Kaki in Islington

I was live-in bar/cellar man in this pub in the early 90s.Kings Cross was a dangerous area then but The Swan was a decent pub with meals for the surrounding office workers. Just on Regents Canal. Coming from Ireland I thought it was great that workers were allowed to go for a couple of pints at lunchtime. I was in my early 20s and a good time to be in London. There was a Spanish bar-restaurant in Pentonville Rd and Filthy ManNasty’s up in Amwell St and Minogue’s Liverpool St. Walking up Chapel St Market to Upper St Angel. The 90s the good old days 😀

Pity they close the place down.

Looks like it closed down permanently. Walked past, building interiour under construction and a different company's name is at the door on a sign.

The food here is fantastic! Spicy, wonderful, authentic dishes.

Really enjoyed the jasmine tea, salt & pepper crab with smacked cucumber and tofu very fresh and good friendly service would return

This place was very authentic. We were pleasantly surprised by the food and thought the service was excellent.

We ate way more than we expected because the food was great! We had salt and pepper tofu, aubergine, mapo tofu, morning glory and egg fried rice

This place is amazing! Am local and have been many times. My wife is Chinese American, we both travel extensively, and the mix of family friendliness and delicious food is hard to beat. Staff is mega friendly and hugely accomodating (I am allergic to wheat, which can be a high bar in Chinese cuisine, and even without my wife they bend over backwards to accommodate). Brought a well travelled vegan friend in from Czech last night and he loved it. I usually do not put much credence in trip advisor, and reading some of the negative reviews, my only conclusion is: it's probably you.

很好吃！Authentic food from Sichuan, the team prepared an extra spicy version, staff very friendly and guest-oriented. 谢谢！

Fantastic hiden gem, great for lunch and dinner

I would probably try this restaurant again as some of the dishes others got were really nice, but mine was not. If I remember correctly, I had the sichuan boiled beef, which had a flavour I did not enjoy at all. That being said, it may be an acquired taste as I have not tried it before. Overall, the restaurant was very clean and pleasant enough, but the service was a little underwhelming. If I pass here again, I will try something different and update this review.

Really good Szechuan food and friendly service!

Best Sichuan food in London! The Roast Seabass 烤鱼 is 10/10 The terrace overlooking the canal is lovely too

We visited on a quiet Sunday evening, there was a table of arsenal fans celebrating their win with something spicy. It took a while for our dishes to arrive which is a good sign to me. They arrived looking fresh and appetising. Three dishes seemed like enough for two people and we ordered the crispy chilli chicken which was indeed crispy with lots of mouth numbing Szechuan pepper corns. The ma po tofu arrived next with silken tofu, minced pork and a nice gravy albeit on the salty side. The belly pork with honey and tea was interesting, it came drowned in sweet honey which was a bit excessive yet a very tasty combination of sweetness and meaty fatty pork. Overall it's worth checking out if you're in the area. Prices are average for the area and it certainly feels like you get value for money as the portion sizes are generous

Love spot, legit Chinese food. They have a nice outdoor terrace overlooking the river.

The food was amazing. The terrace, which we didn't use because it was raining, looked amazing with its view of the canal. The wash basins were amazing, but I'm giving it four stars, because the toilets could do with a proper clean to get rid of the stains that have been building up over the years.

Malaxiangguo not fragrant nor spicy enough, slightly watery. Oolong tea pork too oily and some parts too tough.

Tasty Sichuan style food, though a bit salty and not very spicy. Good for big groups. We went for dinner on a Sunday night and there was plenty of space for walk ins. Service was very attentive and friendly.

Excellent service; everything arrived promptly. We thought we'd bought too much food, but we ended up eating everything. The meal itself was very excellent and there were plenty of alternatives for vegetarians, meat eaters, and vegans.

Very, very good service, everything came very quickly. The food itself was extremely tasty with lots of options for meat eaters, veggies and vegans - we thought we'd ordered too much but ended up eating everything. The home-made lager was also well worth it!

Really good service. Very amenable staff. Food was authentic but ma po tofu was a bit too salty.

Gave only 2 stars because of the food. The Szechuan food we ordered was overall salty. Had to ask chef to redo one dish as it was too salty. The dessert fried mochi was tasty. It is a pity as we really liked the ambience - great place for meeting friends for a meal and drinks. We also liked the staff who was polite and welcoming.

