Ottolenghi - Islington in Islington

Always fabulous food! The sea bream was the best I’ve ever had! Crispy skin and delicious flavours! Service friendly and fast.

Very tasty deserts, vegan options as well. Friendly service

I first visited only 4 weeks after it opened. After about 17 years I return to find little has changed - and that is a good thing. Tasty food with friendly, efficient service.

Amazing place and ambience but food was abit let of a down as I ordered a bread board which on the menu seemed really good but wasn't as I got toasted sourdough bread which was really hard and over baked . Also the manager was rude when I complained ! My daughter and I were the only Asian people there but regardless ethnicity shouldn't be a problem where you eat or visit!! I don't understand if you don't have people's skills why work in such places honestly I was really disappointed. I had high expectations as I've always followed Ottoleghi on Instagram and was excited but I don't think I will visit anymore!!

I eat here about 7 or 8 times a year. Standards (and portions) have notably dropped in the past six months. On my most recent visit some of food was burned and the allegedly crispy pakoras were a solid mass of soggy stodge. Hopefully things improve!

Busy place with pleasant staff. Their bread is delicious.

I really enjoyed my lunch at Ottolenghi. Friendly and very efficient staff, nice atmosphere and delicious food. I loved my salmon fishcakes. I had them with 2 salads and I was very full. So I skipped dessert, even though their cakes look delicious. Just as a small criticism, my green beans were too raw for my taste. Everything else was perfect.

Usually a big fan of Ottolenghi but this was disappointing. We ordered lebneh, buratta and pork belly, and a fourth dish that never arrived. The lebneh was very well made but the portion was tiny, just a small smear on the side of a bowl, and lots of chips. Lebneh is strained yoghurt, not caviar! The buratta was quite nice, but nothing special. The pork belly was the one genuinely good dish. For drinks we both ordered a cocktail and they were awful, just like dull flat pink lemonade. My partner had about two sips of hers, I drank a little more of mine but didn't finish it. The food wasn't bad for sure, just one with an offensively small portion, one fine, one very good. But we are used to everything being wonderful. The service was also a bit of a challenge. Our table wasn't ready when we arrived (previous guests still there), one of our dishes didn't come, and to get the bill I had to go upto the counter to ask - couldn't attract the attention of any of the staff. No one asked if we enjoyed the meal or indeed (perhaps fortunately) and no one followed up on the dish that didn't come. We definitely wouldn't return to this venue, although are looking forward to going back to the venue we usually go to.

My wife wanted to eat here for her birthday and I didn't know what to expect but wow what an amazing experience, the food was excellent and the service was discreet and friendly. I'd happily go back again.

Nice atmosphere. Cool setting. Food was ok, I expected better. We got the lamb kofta and the pork belly. Pork belly was better, lamb kofta I've had better. Also the buratta was not great.

Left with marveling taste buds, full tummies, some vegan/GF salads, granola (fave in all the world), a chocolate chip cookie (not my fave at all bc texture was so uninteresting and flavor was… flat) and wishing we live nearby bc TASTY! Fairly priced meal at about £40 for two with coffee and tea. Partner noted coffee was good but VERY strong (added my milk to stomach it). Shakshuka wasn’t very spicy but was interestingly seasoned and the eggs nicely runny. Partner’s eggs were gorgeous and delicious with lovely texture atop a good toast. The side salad was a charmer, too. Now -back home in the states - doling out granola sparingly and not sharing 🙂

Used to be great. Once first started you can feel the vibe, the intention and the effort. Last night however was disastrous... Pretentious atmosphere with mediocre food that couldn’t back it up and prices not reflecting reality (i.e. £16 for burrata with a bit of jam and nuts - yes, they are also nuts). Next time, just walk across the street, to Terra Rossa and enjoy real food. Ah and before I forget: fix that shitty attitude, you’re in the service industry.

