Five north London restaurants have been named among the best across the country.
The Good Food Guide has announced its annual 100 Best Local Restaurants list which celebrates “the very best of British” dining.
The guide, first published in 1951, is focused on helping diners find the best places to eat.
Restaurants are recommended based on food, service and experience, and the guide features 12,000 places to eat nationwide.
This year, The Good Food Guide received an “unprecedented” 60,000 votes cast, with 100 restaurants making the final “best” list.
Here are all the locations in north London that you now have to try this summer.
Les 2 Garçons – Crouch End
14 Middle Lane, Crouch End, N8 8PL
Les 2 Garçons in Crouch End serves up classic French dishes mixed with Gallic joie de vivre (Image: Alo Communications)
This Crouch End spot is run by the duo of Robert Reid and Jean-Christophe Slowik.
The guide says: “Battleship-grey panelling, undressed tables and a trio of blackboards busily covered in numerous chalk-scribbled specials form a backdrop to Reid's assured Gallic cooking.”
Dishes include entrecôte or ribeye steaks with béarnaise sauce, or non-meat options of artichokes with ratatouille and chickpeas in cumin-scented roast tomato sauce.
Customers can finish with rum baba and apricot compôte or tarte fine aux pommes. A French wine list “covers all bases”, with glasses starting from £7.95.
Mambow – Clapton
78 Lower Clapton Road, London, E5 0RN
Mambow serves dishes inspired by Malaysian culture (Image: Mambow)
Named the best London restaurant on the list, Abby Lee’s “ever-changing” lineup of Malaysian dishes is lauded in the guide.
The restaurant is said to deliver “thrilling flavour” through its modern Malaysian dishes.
The guide explains: “The pandemic prompted a change of direction for many chefs and in Abby Lee’s case, set her on a path to exploring her Peranakan roots.
“The always buzzy vibe and incredible value leave you ready to come back for more.”
Paulette – Maida Vale
18 Formosa Street, Maida Vale, W9 1EE
Located on a side street close to Warwick Avenue Tube station, the bistro is described by the guide as “eccentric”.
It has, the guide continues, “all the trappings of a quirky dining room belonging to a rich, dotty aunt who has travelled the world and is partial to a midday tipple”.
The interior consists of closely packed wooden tables and chairs (some covered in gingham tablecloths), antique lampshades, floral patterned wallpaper, shelves of wine and a service bar.
The staff are described as “attentive”, and the French menu is “executed with obvious care and skill”.
Dishes include chicken liver parfait, T-bone pork, and a chocolate soufflé tart. Vintage wines – Burgundies and Bordeaux at “not-too-silly prices” – are also available.
Rubedo, Stoke Newington
35 Stoke Newington Church Street, London, N16 0NX
This “edgy” Stoke Newington restaurant offers natural wines and small plates at “incredibly affordable price tags”.
The menu has varied origins, but with a “European backbone”, and all the ingredients are sourced British.
Fritto misto with tarragon mayonnaise, home-cured charcuterie and a Basque cheesecake are all recommended.
Staff are described as “clued-up and highly knowledgeable”, including about the “hugely appealing” drinks list.
The guide adds: “It's all very fresh, very local and very ‘now’.”
The Parakeet – Kentish Town
256 Kentish Town Road, London, NW5 2AA
The Parakeet in Kentish Town offers a seasonally changing menu along with Sunday roasts (Image: The Parakeet)
This “relaxed” neighbourhood pub keeps drinkers at the front bar, but offers diners their own space at the back.
The room is “dominated by impressive stained-glass windows”, a blackboard menu and an open-to-view kitchen.
Leek and spider crab croquettes, homemade smoked ricotta with petits pois, and lamb with cabbage, fermented green tomatoes, oyster sauce and shiso leaf are all up for grabs.
The guide adds: “There’s good drinking too, from cocktails and draught beer to a confident, modern wine list including more than a dozen by the glass or carafe.”
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