Franks Canteen in Islington

Perfect weekend brunch spot. We visited for the first time today and have found a new favourite place. I had the creamed spinach, cheese, roast pepper, and egg bap which was one genuinely of the best breakfast dishes I've ever had! Chilled atmosphere, friendly staff & good coffee.

Frank Canteen is a neighborhood favorite that nails the balance of cozy vibes and inventive, satisfying dishes—perfect for a relaxed weekend brunch or lunch with friends. Though the space is on the smaller side, it feels welcoming and usually has room for a few more, making it easy to drop in without too much wait. The menu rotates often, and it’s clear the kitchen loves to experiment with fresh, creative flavors. My top recommendation is their huevos rancheros, which is always packed with bold, vibrant ingredients and just the right level of spice. It’s one of those dishes that keeps you coming back! The staff here are incredibly attentive and kind, always checking in with a warm smile. You can feel they genuinely care about making your experience great, adding to the already inviting atmosphere. If you’re after a spot that combines fresh, inventive flavors with a friendly, local vibe, Frank Canteen is a true gem for brunch or a casual weekend meal. Highly recommend!

Why can't I give 6 stars?? Kat - our waitress knew the menu back to front, suggested the perfect patchwork meal across a number of shared dishes, the wine pairing was sublimely offered and all done with a smile! When the honeyed butter bread starter blows your mind you know you're off to for a winner. I had to shake the hand of the chef - she made a fish pie, filo pastried into a shell that was the best fish dish I have ever tasted in my life. So much so that I couldn't have dessert (it looked amazing) simply to retain the flavour of the dish in my mouth for as long as possible. Struggling not to go back next week.

One of the best spots we’ve ate in London, would recommend the confit duck leg terrine. Especially impressed with the service from Kat, knew the menu inside out, gave great recommendations and made the experience. 10/10

I liked this place! Nice place and delicious food! I go there often

Simply outstanding overall. Most certainly visiting this restaurant again.

Caught them just opening but they were not fazed excellent service with the best bacon rolls I've ever had. You get a good welcome and good food I would reccomend this Canteen to anyone

No gluten free bread so had to leave. Should be a staple offering at a London cafe

Just amazing fresh food and service. We enjoyed the lunch special with glass of house wine. Excellent value and beautiful food. Our waitress was outstanding with friendly and professional service.

The best bacon sandwich I’ve ever had

Out of this world food. Staff accommodated our change of booking number and were the perfect balance of attentive but also relaxed. Thank you!!!

This is the kind of small, funky place you wish was in your neighbourhood. Real food made and served by real people. The menu is small and constantly changing and it's all made from scratch to order. There's also a small selection of interesting wine and beer. What a gem.

Evenings, for dinner: If I could give this place 6 stars for food I would. THE best local place for inventive creative food in the evening. Plus a great drinks menu incl a couple of v decent cocktails. The only slight downside is that the decor is a bit ‘daytime ish’ given they are open as a great cafe during the day.

A neighbourhood cafe that whips up amazing, inventive weekly specials. Love to sit on their tables outside for a sunny lunch! Love they do BYO on Wednesdays too.

Have visited twice now, overpriced, found the staff to be a little arrogant, not a fan of the owner/chef peering/judging whilst trying to order, weekly changing menu a bit of a faff/wanky, 'smashed croissant with mascarpone/stuff from 'pastry shelf' a bit unhygienic and overly sickly. I would rather pop in next door to Humdinger/finger.

Absolute top tier local food spot. Not just another cafe, but a step up on all fronts - service, atmosphere, food. Would strongly recommend.

Easily ny favourite local spot. A creative, fun menu with brilliantly-cooked food, good service and a nice location on Highbury Park. They do great breakfast / brunch dishes but I would recommend trying one of their weekly lunch specials as they are always delicious. The chicken & Monterey Jack chimichanga was a recent highlight. A great example of one of London's best neighbiurhood eateries!

Had an incredible lunch at Franks! Food was super fresh and absolutely delicious. The team there are brilliant, and clearly passionate about what they’re doing. Will be back in a flash!

Egg and spinach bap was tasty. Nice coffee. Nice atmosphere.

Value is not competitive. 5£ drinks come in a can

We went to Frank's Canteen after getting a recommendation from a local. It was amazing! The best food we had during our stay in London, friendly service and a really nice location.

Very average food for massively inflated price. I got the spinach and egg bap. The coffee was great. We were also sat by the door on a windy day and it was a major drawback as the constant barrage of people coming in and out made our experience very cold and windy, and we may as well have eaten a sandwich on a windy cliffface.

I love this place I may be only 12 but I use to get my parents coffee from here every day and they loved it. I would also get my self a cookie which is like be delicious and sometimes a bacon roll of I was good which was the best thing ever. I highly suggest having breakfast one morning here or even stopping by to get a pastry or a coffee as all the workers are lovely and it is a very nice place.

