn't too…read morebig but they do offer outdoor seating if weather permits. The chef definitely understands how to season the food and has a good understanding of the cuisine offered at a reasonable price. The restaurant is comfortable and the service is excellent. I've only eaten at Del'ish during lunch hours so I can't speak for their dinner but I can say that the food has always been excellent as was the service. Del'ish is a definite must try!

Being half Turkish, I love to eat my beloved Turkish food. Iskembecisi has been around for a long…read moretime, and when I first remember going there, it was quite elegant, this was around 10 years ago and the décor has not changed at all, so it is now kind of looking dated. I recall it being quite busy as a youngster but custom seems to have dropped. This is probably due to the amount of Turkish restaurants that have opened up in the area, which is uncountable. Nevertheless, I do pay the occasional visit, and on my last few visits, I have had the lamb chops, which are brilliant. I past buy today in my car, and the first thing I thought of were those chops. So on our way back through Newington Road, we stopped off and I got those chops, nothing has changed, it's great. I also just discovered that it stays open up till 5am!!

The best kebab in East London! You can go or you can order online. Just love it!read more

After 1,5 hour of waiting, we received a message saying that our order was cancelled,…read morewhen i called them an operator said that the restaurant had to close, and then hanged up. Worst service ever, do not order from them!!!

I believe that this was closed and re-opened under new management just a few months ago…read more My sister and I wandered in here on a dreary Tuesday evening, while mooching around Crystal Palace looking for inspiration and somewhere new to try. We walked in and doubled the number of customers in there. It was a bit chilly in the restaurant and there wasn't a cosy spot, but it did seem clean, bright and airy. We ordered starters - vegetable grilled dumplings for my veggie sister, and I went for the crispy prawn rolls. My sister had a moment of panic when she tried her dumpling, as it did look and taste a bit like chicken. The waiter hurried off to the kitchen to check, and came back to reassure us that it was simply tofu... as he had 'checked the ingredients on the packet'! We were both relieved and a little alarmed by that! My crispy prawn rolls were absolutely delicious, and I would order them every time - in fact I now order them whatever restaurant I'm in, just in case they also do them! Our main courses were fine, I think I had some sort of sweet and sour chicken with plain rice, and I'm sure my sister had the vegetables in black bean sauce, because that's what she always gets. They just weren't very memorable. The service was pleasant, but not overly warm or friendly. 'Efficient' I suppose describes it quite faithfully. If this was the only restaurant on offer, then I wouldn't hesitate to go back. However, since it's competing with such amazing places in the same area, it just doesn't quite compare.