If you are looking for normal, good food, DO NOT go to this place. We were a party of 5 and we ordered starters a mains. The starters were dripping in oil and were so salty. The mains just did not look appetising and tasted even worse. The worst experience and so embarrassing as I took clients there.

I've been here twice, once on a Saturday when it was busy and once on a Tuesday when there was almost no one else there. The food here is very good and to me, seemingly pretty authentic. The menu has a wide range of dishes. Portions are a good size. They have baiju here too. They do seem to go from being completely open and functioning to very shut, very fast - in a way that you know about it and feel conscious that things have wound down and the staff are ready to close up and go home. However, they were polite and didn't seem to mind that we were finishing our meal at gone 10pm on a Tuesday.

Had a yummy dinner here with two friends and left full enough to roll out the door. 😁 The whole roasted seabass (烤鱼) was perfectly cooked, the cabbage in chilies (创炒大白菜）was delicious and even my friend that doesn’t like cabbage liked eating it, the beef with enoki mushrooms was yummy and comforting even though it was in a tomatoey/garlicky soup which was not what we expected, and the lotus root dry pot (干锅藕片） was a tad on the salty side, but tasty and we ate it all anyway. 🤣 Would definitely go back for the fish and the beef. Service was lovely.

Amazing siuchaun food ! Dlgotts get one one of those dry pot dishes

The food was really great. Very friendly staff. Definitely recommend :)

Food was not so good, fried rice was quite oily and not the type of rice I expect at a chinese restaurant, the morning glory veg was good but all the meat and seafood products fell a little flat - salt and pepper squid bit salty and the crispy chilli products weren’t to my liking. Potential for good vibe but workers not offering the best customer service. The part that got me was after the meal, we saw it only has a 3 hygiene rating…3 hours later my boyfriend suffered a mysterious bout of food poising. Coincidence?

We have Chinese food a lot but mostly Cantonese cuisine. Thought we would try Sichuan cuisine for a change. Unfortunately, we were not that impressed with the food although service was good and the place itself is nice. Try it yourself, you might have a different experience.

I want to love this place, but I've tried it twice now and the quality of the food is just too variable for the price.

Interesting place, delicious food, friendly staff! we liked!

Tasty food with good portions at reasonable prices.

Food felt like reheated, just warm, not hot Not worth at all

Excellent menu and very satisfying

Nice & tranquil place by the canal great place for family outing , recommended !

Food not what was expected. Had chicken with chillis, very dry dish . Tasted like cloves tingling your mouth. Very different and not expected. Wish the waiter had told us. Maybe another dish would have been better but even a colleague said food was average. Not my style but maybe if you know what to expect could be yours.

I really enjoyed the meal here. The place was not very crowded. Compares very well with other szechuan in London. Especially enjoyed the chilli fried chicken and dry fried beans. Will be back to sample more of the menu. We were able to pay with credit card.

Had a take away. The Peking duck was just bones and gristle.. Inedible

Really nice staff members. They were so friendly and even gave a complementary shot to the Groom

So good, not too expensive. Very attentive service by one sole waiter. Highly recommended!

Biiiiig generous portion and scrumptious dishes

The best Chinese food I've ever had, nowhere else comes close

Very nice authentic place. I had malaxianggu and jiaozi 🥟 and it was fantastic.

After 1h20min and reminding staff still no sign of our food. Finally main dishes came before starters. Unfriendly staff. Food was good though

The place was really authentic and decent! I really enjoyed their crispy calamari, morning glory and pork belly! Although felt like the portion were enough! The squirrel fish was really nice and crispy, sauce was slightly too sour for me but still very authentic to what I would eat in China!

Avoid at all costs complete shambles booked a birthday meal for 8 , waited 40 minutes for a drink to be told couldn’t do a gin and tonic could offer beer or coke ….wine also not an option … appeared to only have one waitress and no bar staff …we walked out after 40 minutes and will never be going back …can’t comment on food as never got any….seemed to be takeaway focussed as machine loudly announced every order coming through and seemed mainly focused on serving people on scooters with helmets doing deliveries

Welcoming restaurant, serving fresh, delicious meals with plenty of veggie options.

They have some great vegetarian options. Enjoyed the vegetable gyoza and grilled aubergine.

Some of the dishes are delicious some are just normal.

