Things to do in Angel and Islington: The best restaurants, pubs, bars and more

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Islington a lively, thriving place, and Upper Street is the focal point. It's lined with pubs, bars, restaurants, theatres, music venues, coffee shops and more, meaning that whether you visit at midday or midnight, there's bound to be something exciting going on.

That said, there’s plenty to be found by nipping down a side alley and exploring the quieter parts, packed with underrated neighbourhood favourites.

Our guide covers an area that is centred around Upper Street, going down to Angel station and up to Highbury & Islington station, stretching out west to Caledonian Road and east to Essex Road station. Go explore.

Restaurants

Frederick’s is a quiet institution of the area, a family-run haunt that has been in business since the 60s. It’s got a feeling of playful elegance to it, with white tablecloths offset against colour-popping artwork and table flowers. The menu is a broad one, with a wide European influence that results in dishes such as chargrilled Welsh lamb chops with pomegranate and pistachio quinoa, or slow-cooked beef tortellini, chilli butter and sauteed mushrooms.

Yotam Ottolenghi has become renowned for his seamless fusion of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines, and you can sample the best of it at his eponymous Islington outpost. It’s part-deli, part-restaurant, meaning you can either pop in for a takeaway bite, or settle in for a meal at the 50-cover dining area at the back. From the counter, you’ll find seasonal salads, while from the kitchen, we’d recommend the membrillo glazed pork belly.

Tom Oldroyd, former chef director of the Polpo Group, lends his last name to this restaurant, his first solo venture. The focus is on seasonal ingredients taken from these isles, with influence that is taken from beyond, into the continent. It’s a small place — you are close enough to become well acquainted with your dining neighbours, but the food is so good that you likely won’t find enough time to chat between mouthfuls.

For an authentic taste of India, head to Masala Zone. It has six branches across London, each with their own particular charm, including this one on Upper Street. It manages to strike a balance between tradition and modernity, in terms of its interiors as well its food. There are grills, tandoor and curries, alongside various street food options — it’s all utterly delicious.

Italian food viewed through a British lens comes courtesy of Trullo. It’s the sister restaurant of Padella and, as such, serves up some exceptionally good pasta dishes. The grilled meats are divine, too. The menu changes daily, but you can count on there being something to spark your interest. The extensive wine list deserves your time and attention, too.

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Radici, the brainchild of renowned chef Francesco Mazzei, offers up more wonderful Italian fare. The food is simple, flavoursome and homely — just as it should be — with a small range of pizzas on the menu. They may seem like an afterthought at first, but are ignored at your own peril.

Cuisines from all four corners of the globe can be found in London, but Georgian food is rather hard to come by. Little Georgia, however, is one of the places you can get a authentic taste of what the country has to offer. The menu — much like the cuisine as a whole — is meat-heavy, with spiced beef stew, lamb kebabs and pan-fried poussin the main draws on the menu.

More meaty delights can be found over at Black Axe Mangal, a 25-seater restaurant that received a fair bit of hype when it opened a few years back and, by and large, lived up to it. There are a lot of heavy metal nods, from the music playing to the memorabilia hanging on the walls, but the food isn’t too brash. The flatbreads, served with a range of toppings from lamb offal to sweet potato and black chili, are refined and delicious.

Smoked and grilled meats are offered up in their droves over at Smokehouse. It’s a resolutely British place, with cuts coming directly from UK farms and butchered on-site. The slow-cooked options on the menu are good, but its the smoked meats that need to be on your plate.

Not one for meat? The Gate offers hugely satisfying, ingredient-packed dishes that are completely free of the stuff. Any veggie naysayers should go here and have those notions thoroughly disabused. The sumac aubergine is an absolute riot of flavour, while the tortillas will make you realise you never actually needed all that meat inside them.

Pubs and bars

The Old Queen’s Head offers more than may meet the eye. At the bar, you’ll find a solid range of premium lagers and a great line in negronis, with plenty of comfy sofas to sink into. Elsewhere, there are club nights, live gigs, comedy and themed pub quizzes.

