2 Best Restaurants in Islington, London

This Islington institution is a foodie's heaven. With the accent on North African and Eastern Mediterranean cuisine, the inventive, tasty, and healthy veg-centric dishes, along with fresh salads, flaky pastries, and artisan cakes, make this deli-bakery-café worth an hour of anyone's time. Go home with a knockout chocolate meringue or a plum-and-quince tart, and pick up Ottolenghi's outstanding Israeli- and Palestinian-inspired cookbook, Jerusalem, on the way out.

To those in the know, this friendly neighborhood trattoria is one of the best Italian restaurants in town. The emphasis is on unpretentious, well-executed dishes bursting with verve and flavor, from fresh pappardelle with beef shin ragù to succulent charcoal-grilled black Hampshire pork chops with endives and an anchovy dressing. The atmosphere manages to be both buzzy and intimate, whether you dine on the bright, airy ground floor or in one of the basement booths. Service is pitch-perfect and there's an excellent wine list.