Lovely oatmilk latte and pastry. Very nice

Great food that changes frequently so you can constantly try something new.

I love this place. They have the best coffee in the neighborhood and a menu that varies but always maintains the quality of their products. The service is excellent and the food delicious. I recommend it quantities!

Franks Canteen is a fantastic little spot, especially if you're after some top-notch coffee and really tasty food. It's an ideal place for brunch, serving up delicious plates that hit the spot every time. The vibe is casual and laid-back, making it perfect for a relaxed catch-up with friends. Whether you're popping in for a quick coffee or settling in for a leisurely meal, it's got a welcoming, cosy feel that just makes you want to stick around. If you're in the area and looking for a cool, unpretentious place to hang out, Franks Canteen is definitely worth checking out.

Small place with lots of attention to detail. The food never disappoints.

This has been my local neighborhood spot since I moved to the area 2 years ago. The food never disappoints. I love the creativity of the menu and can’t wait to see what they come up with every week. Today the jalapeño cornbread huevos rancheros was incredible. A wonderful start to the day. The flatbreads of the week are also amazing. A real gem on blackstock road.

Always a top notch experience - food is incredible, staff are so lovely, I'll never leave it too long between baps 🤤 thank you as always!!

Food ok but very very slow service. Staff seemed friendly enough just not enough of them.

Visited here with a party of 5+ a baby, really wasn’t made to feel welcome. On entering enquired with the waitress for a table for 4/5 was told ‘You can see, only have tables for 2’ she then turned around and walked off. A table for 4 next to us got up to say they were leaving and we sat down, waitress didn’t acknowledge us. Miserable staff…

Great coffee and delicious food, We loved it. Try the changing bakery goods and stoke up on coffee beans. The staff was very friendly with everyone, which is always a bonus.

Loved the staff! Got us a nice place for our baby too. Nice food and vibe!

Great food, service, atmosphere, friendly staff. Highly recommend.

A small place that you might walk by without noticing, but don't make that mistake. Frank's has some superb food, interesting and eclectic, prepared beautifully and served by lovely staff. A little one-off gem of a restaurant that that we need more of.

Intimate little place near Finsbury Park. Weekly changing menu, one for day and one for night. On this particular visit they had a delicious beetroot dip served with halloumi and poached eggs. Everything was cooked incredibly well and the beetroot dip was light and nutty and went really well with the naan they served it with. My dining companion ordered the fried chicken which came served on toasted bread with cheese, more cheese on top of the chicken and an arrangement of sweet chilies and pickles and lots of flavorful gravy. The most delicious open-faced sandwich ever!! The staff are very friendly and accommodating. We didn't have a reservation and managed to get a table by the window very easily.

Fantastic meal, excellent value and lovely staff. Definitely recommend it and we'll be back!! So good to have such a great local place.

Went here for dinner and was quite surprised by how nice it was. Everything we ordered tasted great. It was pretty quiet on a Thursday and the staff were attentive. Was a good time.

Great brunches and coffees. Dog friendly, and nice staff as well.

Only been here once so far but really liked it and would return. A small and changing menu. Great service and a cool vibe.

Most expensive bacon and egg bap I have ever eaten but nice food and coffee.

Quite local to us so we have been here a lot before. Very friendly welcoming staff on our visit for lunch today. Food is quite eclectic at lunch, with brunch classics (bacon, sausages, pancakes etc) offered with more esoteric options (e.g.pork schnitzel and potato salad, lamb flatbread). The menu changes on a weekly basis. They also open from Wednesday to Saturday evening with an interesting menu (e.g. rabbit rillettes today). So try both! Food is of a very high quality - my regular order of poached eggs, sausages and home made beans in tomato sauce were fantastic! Croissant French Toast received high praise. Overall a great experience at a local cafe / restaurant and highly recommended.

Nice independent cafe. Catered 4 foods options

Delicious with really good proportions !

Kat was great! Lands a perfect iced coffee and was the sweetest! If you come ask for her

A lovely local place; discovered it when I was looking for somewhere to meet and eat before the football match. It was really busy, booking is recommended! Their food/brunch menu looks like they change weekly which is fun and the meal was fantastic. They also have fresh pastries to buy, great if you're only stopping by for a takeaway coffee too. As they were busy, the team had forgotten about my coffee initially, but it came eventually.

A lovely modern canteen serving up interesting twists to classic dishes. Think deconstructed 'Big Mac' encased in a flatbread! My dining partner had the intriguing octopus bap.

Delicious spot with great friendly people. Menu is changing weekly leaving you with new exciting tastes each week. The coffee is also delicious and there is a suite of pastries in the mornings to grab while available. They also sell some wines and other goodies. Would say that brunch here is a standout in the neighborhood with options from English classics to hearty hashes and spice full daals and sabichs.

