Islington

Gavin Dudley

Addison Lee Driver

Islington is a little hive of vibrancy with fantastic restaurants and bars worth trying. Covering both the hustle and bustle of the city and the leafy suburbs of North London, there is something to do in Islington for everyone.

Hidden in Westbourne Road is a gem called Memsaab, one of Islington’s greatest Indian restaurants that sees visitors come far and wide to sample the food. A little-known secret…The restaurant doubled as a Chinese restaurant complete with a marine fish tank on the BBC crime drama River, starring Nicola Walker. Tanakatsu is a wonderful restaurant to check out if you are in the area and it’s even worth travelling for. It’s a charming Japanese restaurant with a modern yet homely atmosphere. It’s cosy so I would advise booking ahead.

Just a two-minute walk from Memsaab is The Hemingford Arms, perfect for some after dinner drinks or even for dinner itself – it serves delicious Thai food.

Towards Finsbury Park there is a small wine bar called The Mountgrove Bothy, perfect for a date or a casual drink. They have a great selection of wines, but you can always trust the house red or white as a great option. They are also hand delivering wine, beers and handmade cocktails to your door, for those of you that live in the area.

Camden Passage is wonderful for a spot of window shopping! It’s filled with antique stalls and shops, contemporary interior stores and vintage clothing. There’s even an outdoor market on Wednesday and Saturday. The street is pedestrianised so it’s perfect for a wander and its lined with cafes and restaurants for a pit-stop. Pistachio & Pickle Dairy have two shops in Islington, a coffee shop and a cheese shop. Stop for a coffee or brunch – it’s dog friendly if you have a canine friend. And make sure you take home some British cheese from their cheese shop, they also do takeaway cheese toasties.

Islington as a whole is pretty tranquil but in comparison to other areas in London, it doesn’t have a huge amount of green spaces. But don’t get me wrong, the parks it is home to are beautiful. The best park for me is Highbury Fields, it’s the biggest park in the borough and is surrounded by Georgian and Victorian town houses. The park also has a BBQ area which is quite rare to find in London parks and is perfect for relentless summers in the city.

I know it’s not an Islington recommendation, but as a driver, one of my favourite things is an early morning or late-night drive over Waterloo Bridge. One of my regulars now makes a point of asking me to drive a mile out of his way just to experience the sunrise or sunset over the Thames.

To find restaurants that are participating in the Governments Eat Out to Help Out scheme in your area, enter your postcode on this website – https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/eat-out-to-help-out/find-a-restaurant

To submit the hidden gems or well-known hotspots of your London locAL area, please send them to londonisourlocal@addisonlee.com for your chance to be featured.