The Charles Lamb, an understated corner pub, is an N1 favourite — and has been since it opened well over 170 years ago. It’s got a welcoming, homely feel to it, with an intriguing selection of guest ales to delve into.

might seem a funny thing to say about a pub, but The Joker is all about the beer. It’s got a 16 beers on tap with a further 30 bottles (or so) on offer, making it one of the best places for a beer in the area. It’s also a great spot for the night owls, keeping its doors open until 3am on Fridays and Saturdays.

The Angelic is heaving after work and at the weekends and while this may mean you ending waiting a little while for a drink, the lively atmosphere more than makes up for it. If you want to escape the crowds, though, head to the cosy room upstairs, which has a fair few candlelit tables, perfect for an evening of catching up over a drink.

Tucked away from the madding crowds of Upper Street, The Albion can be found on a quiet road in Barnsbury. It’s an upmarket affair, with smart interiors and a good range of quality drinks. It comes into its own during the summer, however, thanks to its beautiful beer garden — the tables get taken up pretty quickly, so head down early to secure one.

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Many of the area’s pubs are renowned for theatre and comedy performances. The Old Red Lion, King’s Head and Hope & Anchor all have thespian inclinations, while the Bill Murray, Camden Head and Old Queens Head are on hand for anyone in need of a laugh or two. You can find more information on all them below in the Arts section of this guide.

The Dead Doll’s House is the place to go for cocktail lovers who like to stay out into the early hours, thanks to the venue’s 4am license at weekends. It’s a big place, with multiple rooms spread across three floors, meaning that whether it’s a DJ night or a laid-back cocktail, you’ll find it here.

Fully decked out in 1930s design flourishes to give it a real throwback feel, Hoxley and Porter goes heavy on the theme. There is lots of good food on offer, served within the railway-themed restaurant, but here it’s all about the cocktails, which are served with generous measures of spirits and expertly flavoured.

Run by the same people behind Shoreditch favourite Callooh Callay, Little Bat is a relatively new bar, only opening in Islington a couple of years ago. The cocktail menu manages to strike a balance between intriguing and accessible, divided into sections that range from “light and refreshing” to “stirred down and brown”. If they haven’t already been taken, head to the comfy sofas at the back and settle in.

Otherwise known as The Bar With No Name, 69 Colebrooke Row would quite easily be missed, hidden as it is down a backstreet just off Essex Road. It’s a tiny place (definitely not somewhere to go with a big group) but the cocktails make it worth squeezing into. There are plenty of alluring options on the menu, but if you want something memorable, go for Prairie Oyster — tomato yolk, horseradish vodka, oloroso sherry, shallots, pepper sauce, celery salt and oyster leaf, all of which is drunk in one gulp.

Another place the excels in its dedication to finely crafted cocktails is Four Sisters. You’re likely to drink something here that you’ve never even thought of before — BBQ cocktail, anyone? — but each drink bursts with imaginative flavour and surefire accuracy of ingredients.

For wine, head to Humble Grape. It’s got a bright, airy interior with a skylight that demands you visit for an afternoon tipple — and who are we to disagree? Even after the sun sets, though, this is still a lovely place to visit, with a deep, varied wine list to choose from.

Coffee shops and cafes

The CoffeeWorks Project has cafes all over London, including here in Angel. It’s a small place and regularly gets packed out (though there is a garden out back which is a good retreat during the warmer months). Visit and try one of the single origin espressos for a flavoursome caffeine fix.

Saint Espresso serves up a broad ranges of drinks, from the classic caffeinated favourites to the likes of soy matcha. It’s a pleasingly aesthetic place to enjoy a coffee, with big, airy windows and exposed brick interiors.

Macintyre has a stripped back interior, with a few chairs, hanging plants and not a lot else, but it doesn’t need to make too much of a visual impression when its coffee is this good. The menu changes regularly, but the quality is always top-notch, with well-sourced beans and expert baristas combining for a delicious cuppa.

