London/Islington

The south of the district borders the City of London and Clerkenwell and was long seen as something of a poor relation to those two areas. That all started to change in the 1990s when the typical Victorian houses of Islington became very desirable and the area went through huge gentrification to become a highly fashionable address. The area around The Angel, Upper Street and Essex Road is of special interest to visitors; it is home to a number of interesting shops selling antiques and collectibles as well as art galleries.
Further north, the district becomes a little less grand and largely lower-end residential. Finsbury Park is an area in the north-east of the district which grew up around an important railway interchange at the junction of the London Boroughs of Islington, Haringey and Hackney. The park is a large important green space in an otherwise densely populated area.
In the north-west of the district its character changes again and Highgate takes on many characteristics of the neighbouring district of Hampstead.
Islington has long been known for its left-wing politics and in the 1980s the oft-used moniker of the Socialist Republic of Islington was not unwarranted. The legacy of that still remains: the borough's two MPs—including current Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn—and Council administration are all from the Labour Party, and a number of regular festivals of a distinctly liberal nature are hosted here.
Islington is also known for being the place where writer and explorer Mary Kingsley was born.

By tube

Islington is served by the following Tube stations, in fare zones 1, 2 and 3:

• Angel (Northern line) (Zone 1)
• Highbury & Islington (Victoria line) (Zone 2)
• Tufnell Park (Northern line) (Zone 2)
• Archway (Northern line) (Zones 2 and 3)
• Highgate (Northern line) (Zone 3)
• Finsbury Park (Victoria and Piccadilly lines) (Zone 2)
• Holloway Road (Piccadilly line) (Zone 2)
• Caledonian Road (Piccadilly line) (Zone 2)
• Arsenal (Piccadilly line) (Zone 2)

By train

Overground stations include Highbury & Islington, Essex Rd, Canonbury, Finsbury Park and Upper Holloway.

By bus

Bus routes 41, N41, 134, 390, 43, 17, C11, 4 and W5 serve Archway and the surrounding area.
Routes 29, 19, 4, 259, 253 and 254 connect Finsbury Park with the centre of London.
The Angel, Islington is served by the following routes: 19, 30, 38, 43, 56, 73, 153, 205, 214, 274 and 341.

• The Arsenal Museum

  phone: +44 20 7619-5003
  address: Emirates Stadium, Highbury House, 75 Drayton Pk, N5 1BU
  Impressive museum charting the history of the heralded football club.

• City Road Basin Plaza

  phone: +44 20 7253-6512
  A former industrial site which fell into decline in the 1950s and 60s. The site remained undeveloped and inaccessible to the public for many years. A multi-million pound project has created public access to the waterway (one of the largest open stretches of water in North London) complete with a newly landscaped public park facing onto the canal.

• Crafts Council

  phone: +44 20 7278-7700
  address: 44a Pentonville Rd, N1 9BY
  This gallery promotes contemporary craftspeople working materials such as metal, glass, pottery and textiles but with a unique take on each medium. The work frequently strays into contemporary art and blurs the border between art and craft. The small shop inside provides individually crafted pieces, that are as expensive as you would expect.

• Gillespie Park Ecology Centre

  phone: +44 20 7527-4374
  address: 191 Drayton Pk, N5 1PH
  Award-winning education centre in this small park in a heavily built up area of the district. Managed habitats include woodland, wetland meadows and ponds.

• Highgate Wood

  phone: +44 20 8444-6129
  A 28-hectare remnant of the great Middlesex Wood which once spread across north London. There is a supervised children's playground, a café and an information centre.

• Parasol Unit

  phone: +44 20 7490-7373
  address: 14 Wharf Rd, N1 7RW
  Contemporary art gallery, which looks closed from initial appearances, but press the buzzer to have the door unlocked.

• Victoria Miro Gallery

  phone: +44 20 7336-8109
  address: 16 Wharf Rd, N1 7RW
  An excellent contemporary art gallery in a converted Victorian furniture factory. Press the buzzer to unlock the door, it is not a typical Tate-tourist magnet.

• Almeida Theatre

  phone: +44 20 7359-4404
  address: Almeida St, N1 1TA
  Theatre with a reputation for daring and innovative productions.

• Arsenal FC

  phone: +44 20 7619 5000 (customer service)
  address: Emirates Stadium, Hornsey Rd N7 7AJ
  Arsenal play in the Premier League, the top tier of English football: they're one of the leading clubs and routinely qualify for European tournaments. Their home ground is Emirates Stadium (capacity 60,000) and they play to near-capacity crowds, especially against local rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Their women's team plays in the Women's Super League, with home games at Borehamwood..