It's great food and lovely place with fresh flower arrangements that smell divine 😊 just bare in mind they don't serve hot food for lunch, so even roast chicken or quiche were cold and this wasn't marked on the menu. Greeting at the door wasn't the best as well, we've asked if we'd get a table to eat in and person behind the counter asked if it's for lunch we said yes and that was it, no further interaction until someone else greeted us from the restaurant. Salads and quiche though we're very nice and I'd love to come back to try dinner menu

Just delicious. Every salad was 11/10 and fish was fresh ❤️‍🔥

Very very disappointed. We thought you were good chefs, yet you could not offer anything to a Vegetarian with an inability to eat seeds or nuts. If it was an allergy, then I could understand a little, as the kitchen may not be set up to allow for this. But that was not the case. Just a vegetarian dish with no nuts or seeds. When speaking to the manager asking what he could cook for me, even a plate of Asparagus would be great, so I wouldn’t just sit and watch my friends eat, he said that was not possible! We managed to coax him into cooking a plate of Asparagus, just plain Asparagus. Brilliant! Disappointingly the Asparagus arrived with a dressing containing seeds. Will not be going back.

Got takeaway - food is pretty good but just doesn't justify the eye watering price. I know this is Islington but borders on parody to charge so much for a salad bar. Wasn't exceptional either. Service is so lacklustre, the girls just stare at you like you're scum for talking to them lol

Standout dishes - mushrooms and aubergine. Excellent service - Manager of the restaurant was very friendly, attentive and oversaw a great team. Restaurant vibe was lovely. Excellent value for the price paid (40pp) Sep 2024 update - mushrooms were incredible as usual but additional standout dishes were the salmon fishcakes and pork belly

Pricy brunch but food was acceptable. Ordered the grilled salmon paired with 2 salad sides. Salmon was completely cold.

Excellent !!!!! J'ai mangé le meilleur carrok cake . Les légumes sont merveilleusemt magnifiés, tout était délicieux. Un passage obligé quand on vient à Londres,comme vous l'avez compris une adresse incontournable...

Absolutely loved the delicious variety of salads which were on offer and freshly baked cheese twist for lunch. Also indulged in the hazlenut and ricotta cake which tasted heavenly...so moist and full of flavour! Staff were lovely and took good care of us. Thank you 🙂

A wonderful place. Excellent food.

Had late family lunch. My parents are visiting us for holiday from Seoul and I wanted to bring them special place to try extra ordinary. It was very successful!! They loved it so much. We ordered 4 main menus and 8 salads. Most ingredients are familiar but flavours were magical. We are still saying we really enjoyed at Ottolenghi. I think we will be returning in the next weekend. Thank you Ottolenghi Upper street!! We were very happy today and we will remember this summer holiday with “Ottolenghi”.

It’s always a pleasure looking at Ottolenghi window display of their beautiful salad platters and assortments of cakes and pastries. For lunch, I ordered the selection of 2 salad and salmon as mains. Food was cold, if you prefer it that way. We ordered the carrot cake and pain au chocolate for desserts and enjoyed it. The ambiance is lovely and we were told that they had just renovated. Service is good.

Sea bass and daal was amazing but daal cold, the burrata dish was gorgeous and I love the use of vegetables here! Amazing dessert choices but the communal 15-20 people are seated table is not ideal. The ambiance is quite nice and staff are great

Delicious vegetable-forward food at a reasonable price. The mushrooms and their new crispy aubergine plate are both outstanding. The service is also top-notch. My friend sprained his ankle and was on crutches, and the staff went out of their way to give him a bag of ice (with refills) to ice his ankle. Finally, the pastries are so satisfying. All around a great experience.

Busy place when I visited in the evening...all tables full. Reservations a must. Delicious food and very special.

Amazing food in a gorgeous restaurant! The aubergine was sensational

Reliably friendly and quality food. Breakfast is low key, the salads and desserts are amazing for lunch and dinner.

I can’t wait to have lunch here again. Love the concept.

I used to be an Ottolenghi regular - Upper St and Notting Hill - and always love the food.. I'd not been for 6 months or so and was delighted to see it's as good as ever. I was also pleased to have such great service - very attentive, courteous and helpful. Our waiter went the extra mile to find out how much chilli was in each of the dishes to ensure one of our party with a slight chilli allergy would not be affected. Great recommendations too. First rate.

We went for dinner here and it was lovely! The food was 10/10 and the waiter who served us, Atkin, was really attentive and gave us great recommendations for the food & wine. The pork was amazing! Will definitely be going again!