Top notch food; aubergine will smack you in the nips its that good

Your lovely neighborhood Chinese restaurant. I came when it wasn't busy at all and had a relaxing afternoon experience. The food was pretty good but the dessert took the stage with its cuteness. Bonus points for serving a big tea pot with a loose leaf tea! The waiter was very attentive too.

Quite bad to be honest. All dishes full of taste of soy sauce, very salty to hide the unfresh food.. when you go to a restaurant to try something you don’t cook often at home, you realize it’s much worse than what you made..

Had a great time there, food was good and the restaurant was comfortable. Recommend getting the dry pot dishes.

Nice launch, the staff is friendly and very efficient! Despite the fact that we were 15 people showing up without any reservation and we did not have much time, they were able to serve us quickly and they did really satisfy all our requests. Great place well done!

狮子头红烧的还不错👍 干锅花菜不像是新出锅的 宫保鸡丁勾芡太多了，甜的发齁，不推荐

Lots of great tasty vegan options and lovely staff!

Lovely joint. Nice people. Delicious food. Beautiful balcony.

Everything was very delicious. Easily one of the best Chinese restaurants I've tried. The meal made me feel very satisfied and happy 😊 The jellyfish starter was a tasty surprise.

Very cute bar/restaurant, with a small chilled terrace! Located on the Ice Wharf London Regent's Canal. Shame i didn't have food, as the menu seems so interesting, full of typical chinese dishes which pays attention to possible allergies. The prices also didn't seem too expensive. Definitely need to come and try this out, next time. The staff were very kind!

Far exceeded expectations. Lovely outdoor seating on the balcony overlooking the canal.

Great Mah Po tofu. Chilli filled and I even ate them but only numbing effect. Wow. Even for someone who loves spice but not heat.

Thought that was absolutely delicious! Lunchtime crispy chilli chicken and rice in the sun on the terrace by the canal… what’s not to like?

Very good Chinese food, the waiter was good advice and we got a nice spot on a terrasse on the canal 😍. The food was quite good but a bit heavy on oil, thought part of the cuisine style I guess. The less common dishes might come across as spicy for sensitive people.

Pas terrible ! Au vu du choix proposé, les produits sortent du congélateur. Je ne me suis pas regalé. C’est bizarre de manger à côté des produits d’entretien.

Je ne recommande absolument pas... Vraiment pas de notre goût... Nous étions 5, personnes n'a apprécié. Table pas propre, qui colle et le reste de repas des personnes précédentes... A fuir.

Just went their with the family (twin 9yo and a 12yo). My son said this was his fave restaurant ever. I wouldn’t say it was a family restaurant (my kids have eclectic tastes). However it is sichuan food done very well. It is salty and extremely flavoured but that is pretty authentic. It is toned down compared to what you would eat in sichuan province in china. We thought it was great and will definitely visit again (even though we don’t even live in london).

한국인 입맛에는 짜고 맵고 가족모두 별로라고 하네요. 두번은 가지 못할 곳입니다.

nice food, good location, good price - I was happy :)

I’d have given it a 5/5 but I didn’t because while this place is great, it’s been up and running for a while, yet has no hygiene rating? For the past few years it has been “awaiting inspection”. With regarding to the food I’ve been ordering the black bean chicken with egg fried rice for the last 2-3 years and you can never go wrong with that! (The price is decent and usually I can’t finish it in one go so I save some for later). The veg spring rolls aren’t that great, however, the duck rolls are better. I occasionally also order their crispy aromatic duck. They’ve often got freebies to offer on Deliveroo - from Aperol cocktail sets (this was in 2021) to free beer, dessert, soft drinks and so on! Happy to change the rating to a 5/5 once the inspection takes place!

King prawn fried rice only had three regular prawns in the whole dish, and the rice was drenched in oil. The ‘half duck with pancake’ only had 1/4 duck including two leg bones (obviously cannot be eaten with the pancakes), and the duck meat was fried dry to the point it is inedible. Very disappointing to fail both dishes in one order.

too salty and not really sichuan

Food was extremely salty, not sure if I am just not used to the flavours and that's just what it's meant to taste like or if it was indeed too salty but I couldn't manage to eat it. The homemade dumplings were great!

The worst food I’ve ever had. If you like salt, chilli and msg this is place for you. Staff didn’t know what the dishes that came were. If it was a meat dish they just answer meat - not what type of meat, fish is fish. Did get told one fish was squirrel fish ??!! Now I do like spice but this was just overkill that burnt into your tongue removed taste buds with a fragrant after taste. Basically not great. The rice was good. Needed hydration and neutralisation after this one.

