London/Islington
From Wikitravel
Contents
Islington [1] is a borough of north London.
Archway is a district of London without much to offer travellers.
Finsbury Park is an area in north London, which grew up around an important railway interchange at the junction of the London Boroughs of Islington, Haringey and Hackney. It is not to be confused with Finsbury, which is some miles further south, in the London Borough of Islington.
[edit] Get in
Underground stations include Angel (Northern Line, Bank Branch) and Highbury & Islington (Victoria Line). Mainline stations include Highbury & Islington, Essex Rd, and Canonbury.
[edit] Archway
Archway is one of the most accessible areas of north London, with various tube, rail and bus connections within a few feet of each other. Tube: Archway is on the northern line, high barnet branch, make sure you take this extension instead of Edgware. Bus: routes 41,N41,134,390,43,17,C11,4,W5 all serve Archway and the surrounding area. Rail- Upper Holloway, on Holloway road, is a station on the 'Silverlink' overground service.
[edit] Finsbury Park
It is served by the underground station 'Finsbury Park' which is on the both the Victoria and the Picadilly Lines. Finsbury Park is mainly a residential area although the neighbourhood has many fine pubs to choose from. This station becomes very busy on days where Arsenal are playing due to its proximity to the Emirates Stadium. Manor House at the north end of the park is on the Picadilly Line.
The area is also very well connected by bus, the 29, 19, 4, 236, 254, 254 all connect Finsbury Park with the centre of London and the west end.
Finsbury park also has an overground service which connects with Kings Cross and Moorgate in the south and upto Welyn in the north.
[edit][add listing] See
- Crafts Council, 44a Pentonville Road, N1 9BY (nearest tube is Angel), 020 7278 7700, [2]. Tu-Sa 11am-5:45pm, Su 2-5:45pm. 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'd expect. Free entry.
- Angel Comedy Club. Camden Walk above the Camden Head Pub. This is a great club for what is new in London Stand Up Comedy. On every Sunday from 8pm for about £5.
- Victoria Miro Gallery, An excellent contemporary art gallery in a converted Victorian furnature factory. Press the buzzer to unlock the door -- its not a typical Tate-tourist magnet. Free entry.
- Parasol Unit, Next door to Victoria Miro is the is the equally good Parasol Unit gallery. Looks closed from initial appearances, but press the buzzer to have the door unlocked. Free entry.
- Archway tower: A tall, wind creating office block.
- Highgate Cemetery [3], Where you can go on a guided tour of the overgrown western cemetery which gives it a special beauty and charm, or self guided on the east side where you'll find the grave of Karl Marx. There are known to be at least 850 notable people buried at Highgate. It has been said that Highgate has the finest collection of Victorian funerary architecture in the country (see maps for directions to this site)
Kenwood:A beautiful stately home, now containing an art collection and beautiful grounds, including a lovely lake vista complete with pretend bridge folly. Amazing amazing food in the lovely walled garden cafe, excellent Marine Ices ice-cream, a little garden shop and access to Hampstead Heath.
Hampstead Heath: Parliament Hill is a fifteen minute walk, or five minute bus ride on the C11, from Archway station.
Waterlow Park: A secret jewel of a park. Beautiful landscaped grounds - hills, mature trees, lakes, a walled garden, visitor's centre, cafe, tennis courts, and children's playgrounds.
Map: trendy gift shop on Junction Road with cool products. Much too nice to be in Archway!
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, including Strada.
Swain's Lane, five to ten minutes walk from Archway station just near Hampstead Heath, has a few nice places to eat. Kalendar 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.
[edit][add listing] Do
Five minutes' walk up Upper Street from Angel tube station is the small Screen on the Green arts cinema. An enormous Vue multiplex is also nearby, on the 1st floor of the N1 shopping centre, not far from Angel tube station.
The Almeida Theatre is situated on Almeida Street, just off Upper Street, slightly nearer to Angel than Highbury and Islington.
Upper Street is home to an enormous number and range of restaurants and bars - see below for more information.
Every summer the mayor of London hosts an anti-racism festival called Rise. This has been held in Finsbury Park for many years and has seen acts such as Kelis, Jimmy Cliffe and Lily Allen all play there. Bob Dylan, Blur and Oasis have also played concerts there.
Arsenal Football Club play at the Emirates Stadium which is a very short walk from Finsbury Park. In the park itself, there is a running track, a boating lake and also a baseball field. One of the only few baseballs fields in London.
[edit][add listing] Buy
Fonthill Road offers a wide range of shops and stalls catering heavily for the asian market.
[edit][add listing] Eat
Diners are spoiled for choice in Islington, especially the Upper St 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.
