Islington

What was once Smokehouse has been transformed into Islington's newest French restaurant, Bistro Sablé. As locals, we went along to see just how the transformation has changed things. 

After years of being one of the quietest pubs in Islington as The Four Sisters and then closed for nearly four years after that, as locals ourselves, we thought that no one was ever going to be able to make a success of the pub site on 25 Canonbury Lane. But along came The Pocket and it's since been transformed into one of the hottest pubs in London. 

Up until now, the food offering at the pub has been decidedly limited, with pies from the bar being the main form of sustenance ("no green food" as the Instagram handle proudly declares). However, that's about to change as

They already have two big hits in Islington behind them with Goodbye Horses and The Dreamery and now the same team are blazingly on track for a third with Stable Wines. 

After 10 years, Lee and Kate Tiernan have announced that it's the end of the road for FKABAM (Formerly Known As Black Axe Mangal). Sort of. 

Essentially, the last service of FKABAM in Islington will be just before Christmas. It sounds like it's not completely the end, though, as Lee says they "will continue cooking in our unique style,

They've long held a reputation as being one of the best places in Paris to enjoy gluten-free breads and pastries. Now Parisian bakery chain Copains has set its sight on London. To kick off their cross-Channel takeover, they're starting with two bakery openings, in Covent Garden and Islington. Both will be the brand's first bakeries outside of Paris.

In Covent Garden, they've taken over the lease of a shop

Islington locals will be well aware of Smokehouse, the pub/restaurant on Canonbury Road that's been open for just over a decade (originally launched by Neil Rankin). And that's particularly because of its lovely terrace, hidden from the busy road by plenty of greenery. 

Well, now Smokehouse's time is up as it's just been replaced by something quite different. It's

Last seen at The Bluecoats in Tottenham, Ling Lings have another long-term residency lined up, this time in Islington. They're taking over the kitchen at wine-led pub Godet. 

It's led by chef Jenny Phung, with a menu that draws both on her Chinese heritage and her time in her own parents' takeaway restaurant. On the menu here, you'll find Chinese cooking

Islington has a new sushi and grill restaurant, this time via Amsterdam. Sushi Fanatics, billed as a "hidden sushi izakaya", will be taking over the space from Hot Stone on Chapel Market and hare opening it as "Guru Guru".

The original Amsterdam location has built up something of a fanbase over there for their compact restaurant serving up various options of nigiri, maki, donburi

Carmela's brings the New York-style pizza craze to Islington, and it happens to be run by a team who are very into their pizzas. We went down to try them out. 

1/8/25 - updated with opening date and menu details

Earlier this year, Nordic restaurant Skal closed its doors for good in Islington, and now we know who will be taking over that space on Upper Street. Moving is Italian/American pizzeria Carmela's. 

It comes from Phil Chaykin, the man behind Ugly Dumpling in Carnaby, who's teamed up with Gerry del

There's a corner restaurant site in Islington that is well known to locals, originally as a pub and most recently as Japanese restaurant Akari (which closed late last year). Now, the same space on Essex Road is about to be reborn as the latest Ippudo. 

It'll be the fifth outpost of the ramen chain that has lots of restaurants all over the globe. It's also Islington's second big ramen brand, as there's

An eagle-eyed Hot Dinners reader got in touch this week, pointing out that changes seemed to be afoot on St John Street. On closer inspection, it looked as though someone was moving into the old The Gate site on St John Street.

Well, we did some digging and it turns out to be the new home of popular Islington sushi restaurant SASA. As owner Mark Tan-Pham explained to us, the move wasn't planned, but they're delighted not to

He may have recently left The Brave, but chef James Cochran hasn't left Islington. Instead, he's about to take over the food menu at Little Bat cocktail bar.

Little Bat is from the same people behind Callooh Callay and it's one of the very few cocktail bars in Islington, and also one of the most highly rated (we've been in recently and they do a great martini). Cochran's

Somewhat out of the blue and with little fanfare, a German bakery and cafe has made its debut in London. Zeit für Brot (translated as "time for bread") has a number of bakeries across Germany. Over here, they've settled in Islington for their first UK opening, taking on a big corner site on the junction between Islington High Street and Pentonville Street in Angel.

A quick visit reveals it to be an

London's pub scene is thriving in 2025 and this latest news from Islington is very good indeed. If you're a north Londoner you'll probably know of The Southampton Arms in Kentish Town. It's a gorgeous, old-school (and tiny) spot up near Parliament Hill that specialises in ale and cider.

Well. the same team behind that are responsible for taking over a long-closed site on Canonbury Lane in Islington, where they're