Beautiful place. I had shakauka,middle eastern breakfast and granola which were delicious. Thank you Tam for all recommendations.

Highly recommended, fresh and well cooked food, balanced spices and balanced flavours. The place is very clean and well looked after, with works of art on display which make the atmosphere truly pleasant and relaxing. Very courteous and polite staff, approachable, ready on the dishes offered and attentive to allergens and vegan choices. Good good good!

Absolute worst service I have experienced in decades. The waiter was sarcastic, rude, and passive aggressive from the moment our table of 5 sat down. For each request or order we made, he countered with an argument. He even told us that this famous middle eastern inspired restaurant was "out of olive oil." The manager seemed to be aware of the problem, but we still had to suffer through it. I agree with the previous review that said this staff person is a liability. I won't be back.

The waiter was absurdly arrogant & argumentative; upon being asked for one extra tiny saucer of olive oil, he said it was impossible, “The restaurant is completely out of olive oil,” & so it went. Also we were told he had not returned to take our dessert order because we had not boxed up our leftover beet salad. This for a party of 5 spending £400. On the principle that if you resent your job, punishing those you are forced to serve is worthwhile.

Best food I ever had in my entire life. And the waiter could be a standup comedian.

Food delicious, service great, not rating 5 stars as its very expensive for what it actual is..a fancy bakery with salads. 60 pounds is ridiculous

We went for breakfast on the weekend, and the egg dishes were quite delicious. Their coffee was great too. The small market area at the entrance sells a variety of homemade salads and desserts that look so tempting. You can even buy a recipe book if you want! However, the place felt a bit like a children's playground, probably because we went on the weekend and there were a lot of families with kids. Inside, there's a very long table with colorful chairs (which aren't very comfortable). Unfortunately, it doesn't feel very spacious.

Food was excellent and great for vegetarians. Filling, flavoursome and wonderful for sharing with friends and family. Unfortunately the service let the experience down with multiple staff telling us we "only have 15min left" of our reservation when we had finished eating, majority of the table had been cleared and we sat there nibbling on bread and water. This was incredibly annoying. That aside, definitely worth a visit but be mindful it is shared table seating. We highly recommend the aubergine and cauliflower. The crispy pork belly slightly missed the mark but with shared platters, it was nice to try and array of dishes

What a fabulous night my wife and I had last night at Ottolenghi Islington. The venue was very inviting and seating understated and comfortable. The food was simply outstanding! We tried a few of the salads to start with and each came with perfectly blended spicing and seasoning. Luckily for us, the staff were able to explain every element of the dish and I was staggered to know how much effort went into each element. For example, the Burrata which has blood orange, honey infused with lavender, sorrel leaves and coriander seeds, just blended so beautifully that I couldn't stop eating it!! The mushrooms, were out of this world!! Even as an avid meat eater, I found that I was more then happy with the incredible vegetable offerings and not worried about the meat (which was also amazing when it came btw). However, the thing that made the visit so worthwhile were the staff. Each member of staff was so welcoming, warm, friendly and helpful that actually I couldn't believe I was in London eating!! They were all so passionate about their food, wine, bread, anything! A big shout out to all of our waitresses but especially Maria who was so kind and helpful. We even got to meet the Chef, Zak, who was an absolute pleasure to speak to and was so enthusiastic about the food that he was willing to give up some of his time just to explain produce and ingredients. I will certainly be revisiting and cant wait to try the other restaurants. Many thanks guys for a great night.

Tasty Italian fare on communal tables. Not cheap but a good atmosphere.

Can’t go wrong with the food - counter salads and mains are amazing and healthy! A quiet place in general

First time trying the Ottolenghi bakery and cafe in Islington. The cakes and pastries looked delightful. I had a very good oat milk cappuccino and a delicious almond pain au chocolate. Polite and friendly service. The decor is a little stark and white for my liking but overall excellent place for morning coffee.

This is literally my favorite restaurant in the world. I look forward to visiting any time I travel to London. Ate there thrice on my last trip and already miss it. Everything is fantastic! The staff is super friendly and the place is nice. A definite must.

Friends move away! A communal table too noisy so we opt for take away. And back in our accommodation, big disappointment. In fact, of the 3 salads topped with two cheese puffs, nothing was good, nothing was fresh. The skin of the eggplant was dry, so dry. And the rest is to match. Another one of these media bosses who plays on his reputation and makes us pay for it, it is, unfortunately, now usurped.

