Husband and wife restaurateur team Amir and Limor Chen now have three Delamina restaurants dotted across London, in Marylebone, Shoreditch and - their newest opening - Delamina Townhouse in the heart of Covent Garden. Their food focuses on Eastern Mediterranean cuisine. They've agreed to share their favourite recommendations from where they live in North London's Belsize Park.
Retsina
48-50 Belsize Ln, London NW3 5AR
This is our go-to restaurant for wholesome authentic Greek food. Run by the same family for decades, the mum, who’s well into her 70s, oversees everything, from the cooking to service. She still goes to the market herself to buy fish and vegetables. We’re big fans of the lamb kleftiko and chicken souvlaki, but all dishes are consistently good and reasonably priced.
Bourne’s Fishmongers and Seafood Bar
31 Belsize Ln, London NW3 5AS
Another family-owned local favourite. As the name suggests, they sell a variety of fresh fish and seafood from the counter, alongside a small number of tables, where food prepared from the counter is served. It’s an intimate place for a quick bite and a drink, or a great place to buy some freshly caught produce.
England’s Lane Cafe
2 England's Lane, London NW3 4TG
Amir is very passionate about coffee and usually makes his own with a commercial machine and grinder at home. When not drinking his own brew, his favourite café is England’s Lane. Run by people in the coffee trade, it’s a real caffeine treat. If there’s no space to sit at the cafe, there’s a cute public seating area just opposite the takeaway counter hole in the wall. England’s Lane is also a magical street with several delis, a pub and quality butcher.
The Washington
50 England's Ln, London NW3 4UE
This is an iconic local pub which also hosts a popular Sunday night comedy club. It has a more interesting menu than your basic pub grub and a decent Sunday roast. It sits on a very sunny corner of England’s Lane.
Roni’s Bakery
37-39 Belsize Ln, London NW3 5AS
An iconic bakery that started life as a bagel shop in West Hampstead. Today they have several outlets in NW London, selling a huge variety of freshly baked savoury and sweet pastries. We particularly love their cheese puffs, salmon bagels and tahini cookies. They have a great spot on a pretty pedestrian corner of Belsize Lane with plenty of outside seating that’s always bathed in sunshine.
Artichoke
20 England's Ln, London NW3 4TL
This is a greengrocer on steroids. They sell a huge number of fruit, vegetables and herbs, including many exotic varieties. The staff are incredibly knowledgeable about seasonality and provenance. Limor loves popping in for their healthy shots and selection of house-roasted nuts.
Also see
For more of these local area guides, visit the My Manor page.
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