• Everyman Screen on the Green

  address: 83 Upper St, N1 0NU
  One of the leading art house cinemas in London. Refurbished.

• Vue Islington

  phone: +44 8712 240 240
  address: 36 Parkfield St, N1 0PS
  Multiplex cinema.

• Camden Passage Antiques Centre

  address: Camden Passage, N1 8ED
  One of London's leading antique and collectible centres for the past 40 years. The complex is home to dealers in a wide variety of fields and is a must for any visitor to London interested in antiques. Controversially, the main arcade has now become another branch of Jack Wills, but many dealers remain in the area.

• Get Stuffed

  phone: +44 20 7226-1364
  address: 105 Essex Rd, N1 2SL
  Taxidermy shop offering a stock of stuffed animals and bones, for an unusal purchase, and service for preparing your own specimens.

• Map

  address: 93 Junction Rd, Upper Holloway, N19 5QX
  Trendy gift shop with cool products. Much too nice to be in Archway!

Diners are spoiled for choice in Islington, especially the Upper Street area between Angel and Highbury & Islington tube stations. A wide variety of cuisine and price ranges are available. Mediterranean food dominates but with options like Indian, Afghan, Italian, French, Thai, and South American there is food for all tastes.
A few minutes walk from Archway station up Highgate Hill will lead you to Highgate, the upmarket end of Archway. There are a selection of nice cafes, restaurants and pubs to choose from. Swain's Lane, five to ten minutes walk from Archway station just near Hampstead Heath, has a few nice places to eat.
Angel to Upper Street can be a diner's paradise if you know where to go. Close to Angel places are geared towards the daytime sandwich eaters and coffee drinkers. From Islington Green on you will generally find nicer restaurants at better value. As a rule, the further towards Highbury & Islington the cheaper the restaurants, although the quality does not necessarily decline. Take a walk down the side-streets too as they hold some of the best restaurants, pubs, and bars.
In Archway, coming out of the Tube station you will see two kebab houses on Junction Road, neither of which are anything special, but rather comically one carries the slogan "best kebabs in UK" while the other says "best kebab in world"; these are not to be believed. You may find other interesting little restaurants down Holloway Road.
The Finsbury Park area is home to many minority groups such as Algerians, Greeks, Turks, and sub-Saharan Africans and as such has some of the most diverse range of restaurants available in London. Down Blackstock Road, a locals' favourite is Sim Sim. Just outside the station on Seven Sisters Road, The Red Zone offers cheap but good food.

Budget

• The Afghan Kitchen

  phone: +44 20 7359-8019
  address: 35 Islington Green, N1 8DU
  One of the best cheap eats in London. Authentic Afghan food which is a hugely better than you expect when looking at the place!

• Angel Mangal Ockabasi

  phone: +44 20 7359-7777
  address: 139 Upper St, N1 1QP
  Excellent Turkish meals.

• Gallipoli

  phone: +44 20 7359-1578
  address: 102 Upper St, N1 1QP
  Well known and serve great Turkish meals, for very reasonable prices. Another branch nearby.

• Le Mercury

  phone: +44 20 7354-4088
  address: 140a Upper St, N1 1QY
  Cosy, romantic French restaurant split amongst three floors. Typical French cuisine at low prices.

• Little Bay Farringdon

  phone: +44 20 7278-1234
  address: 171 Farringdon Rd, EC1R 3AL
  Opulent bohemian restaurant serving traditional high-end European cuisine at very low prices

• Tortilla

  phone: +44 20 7833-3103
  address: 13 Islington High St, N1 9LQ
  Californian and Mexican take-away, serves fajitas/burritos/etc and Mexican beers. The food is fresh and mostly organic. Well priced, very friendly staff, open kitchen. Small number of benches for eating in.

Mid-range

• Kalendar

  phone: +44 20 8348-8300
  address: 15A Swain's Ln, N6 6QX
  Stands out as a bohemian deli/cafe with beautiful if not cheap food. Excellent for brunch/long weekend lunches. Chunky rustic furniture, specials on blackboards, free newspapers. Quite child friendly.

• Masala Zone

  phone: +44 20 7359-3399
  address: 80-82 Upper St, N1 0NU
  This hip Indian restaurant chain's Angel branch. Good value Indian food, try a Thali for a good sized meal with a variety of flavours.