Good quality food! The shakshuka was very nice; the French to toast, though well made didn't appeal much to my taste but the accompanying jam was very tasty! We also picked up their double chocolate cookie which was very nice but their dessert Flourless Orange cake was not to my liking. Overall, they have some promise but there's a hit and miss involved.

I used to love this place and I have eaten here frequently. Over time, I feel that the quality of the dishes and service has declined. Food was good, but not spectacular as before. For example, the asparagus was very stringy and chewy. Service seemed a little abrupt.

Dinner exceptional however the waiter seemed more than a little put out at having to serve us. He had a very strange manner for front off house. Not welcoming at all. Such a disappointment!

The best salad I ever had . Loads variety of salad . All good and packed with flavour. Must try the roasted cauliflower with tofu cream and pickled beet .

Service was really weirdly off, very standoffish and rude. One sweet waitress but everyone else was really strange. Food was fine, very salty and oily but left laughing at how comically off the service was.

Excellent dishes. Original, very good flavor combinations. Small place, very good service. Recommended, something different.

Visited for the first time last weekend, so a much looked forward evening out. The food was outstanding, salads beautiful and delicious cakes. Service sadly let it down. Staff seemed to be too cool to interact with customers which I hadn’t expected. Found staff to be grumpy, disinterested, rude and aloof. Asked about the cakes at the counter and the server sneered replies as if we should have known better than to ask. Maybe they were having a bad night? Not a cheap meal out so was left very disappointed, so even the best chicken I’ve ever tasted won’t tempt me back. Only sorry there wasn’t an option for 0 stars for service.

Visited for the first time last weekend, so a much looked forward evening out. The food was outstanding, salads beautiful and delicious cakes. Service sadly let it down. Staff seemed to be too cool to interact with customers which I hadn’t expected. Asked about the cakes at the counter and the server sneered replies as if we should have known better than to ask. Maybe they were having a bad night? Not a cheap meal out so was left very disappointed, so even the best chicken I’ve ever tasted won’t tempt me back. Only sorry there wasn’t an option for 0 stars for service.

This is my favorite restaurant. I have never been disappointed. The food is creative and delicious, andthe service is impeccable.

Service was good but the food very disappointing. My cauliflower starter was very average and the squid main course was served only just warm, overly salted and to much chilli making it uneatable. I did complain and the staff were apologetic but I came here to eat something nice and I was disappointed. I will not return.

Staff were friendly and very attentive, the sea bass and the hibiscus kombucha delicious. The focus is on simplicity, both in terms of décor, and also the menu (apart from the extensive wine list). Not least, it is a place for conversation, and free of the loud music which plagues many restaurants.

I finally made it to Ottolenghi's - what a treat! Of course the food was interesting and utterly delicious. Not cheap, but reasonably-priced and good value for the quality. I have cancer and am on a strict diet; I wanted to thank the team for letting me know in advance which dishes met my criteria and even providing me with a menu on arrival with these dishes ticked off as a reminder (this was about a month ago). I was very touched by your efforts. I wish I lived closer to pop in all of the time! Thank you.

Beautiful place for breakfast, and at a fair price too! French toast was incredible, and the pastries are the best around!

Do not be tricked! Not much more than a tourist trap- with rip off prices and hostile service to match. Seated just yards away from a deli counter serving cold salads (that have no doubt been sitting out for hours) for £3.30 per 100g, you’ll be served the exact same salad for two or three times the price with your meal. The 2-3 small plates per person coming in at £15-20 each (including the aforementioned deli counter salad) means you are paying high end restaurant prices here (£45-60 per person for food alone!) for little more than glorified buffet-style dishes. Be prepared to be sandwiched in between other guests on a long communal table making it difficult to talk to the companion you have sitting across with you, while simultaneously bumping elbows with the stranger sat next you, stacked together like very unhappy sardines. As for the service… rude, inattentive and unhelpful. This review is coming from an Ottolenghi fan, but this place is a total scam.

A restaurant where you can enjoy healthy and delicious deli food and wine. There are so many elaborate deli dishes that you can't find anywhere else that I was spoiled for choice. Everything we ordered was delicious.

