Islington

• Check out the brand-new Island Poké in Islington (plus save with our reader offer)

  

  Try this new Island Poké with its taste of the Pacific on Islington's buzzy Upper Street.  

• Jolene neighbourhood bakeries to open in Angel, Shoreditch and Hackney

  

  Updated 4/10/21 with opening dates

  Jolene Bakery and its offshoot Big Jo have been a huge success story of the past few years - you only have to see the queues snaking down from both during lockdown to know that.

  They have three new openings planned for this year, two of which they have now opened. The first was in the summer, opening in Shoreditch on Redchurch Street and

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• Black Axe Mangal is returning with a new name... FKABAM

  

  17/9/21 - updated with the reopening date

  It's been closed since the very first lockdown, but the time is nearly upon us for the return of Black Axe Mangal - in a new form.

  Lee Tiernan's Islington restaurant has been a big hit since day one and has been lauded by many (including us) as one of London's very best places to eat. Their squid-ink flatbread is among one of our favourite dishes in London and we also think that

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• Santa Maria pizza comes to Islington

  

  Updated 30/7/21 with opening date

  Santa Maria have been hailed by some as serving up London's best pizza, so news of a new opening by them is definitely welcome. We already knw tew that they were gearing up for their first vegan pizzeria, but they're also going to be opening in the ever-shifting

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• Test Driving Jiji - a buzzy new sushi and shawarma spot for Islington

  

  Top rate sushi and plenty of buzz in this glamorous new addition to Islington's dining scene.

• Jiji is a Japanese-Middle Eastern restaurant in Islington Square from the founder of Sumosan

  

  The restaurateur who brought us Sumosan has brought in the former head chef of The Palomar for this new Islington restaurant.

• The Boutique Grocer opens its luxury store and food hall in Islington Square

  

  Firefighter turned food entrepreneur Nick Scallan is behind new Islington high end grocery store and food hall, The Boutique Grocer which has just opened in the Islington Square development off Upper Street.

  The luxury food retailer will serve up everything from shrub mixers and coffee from The Roasting Shed to organic fruit and veg and other products.

  But it's also going to be somewhere to dine in, launching with

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• Hector's has ex-Hill & Szrok partner and Harry Potter actress opening a wine bar in De Beauvoir

  

  Updated 14/6/21 with opening date

  If you, like us, have been missing spending your weekends doing bar crawls of the cave à mangers in Paris or San Sebastian's drinking holes, then this new North London wine bar opening should be right up your street.

  The indie project is a family business and a passion project of former Hill & Szrok partner Jimmy Stephenson and his actress wife Anna Shaffer

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• Bar Liber wine bar arrives in Islington, along with a £100 cocktail

  

  Last week, we had spotted signs going up for Bar Liber on St Paul's Road in Islington in the cafe/wine bar that we knew as St Paul and were intrigued. Now that it's actually opened its doors, we have a lot more info about this latest addition to Islington. 

  It turns out that it's from Stuart Hudson, who's previously worked at Milk & Honey as Head Bartender, Sake No

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• Tofu Vegan plant-based Chinese restaurant opens in Islington

  

  Plant-based restaurants and vegan are starting to hit the next level of late. No longer simply "vegan restaurants", they're becoming focused on the style of food first, which is seeing a broader range of vegan options available. Islington has recently seen the arrival of Rudy's Vegan Diner on Upper Street (as well as the long queues for their Vegan Butcher) and now, just up the road, Tofu Vegan

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• Superette, a next-level deli, opens on Islington's Upper Street

  

  If there's one sector that appears to have thrived in London over the past year, it's the city's deli and food store scene. Having to stay at home and cook for ourselves has made Londoners all the more appreciative of the great places selling us provisions.

  We popped down to check out Islington's new Superette store at the weekend, and were suitably impressed. The shop, from the team behind popular North London

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• The De Beauvoir Deli is expanding this summer

  

  The confluence of various Covid restrictions last year had one unfortunate consequence for popular East London grocers, the De Beauvoir Deli. Restricting the number of customers inside the deli during the pandemic, as well as the associated queuing outside, meant they lost both their indoor and outdoor seating.

  But when one door closes, another opens - and in this case that door was literally opposite

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• The next Amazon Fresh store might be coming to Islington's The Mall building

  

  Amazon Fresh now has four stores open in London - in Wembley, White City, Ealing and Canary Wharf. 

  Now, they're looking to take over the large ex-tram depot building on Upper Street in Islington, The Mall, last used by Sofa.com and a whole slew of other operators before it. It's one of the most prominent buildings in the area, and is Grade II listed on top of that. If anyone can make a go of that space, and

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• The Drapers Arms joins the at home delivery set with pies, roasts and more

  

  It was the first place we booked when London came out of the original lockdown, and now - just as we approach the end of the current one, Islington gastropub The Drapers Arms have launched a delivery service.

  They're offering a range of click and collect as well as delivery options from today. If you live near the

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• Butcher & Brew arrive in Islington for steaks, beer & more

  

  Butcher & Brew have been established in Streatham for a few years, and now they've also just opened on the opposite side of London on Islington's Upper Street.

  Their new N1 spot opened briefly before we were plunged into the current lockdown but now it's back again,

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