• Mem & Laz

  phone: +44 20 7704-9089
  address: 8 Therberton St, N1 0QX
  Large menu of great Mediterranean food, friendly staff, very reasonably priced. Their lunchtime two-course special around £7 is available to 6PM, an excellent option for an early dinner.

• St. John's

  phone: +44 20 7272-1587
  address: 91 Junction Rd, N19 5QU
  Expensive gastro pub. Quite pleasant.

• Sunderban

  phone: +44 20 7359-9243
  address: 50 Blackstock Rd, N4 2DW
  Delicious North Indian/Bangladeshi cuisine and a good value. One of the best curries in London.

Splurge

Angel and Highbury areas

• The Angel

  address: Pentonville Rd, N1 9LQ

• The Nag's Head

  phone: +44 8721 077 077
  address: 12 Upper St, N1 0PQ

• 'Round Midnight

  address: 13 Liverpool Rd, N1 0RW
  Jazz and blues bar.

• 69 Colebrook Row

  phone: +1 7540 528593
  address: 69 Colebrook Row N1 8AA
  Exceptional seasonal cocktails in a quiet, intimate setting from famous mixologist Tony Conigliaro. You'll need to book ahead. Their barrel-aged Negronis are particularly good.

• The York

  phone: +44 20 7713-1835
  address: 82 Islington High St, N1 8EQ

Archway

There are plenty of pubs in the area, some of them managing to be slightly more lively or more stylish than the typical local boozer.

• The Archway Tavern

  phone: +44 8721 077 077
  address: Archway Cl, Archway Rd, N19 3TD
  Pub with a reputed republican history. Live music some nights.

• The Hideaway

  phone: +44 20 7561-0779
  address: 114 Junction Rd, N19 5LB
  Nice pub/bar. Good pizzas and cheap happy hour drinks. Bar staff can be a bit grumpy.

• The Landseer

  phone: +44 20 7263-4658
  address: 37 Landseer Rd, N19 4JU
  Smart pub with posh food. Fairly lively. Nice hanging plants.

• Tufnell Park Tavern

  phone: +44 20 7272-2078
  address: 162 Tufnell Park Rd, N7 0EE

• The Charlotte Despard

  phone: +44 20 7272-7872
  address: 17-19 Archway Rd
  A relaxed and friendly place, with a nice and eclectic clientele.

Finsbury Park

There are many pubs in the area.

• 12 Pins

  phone: +44 20 7880-9019
  address: 263 Seven Sisters Rd, N4 2DE
  Irish pub which gets very busy on Arsenal match days.

• Faultering Fullback

  address: 19 Perth Rd, N4 3HB
  Beautiful pub, popular with locals watching football and eating their Thai Food. Since the smoking ban, a lot of money has been spent on the beer garden at the rear, which now offers a wooden mezzanine floor.

• Gaslight

  address: 5 Station Pl, N4 2DH
  Get very busy on match days.

• Kings Head

  phone: +44 871 258 6247
  address: 26 Blackstock Rd, N4 2DR
  Local pub with friendly Irish landlords and locals.

• The T-Bird

  phone: +44 8721 077 077
  address: 132 Blackstock Rd, N4 2DX
  Open mic night on Thursdays and a free jukebox on Mondays.

Holloway area

• The Coronet

  phone: +44 20 7609-5014
  address: 338-346 Holloway Rd, N7 6NJ
  A large and unusually nice Wetherspoons pub with a wide range of cheap drinks, including guest ales, and reasonably price food. Does tend to get busy on Arsenal home matchdays.

• Big Red

  phone: +44 20 7609-6662
  address: 385 Holloway Rd, N7 0RY
  A biker-themed pub with several pool tables and live music some nights. Normally quite busy on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Budget

• London City Apartments

  phone: +44 7510 062 715
  address: 104 Offord Rd, N1 1PF
  Budget studio apartments with kitchens. Maximum 2 person occupancy.

• Pembury Hotel

  address: 326-328 Seven Sisters Rd, N4 2AP
  Budget hotel opposite Finsbury Pk Stn. Popular with football fans as it is close to the Emirates Stadium. Cheap, clean and noisy.

Mid-range

• Hilton London Angel Islington

  phone: +44 20 7354-7700
  address: 53 Upper St, Islington, N1 0UY
  Next door to the Business Design Centre.

• Jury's Inn Islington

  phone: +44 20 7282-5500
  address: 60 Pentonville Rd, N1 9LA
  Large mid-market hotel offering decent value for money.

Splurge