Seriously disappointed. I'd been here years back with my wife for a delicious meal. This time I came with friends visiting London having extolled its atmosphere. Food was good but the worst, rudest service I've ever experienced. The waiter a serious liability for a business. Won't be coming back no mind how nice the food is.

Generally good food but overpriced and sterile environment

Staying in Islington and stopped by this very busy restaurant for a quick lunch take away after going to the Tate Yoko Ono exhibit. So delicious, roasted broccoli and roasted carrot salads and a wonderful mushroom samosa. Just great.

Wonderful as always. Israeli food with lots of love..

Called at the last minute to see if we could be accomodated for dinner and the very lovely member of staff was able to book me in two hours later. The dinner service and food were fantastic. The Aubergine and Sea bass were cooked to perfection. We were waited on by Lola and she was so attentive and gave us a personalised experience which made us feel at home. I would like to add how well the bathrooms are maintained for such a small space and the volume of people using them.

Absolutely divine cuisine, even if the desserts are uninteresting. On the other hand, extremely unpleasant waiter.

As always, excellent. The staff is super nice. Is a petty tho they don’t allow dogs.

The food was good, portions tiny for the price. 4 carrots £13.90 or something closer to that but the team issue was the prices on the menu did not include VAT. This is not America. Gosh we aren't but won't be going back.

We had a lovely late lunch here. Delicious food, and great recommendations for cakes from Atkin, who was really helpful and friendly all round. We’ll definitely come back when we’re next in the area.

Ngl everyone here was rude as hell and I could get the same meal at a Whole Foods deli for half price. Super expensive experience, only one server briefly spoke to me and I had to ask to get my check after 15 minutes and it was slow

A taste sensation from the bread to the pudding. Highly recommend this restaurant

The food here was absolutely delicious m, and I can see why it is so highly revered. The service was also good and the staff were friendly and helpful. I especially recommend getting the delicious desserts from the bar- they were all great. The only reasons that I’ve given 4 stars are 1: The atmosphere is pretty poor, and I hate the concept of their “long table”- it is just uncomfortable and weird to have to sit directly next to random strangers. 2: The price is really, really high for the level of dining experience- when I first walked in, I though, ‘£18 or so for a main, seems fully reasonable’, but when you are told that they are all starters and they recommend 2 dishes per person, I think this renders the price a bit unreasonable.

Come for the food, leave for the attitude... My colleague and I went in there for a late lunch but ended up regretting our decision. While the food was indubitably great, the plates were basically thrown in front of us, our server (gentleman with a huge chip on his shoulder) misinformed us about the availability of certain items and the manager kept yelling about that tables had to get ready for dinner service. We did initially want to buy an item to go but after being ignored for quite a while we decided to leave. It seemed as if everybody in there had gone through some sort of attitude training – and not in a good way.

Had wanted to try here for ages and I’m so glad I went Fabulous evening .. great food … so many flavours and fabulous service

Go to local favourite. Ottolenghi recently accommodated my civil partnership party of 12 for a set menu which vastly exceeded all expectations on the incredible food, casual and attentive service and relaxed vibe. Huge thank you to everyone that made our meal special!

Delicious food, cosy space and smart wine list, with great selection. Thank you Ottolenghi for a wonderful evening. We will be back soon

An address that keeps all its promises! We took our seats around one of the two large communal tables, in a dim room, lit by candles. The key word here is sharing, so we shared several very well served plates, absolutely delicious. All that's missing is a warm pita or challah bread, so much so that we don't want to leave a crumb!

Food was excellent and the reputation precedes it. It did feel a bit stuffy having come back after a few years but you can't fault the menu and service.

Cantina lunch - the food was good, but not impressive and not worth the price (lunch for two with soft drinks came up to >£70)

Walked into the busy ‘reception’ area (think disorganised cattle pen) and waited, and waited, whilst surly, miserable-faced individuals ignored everyone or pointed at an invisible place in the mid-distance where the queue apparently started (no actual signs). If that passes for engaged hospitality professionalism, then things really have take a nose-dive. Pitiful.

Have been buying the take away cakes here for over a decade. Quality and variety is always great. Prices are becoming quite steep. Service not very attentive.

