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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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,

We've been watching the development of a property on Islington's St Paul's Road with interest for a few weeks. Mainly because it's at the end of our road on the way to the shops and secondly because it was really shaping up into something food-related. And now we have the answer - Stoke Newington's Yield has opened a second location just off Highbury Corner. 

It's taken the place of an

We're back (sort of) at Islington's The Nook, trying out their delivery-only supper club menu.