London Restaurants - North London

85 Willes Rd, London NW5 3DN

Dishing up traditional Vietnamese food in an intimate and simple restaurant, Pho Ta's menu includes the likes of bun cha, pork belly in a meaty broth, along with summer rolls and meat grilled over charcoal. It doesn't serve alcohol but runs a bring-your-own option.

135 Fortess Rd, London NW5 2HR

As the name suggests, the restaurant is a meeting of east and west, in a relaxed neighbourhood restaurant near Tufnell Park. But more specifically, the menu focuses on bringing together the owner's two favourite cuisines: Indian and Italian. Think masala margarita pizza, butter chicken arancini and saag paneer truffle tagliatelle.

52a Prince of Wales Rd, London NW5 3LN

The Fields Beneath cafe is about three things, coffee, wine and food and it focuses on doing them all really well. The food offering has been vegan since 2018, and it's as local and seasonal as possible, the wine is natural and there's always a single-origin coffee on filter.

343 Kentish Town Rd, London NW5 2TJ

Two brothers run Babuji, which is named after their father who loved Bengali, Mumbai and Pakistan street food. The menu is a homage to the street food of countries across South Asia, from the likes of aloo tikki chaat to Bengali prawn curry.

91 Kentish Town Rd, London NW1 8NY

A Filipino concept from the Maginhawa group, this one is based on street ice cream sellers who help people keep cool in the humidity of the Philippines. They're always brightly coloured and popular flavours include ube, a purple yam. Think pandesal ice cream sandwiches and shaved ice drinks with layers of sweet toppings.

259 Kentish Town Rd, London NW5 2JT

This is the latest iteration from the family, which spans over a 100-year history of Jewish bakery tradition and is now run by Aaron, the great-grandson of founder Wolf Kossoff, a Jewish refugee from Kyiv. Aaron has worked at Honey & Co. and was also head baker at Ottolenghi when he was just 27. Now he's brought his skills home to produce excellent bread, pastries and baked goods under his family name.

285-287 Kentish Town Rd, London NW5 2JS

Known for its simple but tasty Turkish meat and doner kebabs in even simpler surroundings, E Mono has been highly praised by The Times' food critic, Giles Coren, for years. The flatbreads are made on-site, and the chicken shawarma is free-range. There's seating inside to dine in, as well as its popular takeaway service.

114A, 116 Fortess Rd, London NW5 2HL

French restaurant and bar, Authentique draws its offering inspiration from 12 French-speaking regions, such as Jura and Savoie (between Switzerland and Burgundy) which rotate monthly. There's a huge array of interesting wines served by the glass, while the well-stocked wine shop has around 700 wines and 75 beers.

167 Junction Rd, Archway, London N19 5PZ

Norman's looks like it’s been here forever, but actually only dates back as far as 2020 and is a modern take on a proper British caff (not a café). It keeps the humble tradition alive with the likes of hearty English fry ups, and dishes from sausage, beans and chips (not French fries) to cottage pie, and syrup sponge and custard.

83 Kentish Town Rd, London NW1 8NY

This neighbourhood Filipino bakery is another outpost from the Maginhawa group which owns Bintang and Ramo. Here, it's all about sweet and savoury baked goods, including Japanese-inspired fluffy sando sandwiches filled with corned beef hash or panko chicken and mushroom, through to breakfast Filipino milk buns with beef sausage, egg, cheese and tomato compote.

26 Fortess Rd, London NW5 2HB

From owners Tanzi Ellison and Jean-Francois Pioc – who previously set up Café Gourmand in Soho – Patron brings a slice of French brasserie dining to Kentish Town. Expect classics like countryside terrine and slow-cooked confit duck on the menu. Their dining room extends across two buildings - next door also has a Parisian speakeasy-style spirit lounge, plus a terrace at the back.

23 Pratt St., London NW1 0BE

A real stalwart in Camden's food scene is Andy's Taverna, which first opened way back in 1967. Serving up classic and affordable Greek food, there's plenty of skewered souvlaki meat, dolmades, moussaka, grilled fish and veggie dishes along with Greek wines. The white-walled courtyard can even make you feel like you're in Greece, on a sunny day, that is.

9 Jamestown Rd, London NW1 7BW

As one of the oldest vegan restaurants in London (it first opened in Soho back in 1988) this Camden outlet is one of six branches. Its plant-based dishes are bright, bold and still manage to be exciting, and it undoubtedly paved the way for the modern vegan food scene in the capital.

4-6 Inverness St, London NW1 7HG

Ma Petite Jamaica has been doing its thing since 1985, and now also has a rum and reggae bar next door, too. The jerk pit style menu has all the classics you'd expect, including jerk pork, chicken and red bream, curried goat with rice 'n peas, plus ackee and saltfish and dumplings. Rum cocktails rule the roost and Red Stripe is on tap.

