149A Upper St, London N1 1RA

Taking over the old Skal site, Carmela’s is an Italian/American pizzeria from Phil Chaykin (Ugly Dumpling) and Bite Twice duo Gerry del Guercio and Paul Delany. The focus is New York-style pies with crisp yet foldable bases, like their cheese pie, white pie with ricotta and courgette, and The Pep with hot maple drizzle. Add stracciatella or fennel sausage, dip crusts in extra hot maple, and finish with tiramisu. A buzzy slice spot for Upper Street.

73 Highbury Park, London N5 1UA

Lupa is a team-up of two locals: Ed Templeton, who is one of the founders of Carousel, and actor Theo James. Bringing in an ex-Pidgin chef to lead things, the menu takes its inspiration from Italy and in particular, Roman cuisine. Snacks, small plates and great wine are the order of the day in this compact restaurant where you might run into the odd celeb or two among the Highbury locals.

St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, Euston Rd, London NW1 2AR

Victor Garvey, the man behind Michelin-starred SOLA, in now in charge of The Midland Grand in King's Cross. The menu concentrates on French-inspired haute cuisine, with more than a little tableside theatre thrown in. The dining room itself is one of the most impressive in London and it's also well worth making time to have a drink in the excellent Gothic Bar (which also has snacks from Garvey).

124 King's Cross Rd, London WC1X 9DS

Everyone’s raving about Dim Sum Duck, a tiny gem in Kings Cross. It's run by a dim sum chef with more than 30 years in the business and specialises in hand-made dim sum and in-house roasted duck. Now so popular that you can expect a queue unless you go super early, it is nevertheless worth the trip.