Very expensive to pay for soup and salad with dessert at 7.30 pounds and water. Lots of waiting even though the room was almost empty.

We were lucky to get in as it's understandably busy. But the small vegan plates were delicious and the staff took great care with the dietary needs of one of our party. Only sorry I did not have room for more dessert!

This is a must in London! Three locations, the food is remarkable, the service friendly, cozy restaurant, great for friends' dinner or romantic one. Maddy, thank you for your service! 🙏

Excellent breads and oil. Tasty food especially the roast carrots and the sea bass. Cakes to die for. Very good service. Pleasing decor and acoustics tolerable. You get round the intrinsic problems of a sharing menu (more of a kitchen than customer benefit; plates too small to share) by ordering two of each dish you like. Could have been a five with a couple of non-alcoholic beers on the list. £50 a head with waters.

Delicious food we were all impressed

Most mid cookies and brownie ever, especially for the price, I was expecting for £4.75 to have a decadent rich brownie or even gorgeous cookies (£2.70) but…I should have just gone to M&S, I could have got 4 delicious ones for that price. Service was condescending and rushed. Maybe if I were white and/or visibly wealthy I would have had a warmer reception. Never going here again, even if I was in the mood to throw money away.

Had a carrot walnut cake for takeaway it was absolutely delicious!!!

Geo & Magda! you gave me 10/10 service and i am so grateful!!! i will be back soon to try loads more things :)

Excellent food, amazing flavours. Service was perhaps too fast, our large shared plates arrived whilst going through the starter plates. One staff had a habit of shouting the dishes, which was generally in close proximity to your ear as she was bending over to place the plate on the table. Became a bit annoying! Other staff member could perhaps smile!

Sharing plates, lovely flavours great service, very attentive.

I was so excited to be able to come to this restaurant as I have several of Yotam’s recipe books but I must admit to feeling very disappointed by the service and agree with other diners that it was very slow. I only had a coffee and a piece of carrot and walnut cake, the cake was extremely dry and the cream cheese frosting didn’t taste fresh. I also didn’t like the male/female shared toilets. I was also quite shocked at the cost of my cake and coffee, especially when a 15% service charge was added automatically to the bill. All in all, I felt it was a rip off and wouldn’t recommend eating at this venue.

Last minute, off the cuff visit. After an early theatre visit we called in on the off chance. We struck lucky - just the two of us. They looked after us well, my but allergy I knew would be a challenge - but not for this crew. Spicy Mediterranean food. Flavours to blow our minds, beautiful wine, & a chocolate fondant cake to literally die for. Great friendly staff, no pressure selling, just giving us choices with flavours that we would not have guessed.

Had a delicious meal with Ottolenghi's surprising dishes. Treated like royalty, compliments to the staff.

Ottalenghi Islington is an interesting restaurant. We sat on a long table, like a viking where you sit beside people you don't know. I found myself listening to other people's conversations as well as listening to my date 😊 The food was small but really quality. I didn't think I would be full but to my amazement I was. The staff were really lovely and attentive. They explained the menu and answered all my questions. I'll certainly go back again.

Known for its great meals and pastries, it is wise to make reservations for this outstanding restaurant and bakery. Friends tell me their cookbooks are excellent.

Been here due to a recommendation in Lonely Planet and liked it - but not more. The food was really good and pretty much worth the price. We were recommended to share 4 dishes (two persons; ordered 2 salads and 2 warm dishes) and that was alright; I could've had one more but my partner was full. Instead, we had an amazing cake for dessert. Also, the wine was great showing there's some effort done selecting and offering quality. Unfortunately, the food came way too fast. We were prepared to stay for 2 hours (time of a booking), getting in the different dishes every now and then, eating everything in a relaxed manner. Instead, I went to the toilet just after ordering just to find both salads already on the table when back and the warm dishes were rushed in shortly after. That felt kind of stressed and we could've been out after an hour if we wanted.

Fun afternoon break from shopping Salads fantastic and yum Staff friendly Shop to buy bits to take away Very large and generous potions so don’t order too much!

Only thing that was average was the Slovenian red wine. Food and service excellent.

Magnifique … diner en famille un vrai régal !!! Découverte absolue à partager !!