64 Parkway, London NW1 7AH

This contemporary Indian restaurant, run by chef patron Sabbir Karim and his team, is critically acclaimed and has become a bit of an institution. Dishes are vibrant and the extensive menu branches out beyond the dishes of your usual local curry house.

93 Kentish Town Rd, London NW1 8NY

Intimate Bintang is one of London's oldest Filipino restaurants, which dishes up a menu of halal self-styled pan Asian fusion food. It doesn't serve alcohol, but you can bring your own and pay corkage. It's part of the Maginhawa group, which owns five other restaurants in the area, including Ramo Ramen in Kentish Town below.

90 Gloucester Ave., London NW1 8HX

A real stalwart of the north London food scene, The Lansdowne first opened its doors in 1992 in Primrose Hill and is a classic British pub. On the menu is a mixture of Mediterranean and British dishes, from French onion soup to slow-cooked oxtail and cheek stew with mash.

14-16 Camden High St, London NW1 0JH

Owner, Yi Fei, comes from Chengdu in Sichuan so Jinli really specialises in Sichuan food. Its spicy hot pots are revered, such as the braised beef brisket, along with other typical regional dishes. The Camden restaurant is the group’s latest outpost to open outside of London's Chinatown.

Unit 199, Hawley Wharf, 2nd Floor Foodhall, Camden, London, NW1 8AA

Set up by three childhood friends, Three Uncles is an ode to their beloved memories of visiting roast meat cafes back in 1970s Hong Kong. Having started with a stall in the City, they progressed to this Camden spot where their chopped-to-order roast duck, crispy pork belly and char siu pork are all cooked using traditional Cantonese methods.

Unit 93 - 94, Chalk Farm Rd, Chalk Farm, London NW1 8AH

Following on from the success of the Cheese Truck, The Cheese Bar specialises in all cheese serving possibilities, from chunky grilled cheese sandwiches, to melting fondues and sharing cheeseboards, plus there's a cheesemonger. So popular is the brand, it's now one of five outposts across the city, including The Cheese Barge in Paddington and Pick & Cheese in Seven Dials Market.

1 Tolpuddle St, London N1 0XT

With an ex-Fifteen chef Nathan Collymore in the kitchen, this modern Caribbean restaurant and cocktail bar is genuinely changing the face of Jamaican-influenced vegan food in London.

422 St John St, London EC1V 4NJ

Owner Mr Pham trained up at Suntory and Miyami before opening his own sushi counter spot by Angel. For more than a decade they’ve been building up a fiercely loyal Islington clientele, and have recently had a very modernist makeover.

301 Upper St, London N1 2TU

This Chinese restaurant on Upper Street not only serves up top drawer dim sum, but stands out for its halal menu, which means there’s no pork on the menu. Standout dishes include the chef’s own creation - mango golden floss prawn.

19 St Alban's Pl, London N1 0NX

From the same owner as Korean street food spot Bento Bab in Aldgate, the spot tucked off Islington Green is all about Korean BBQ.

55 Baring St, London N1 3DS

This pub (previously The Poet) is reborn as The Baring with an impressive team behind it. In the kitchen is Rob Tecwyn (ex Dabbous and Kerridge's) and the pub is run by Adam Symonds (ex Orasay and Six Portland Road). They're offering up a a seasonal menu, showcasing provenance and aiming for a low environmental impact.

57 Newington Grn, London N16 9PX

This Stoke Newington wine comes from Francis Roberts and Tom Beattie who also run the wine importers Beattie & Roberts - so you can be assured that a lot of attention is paid to the wine list. The food is just a draw, however. They've teamed up with charcutier George Jephson and chef Jamie Smart on the menu.

19 Perth Rd, Finsbury Park, London N4 3HB

The first time someone sees the garden at this rambling Irish/Thai pub in the back streets of Finsbury Park they’re always taken aback. Over five floors of terraces, like a crazed boozy treehouse the pub features all manner of nooks and crannies to drink in. The Guinness is good and the Thai menu always goes down a treat. Busy - as you’d expect - on any kind of big sporting event days.

20 Fonthill Rd, London N4 3HU

A popular Irish pub which has made quite a thing of its Sunday roasts which are, in our own humble opinion, bloody marvellous. There’s a nice wraparound terrace too if you’re looking for drinks in the sunshine.

Unit 2, 5-7 Wells Terrace, London N4 3JU

This lovely wine bar and shop was an early adopter of this street behind Finsbury Park station way before it got all gussied up. There is a list of wines by the glass or you can just peruse the shelves to see what takes your fancy. The charcuterie and cheese boards are good accompaniments to all that wine.

327a Green Lanes, London N4 1BZ

With a huge garden that looks right over Finsbury Park this Turkish cafe is the perfect pitstop if you’ve just done Park Run and need reviving. And when the Park View breakfast also includes lamb chops why would you want to be anywhere else?