Angel to Upper St. This stretch of road 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'll generally find nicer restaurants at better value. As a rule, the further towards Highbury & Islington the cheaper the restaurants, although the quality doesn't necessarily decline. Take a walk down the side-streets too as they hold some of the best restaurants, pubs, and bars. Starting near Angel, some good choices are:
- The Afghan Kitchen 35 Islington Green, N1 8DU (Nearest tube: Angel). One of the best cheap eats in london.
- Angel Mangal Ockabasi 139 Upper St (Nearest tube: Highbury & Islington). Excellent Turkish meals.
- Gallipoli and Gallipoli Again are at 102 and 120 Upper St repectively. (Nearest tubes: Angel, Highbury & Islington). Both restaurants are well known and serve great Turkish meals, for very reasonable prices. A third sister-establishment, Gallipoli Bazaar, is situated only three doors up from from Gallipoli.
- La Porchetta 141-142 Upper St, N1 1QY (Nearest tubes: Angel, Highbury & Islington). Authentic italian pizzeria: thin wood-fired pizzas, selection of pasta, antipasto, desserts, italian wine & beer. Buzzing atmosphere with service that can be brisk but is always friendly. Child friendly.
- Le Mercury 140a Upper St, N1 1QY (ph 020 7354 4088. Nearest tube: Highbury & Islington). Cosy, romantic french restaurant split amongst 3 floors. Typical french cuisine at low prices: mains around £6.
- Masala Zone 80 Upper St, N1 0NP (ph 020 7359 3399. Nearest tube: Angel). 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. Mains around £8.
- Mem & Laz 8 Therberton St, N1 0QX (Nearest tube: Angel). Large menu of great mediterranean food, friendly staff, very reasonably priced. Their 'lunchtime' 2-course special around £7 is available to 6pm, an excellent option for an early dinner.
- Punto Zero 14 Barnsbury Rd, N1 0HB, tel 020 7713 6619, nearest tube Angel, offers authentic Neapolitan thin-crust pizzas, baked in a woodfired oven.
- Tortilla 13 Islington High Street, N1 9LQ (Opposite Angel tube station.) About £5 pp. Californian and Mexican take-away, serves fahitas/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.
- Wagamama, 1st floor, N1 Centre, Parkfield St, N1 0PS (Nearest tube: Angel). Japanese noodle bar, one of many in the Wagamama chain. See detailed review in the Chains reviews section of London article. edit
- A Yo! Sushi bar is also situated next to the above.
Elsewhere in Islington
- The Northgate 113 Southgate Rd, N1 3JS (ph 020 7359 7392. Nearest tube: Old Street, then 76 or 141 bus). Excellent 'gastro-pub' menu changed daily. Pricy for a pub with mains around £10-12, but the consistently high quality never disappoints.
[edit] Archway
Coming out of the tube station you'll 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 believed, and depending on how late it is, you'd probably be better off looking for one of the following:
- Cafe Mozaic' - Mediterranean restaurant. Located right next door to the best kebabs in the world, and yet somehow manages some classiness. Lively atmosphere. Reasonably priced. £10. Sometimes with live musical performances (Friday evening). Outdoor seating.
- St John's - Expensive gastro pub. Quite pleasant. Down Junction road towards Tufnell Park.
May find other interesting little restaurants down Holloway Road.
[edit] Finsbury Park
The Finsbury Park area is home to many minority groups such as Algerian, Greek, Turkish, African 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.
[edit][add listing] Drink
- The Angel
- The York
- The Nag's Head
- Pitcher and Piano
- The Bull
- Red Lion Theatre Pub
- Bar Room Bar
- Keston Lodge
[edit] Archway
For nightlife you're better off heading to Camden. But 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 : Pub with a reputed republican history. Live music some nights.
- Nambucca - looked promising for a while. Gone downhill though. 10 mins walk down Holloway Road towards Nags Head. However, due to a fire in december 2008, Nambucca has now closed down.
- The Landseer - Smart pub with posh food. Fairly lively. Nice hanging plants. 10 mins walk down Holloway Road and off to the left on Landseer Road.
- St John's - Gastro pub. Mostly for good eating, but could go for a quiet drink.
The Hideaway: nice pub/bar 5 minutes down Junction Road. Good pizzas and cheap Happy Hour drinks. Bar staff can be a bit grumpy.
[edit] Finsbury Park
There are many pubs in the area. Around the station, the 12 Pins and the Gaslight get very busy on match days.
Further down Blackstock Road, the Kings Head is a fine locals pub with friendly Irish landlords. A couple of doors down there is The T-Bird, which has a fantastic open mike night on a thursday and a free jukebok on a monday.
Just off Stroud Green Road, the Faultering Fullback is a beautiful pub, popular with locals watching football and eating their Thai Food. Since the smoking ban, a large amount of money has been spent on the beer garden at the rear, which now offers a wooden mezzanine floor.
[edit][add listing] Sleep
[edit] Contact
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