The food was quite nice and the service was good (a bit slow).

Always a great experience. Honestly the best neighbourhood spot in Highbury and also the best ever tomato chutney.

Food and service were good, amazing decaffeinated latte! Visited with local friends, had a lovely brunch. Highly recommend the double egg sausage bun.

Small but varied menu of seasonal sharing dishes for dinner. Some were great but others felt quite lazy. The portions are quite small considering the price, especially the main meat dishes which were tiny. The restaurant is small and seats can feel a little cramped.

Thank you very much definitely recommend stopping by

I live just round the corner so like eating out in my local area to support local restaurants. The food is nice here but unfortunately the service is absolutely awful mainly with the male that takes the take away order at the till. I’ve tried so many different times thinking it might be he’s having a bad day but no, he just as rude to me every time. Can’t quite work out if he just doesn’t want my custom or it is just the way he is. Regardless the area has great other places to eat so I think I’m gonna give this place a miss from now on. The place right next door humdingers and beam have fantastic warm service so I would definitely recommend them.

A great all day cafe with a lovely evening menu a few days a week! Portions are generous and always delicious, and they have a few rotating menu items so lots of variety. Staff are friendly and accommodating. We visit regularly!

An overlooked shop. Although I have lived in the region for about 2 years, I realized by mistake, it might be good for them to do something in terms of marketing. In addition, there is a wide range of products. The products are quite good in terms of taste, but a little expensive.

This has been my favourite local place since 2015. Food is always consistently good, friendly people, great dining now as well.

Had an amazing dinner at Frank's last night, first time back there in a while and the food was delicious and service perfect.

Franks is a favourite of ours for dinner or brunch. Always great quality food on their changing evening menu from the chefs and fantastic service from Tilly and her team. Also love love love the music!

Rude female waitress. She proceeded to help a newer customer while I had been waiting several minutes to ask a question earlier. Unfortunate as the takeaway food was good but will not be returning.

Delicious and convivial cafe - also a restaurant on Thursday Friday and Saturday evenings with a creative, regularly changing menu and quality ingredients.

Loved my morning and so did Stanley the dog

Amazing! I got the croissant French toast and was so impressed! Really delicious. Good atmosphere :)

Simply the best brunch / breakfast spot in Highbury, menu is constantly changing and the chefs are geniuses. The coffee is strong and tasty. You really can’t go wrong with Franks, it’s quite a small place so recommend getting there early, or booking.

This small cafe in Highbury serving restaurant-quality food truly deserves all the love it gets in the reviews on here. We went for brunch/lunch. We booked and this proved a good move - there are only a few tables. Food - really excellent. We all ate poshified versions of basics - for example a fried egg bap. I know some say you shouldn't mess with a basic. But the Frank's version was LOVELY. The bap - which had the texture of a brioche but tasting more salty - was perfect, the egg just right, and what I think was a confit of green veg smeared in the bap set it all off to perfection. I asked for some Heinz tomato sauce, which the sweet waiter duly brought, but - guess what - I didn't need it, it was flavoursome enough already. Service - also really excellent. Friendly, polite. Just right. Go here. You won't regret it!

What a gem ! I can't wait to come back and bring my other friends there. The food is delicious with an original kick. And the waitress was really kind and welcoming. It was delightful and we had more food than we expected because it was so tasty. It is boutique restaurant and it has a good vibe to it. If you are foodie, you LL love it

Great location, nice stuff and well service.

What a lovely little cafe. We had the Browns poached eggs and the fried eggs with bacon and everything was really well cooked. It's also a dog friendly place which is great and the lovely waitress made me try the chocolate doughnut...OMG don't try it otherwise you might want to go back there everyday...dangerous!

All round 5 stars. Coffee was good (just wish there was more of it) food was delicious and the staff were great!

First time of trying this place. Came for Sunday brunch and had the merguez sausages with boiled egg and grains. Simply delicious and generous portions. Good flat white. The place was fairly quiet and had a relaxed atmosphere. Although the staff were not big smilers, they were attentive and nice and the waitress gave me a free croissant as she said it was the end of the day and they couldn't be sold, so I was very happy with the customer service on my visit. I'll be back as the menus change regularly and I'd love to try other brunch dishes and dinner. The quality was superb.

Great little neighbourhood joint. Simply worth the trip. Won't disappoint.

This was a spare of the moment visit for lunch and wow. The beef short Rib hash was amazing with a nice glass of house red. Worth a visit as the menu changes a lot. Always a nice surprise.

A bit loud, but good non-standard brunch options.

Enjoyed reading my book on an outside table catching the afternoon sun. Ate a delicious pumpkin & sage filled focaccia with lots of parnesan and pickled onions. Perfect oat flat white. Lovely staff, gave me a dreamy piece of plum cake to take home.