This was the worst food we ever had. We couldn’t believe it! The food was extremely salty and I believe it wasn’t fresh because 3 main dishes came out in less than 10min. Very disappointing to see people running a restaurant just to make money and not worried at all if the food is edible.

Terrible food, tasted spoilt wouldn’t recommend.

We normally eat this region of Chinese food at Sichuan Restaurant in Greenwich. We tried Kaki and was disappointed. The food was generally OK but 2 dishes were so salty and one, the green beans, was inedible. All 6 of us at the table agreed. On complaining the waitress said that's how its supposed to be. Inedible, I don't think so. I won't be going back there.

Awesome food, and great ambience, loved the food

Good place to have some Chinese food. The people who serve the dishes are quite nice. The place is vibrant.

I was looking forward to eating at Kaki however I was thoroughly disappointed. The prawn fried noodles was soaked in soy sauce where it was dripping in soy sauce which made it super salty. Fried noodles should not be wet and sitting in soy sauce. The dry hot was a very generous portion, however it was off-putting that the fish balls were cold.

Very DISAPPOINTED. The current chef isn’t from Szechuan at all (I asked the waitress and she confirmed this). Nothing tastes like proper Szechuan cuisine. We know very well about Szechuan food and know how Szechuan food should taste like. We have been regular customers here before the first lockdown, back then when they had a chef from Szechuan, pity that they don’t do that anymore.

A nice and real deal Chinese food restaurant.

Some food was not fresh at all, even the spicy flavour just cannot cover it. The restaurant owner treated us like we were unreasonable. Food was also pricy. This restaurant didn’t match our expectations and ruined our day.

Amazing authentic Chinese restaurant!!

The best Sichuanese cuisine I've had in London. I've been in the UK for the past 7 years and have over time developed a taste for Sichuanese food (in part thanks to long cold winters). I usually have a few go to places in London but checked this place out as I happened to be in the area. The food ordered (see below) was absolutely amazing - strong intense flavours but also with the right amount of balance. Prices were also very reasonable and slightly cheaper than Chinatown. Would definitely recommend if you are into Sichuanese food. Total price: Approx £44 1 x 辣子鸡 (Chilli fried crispy chicken) 1 x 干锅肥肠 (Hot & Spicy Dry Pot Pig's Intestines) 1 x 酸辣汤 (Hot & Sour Soup) 2 x 米饭 (White rice) 1 x 麒麟啤酒 (Kirin Draught Beer) 超好吃的味道，特别推荐！我在唐人街经常光顾的川菜餐厅真的比不上。

The best tea and desert in London. Friendly staff, and best service ❤ Great experience

Really great meal, genuinely well prepared Sichuan food (spoiler alert - very spicy). Balcony seat with very nice view along recent canal. Serves some very nice Kraft beer. Also dog friendly on the upper terrace. Good prices too!

The food oh my gosh is AMAZING Great portion sizes and decent selection Good prices too The service is not as good as the food but overall the food is so good that this didn’t matter

Very good Sichuan food with outdoor terrace. Lovely to see sunset! Definitely order the lotus pot!

Liked! Nice place and food! Love trying new things. Very recommended

Kaki had great Chinese dishes and enjoyed the Chinese culinary experience. Tried the sweet and sour fish, black bean chicken and sizzling lamb ribs.

Always good. Just eat here you won't regret a single bite.

You can't beat this place for location. If you can, ask for the terasse with the view on the canal.

Great food, good portion sizes. A few really nice vegan options

Lovely customers service and a decent portion size.

I used to love it when it first opened. But recently the food quality gone downhill. You can taste its already off flavour like leftover food that have been served for a few days from the same pot. It was just awful. I hope they could bring back the quality it used to have.

Nice Chinese restaurant - very authentic flavours and very interesting combinations - the dessert steam buns were really nice but the custard inside was dry which made them very dry but still cute

Delicious, subtle, spicy, Chinese food. Been here 4 times and rate it highly.

Very good food and friendly staff

Not great, rabbit dish had more bone than meat and was very expensive

Amazing place! Very Authentic Sichuan cuisine. Good portion, suit for a group of people gathering and sharing more dishes. Outdoor sitting is terrific, you will have the view of the canal. The place also has a cute friendly cat, so adorable. Will definitely go back and try more!