Pistachio & Pickle serves coffee from Monmouth, which sources its beans from single farms, estates and cooperatives. The cafe advertises its flat white as the best drink on the menu — we can confirm, it’s very good. What’s more, it’s dog-friendly.

For a sweet treat, go to Maison d’Etre. All of its supremely indulgent cakes are homemade and are very well complemented by the fresh-tasting coffees on offer. It’s a decent spot for brunch, serving all the favourites (yes, that includes smashed avo on toast) until 3pm.

Music and nightlife

Union Chapel, just off Upper Street, is an architectural delight, with grand domed ceilings and a beautiful stained glass window that hangs above the stage. Its bookings range from electronic sound artists to folk heroes — there’s also a world-class organ housed within the venue, which sounds quite unlike anything else in London.

Another local favourite is The Garage, which has been putting on live music in the area for a quarter of a century. It’s a favourite of the indie rock darlings and these days books mostly the up-and-comers, although a fair few big names pop in from time to time (Alt-J and Everything Everything played there in 2018).

Of all the O2 Academies across London, the one is Islington is one of the smallest, which makes it an excellent place to catch musicians in an intimate setting. It’s the place to go for rock music, with a great mix of British and American acts dominating its programme. For a night of cheesy tunes and wacky costumes, go along to Club De Fromage, its infamous fancy dress club night.

Islington Assembly Hall is another superb mid-sized venue, housed within a Grade II-listed building. As is the recurring theme in the area, its bookings are wide-reaching, consistently drawing in artists from disparate worlds — it might feature some jazz, grime and post-hardcore all within the space of a week.

London is blessed with many great musical pubs and The Lexington is one of the very best. Downstairs, it’s a great boozer with a decent range of beers, but up above it is a lively gig spot. The sound system is as good as you’ll find in any dedicated music venue in the city. It’s a favourite of established artists looking for a more personal venue to play in, so keep an eye out for a rare set, as well as its popular indie rock nights.

Electrowerkz is also a good spot for live music, with a few gigs each month, but it best known for its long-running Slimelight night. It’s a celebration of all things dark, from the dank, gloomy surroundings of the club to the music it plays, which ranges from industrial electro to goth rock.

Arts

The area is a great place for live comedy. Angel Comedy Club comprises of two venues — the Bill Murray and Camden Head — and is the leading force in Islington’s stand-up scene. The Bill Murray is the main venue, putting on gigs seven days a week. It’s a favourite of well-known comedians who come to test out new material, and regularly plays host to the comics that are on the verge of becoming massive. The shows at Camden Head are always free, and feature experienced comedians alongside the fresh faces. Over at the Old Queens Head, there's a monthly comedy night showcasing the up-and-comers.

For theatre, the Almeida is the main attraction. It’s dedicated to nurturing the most exciting new talent and, more often than not, the productions here transfer onto the West End, so the demand for tickets is always high. Elsewhere, there are a number theatrical boozers. The Old Red Lion is a renowned fringe venue, putting on performances that can’t match the established theatres for production value, but ripple with talent. The King’s Head has been doing likewise since 1970, showcasing emerging new voices and challenging audiences in its 110-seater space. The Hope Theatre, which sits above the Hope & Anchor pub on Upper Street, hosts a mix of new and reimagined plays and musicals.

Art lovers should head to Tintype. It’s a gallery focused on contemporary, mid-career artists doing interesting things across multiple disciplines. Each August, an artist is invited to create an artwork on the gallery’s front window, creating a public display, while inside, there are always a number of eye-catching works.

Most Instagrammable spots

Union Chapel

Cross Street

The Albion pub

Thornhill Square

Tintype Gallery

How to get there

Tube: Angel (Northern), Highbury & Islington (Victoria)

Overground: Highbury & Islington

Train: Highbury & Islington

Bus: 4, 19, 30, 38, 43, 56, 73, 153, 205, 214, 274, 341, 394, 476