A Sunday morning breakfast in Frank’s put a smile on my face - first class food, with fast, friendly service and a nice cosy atmosphere.

Great food, drinks and soundtrack. Definitely coming back soon!

Cute tiny place in Highbury, I strongly recommend to reserve a table as the place is very small. Food was good, nice presentation, tasty, big portion and good value. Cocktails are a bit expensive for what you get (I had a Bloody Mary - the glass was very small and almost no vodka in it 😅)

Nice place though maybe a little expensive for the portion size. Can recommend the Chai Latte if you enjoy them! Be sure to book as there is limited seating. The plates are made to order and include fresh and healthy ingredients. A few of us did still feel hungry but really tasty.

Lucky to have this place so close by. Good selection of quality essentials, great coffee and beautiful meals.

My mother in law was visiting from Australia and came across Franks, she loved the coffee but the lady behind the counter told her they take cash but don’t like to and if she had the exact money she could serve her. She loved the coffee and went back the next day, the same girl was rude and told her they only want card payments. My mother in law only took cash as it was her last couple of days in London and she had money to use up. She had the exact change and was reluctantly served and warned that on her next visit she must use a card. Needless to say she didn’t go back. It’s unfortunate that the female staff member was so rude to an elderly lady who in fact loved the coffee and raved about it to everyone. I have visited the shop myself and used a card but got the same girl she’s not a bit friendly which the rest of the staff seem to be. I’d suggest they look at how they treat people especially old ladies who just want to use cash

Although small on seats, this place offered an awesome choice of brunch mix and match options ..I chose a fried egg, vine tomatoes and salad in a bun, with an extra portion of St.Ives mackerel and horseradish which was a perfect hangover cure! My friend loved her sausages and egg, with toast and jam, plus bloody Mary and prosecco! Al washed down with incredible Dark Arts Coffee and perfect waitress service.

One of the best things I’ve eaten in years… Pork belly with peach and French beans…I can’t remember all of the finer details, but both were incredible, just incredible. The flavours, textures, thought and care and technique that had gone into the food was above and beyond. Exquisite. And Tilly, a waitress, is helpful, understated, thoughtful, and will gently point things out that are not to me missed or too good to leave on the plate. She’s superb. All are friendly in there. Great wines too and pleasant ambience. To be frank, I’d head up there.

Best brunch place near clissold park and Highbury and easily one of the best in London❤️💋I LOVE THIS PLACE! I have to come back and try their dinner menu😋

Amazing food, very friendly staff. New favourite spot!

It's a nice little place but I would never return for the overpriced and average coffee.

Charming, delicious little spot! The setup is a bit confusing—I tried to order at the counter and didn’t realize they had table service (and be warned, the table service is extremely slow). Luckily I wasn’t in a hurry and had a nice little lunch!

Staff so rude. I went just for a coffee since i paid the girl said wait outside and I’ll bring the coffee. Wasn’t even busy. Why i can not wait inside?? First and last time.

Great food, good quality products. Nice brunch place. Asparagus is excellent.

Best asparagus bap I’ve ever had in my life! Amazing food and service

Small neighborhood spot, but some of the best brunch I’ve ever had! Get the croissant French toast!

Enjoyed brunch here tremendously. The spinach, mushroom, feta flat bread was crispy and savoury, whereas the add-on sausages were cooked to perfection. The lamb was nicely done. One of my favourite meals in London!

Amazing food and really great service, we're so lucky to have Franks within walking distance!

Fantastic as per usual. Fast friendly service and delicious fresh food.

Just had a great breakfast there, clearly very popular with the locals. Good coffee and juices.

When the chef and waiters sing in tune, you got to know things are being done right

Lovely, cozy spot with really inventive food. Great for a relaxed brunch. Eg huevos rancheros came with jalapeno cornbread! Blessed my southern heart.

Great place to stop over for a drink and something to eat. Staff are great, the inside has a enough place to seat and have a space to yourself. Accepts all type of payment methods - contactless. Rest room facility available as well as parking in front or by the side roads for a max of 2 hours. Will visit again.

Fantastic little spot. A firm favourite for brunch, they also do dinner Wednesday-Saturday which is not to be missed. A sharing menu that is both generous without being overbearing, service prompt and friendly in a way that so many other places doing this format fail, leaving your table bare and you and your fellow diners gnawing on extra bread before being issued with a giant ossubuco 2 hours after you arrive and have been meekly subdividing bits of asparagus. Frank’s pulls it off expertly though, with the dishes (a balanced mix of modern British/European medium and large plates) coming out regularly and easily shareable. Great value and cool intimate atmosphere too. A must, even if you’ve done brunch there dozens of times!

Excellent brunch of eggs, bacon and beans, quality ingredients well prepared and served by really nice staff. Have been before, will be back.