SKAL Nordic Dining in Islington

very small and atmosphere a bit cold, unfriendly, perfunctory. The pickles are very fine, the prawns and herring as starters very uninspiring and tiny. The price less so. Drinks menu and food menu very limited. The sole was overcooked and covered in some congealed white sauce. The strawberry desert was oddly flavoured. Overall a disappointing experience

Deceptively simple decor and limited menu but excellent food. We had the sole and the venison meatballs with sides of mashed potatoes and fennel slaw. All of these are authentic Scandinavian fare. Good selections of cocktails, wine and beer. Prices reasonable considering the top notch food and excellent service. We will return on our next visit to London.

I thoroughly enjoyed dining at this restaurant. The service was very good and the food was excellent. It was well presented and very tasty. I had the Herring, Meatballs and Mash and Swedish cheeses and I highly recommend these. The home made aquavits were lovely too. The water was served in re-usable bottles. The general atmosphere was relaxed.

Although the food and service were both good the portions were just too small for the prices charged. Consensus of my fellow diners is that we will not visit again .

Having read a lot of good reviews I booked Skal many weeks in advance for my partner's Birthday. I needn't have bothered, although it was a Saturday night there were only a handful of other diners and it really lacked any atmosphere. I had the goats cheese and cauliflower which consisted of a plate mainly of large cold cauliflower florets with some goats cheese underneath, not so great. My partner had the lemon sole and asparagus. The lemon sole was a very small fillet completely swimming in the sauce. She said it was tasteless and such a small portion for a main she was still hungry. I had the roast chicken which was fine but nothing special. The one shining light was the chocolate ganache which was extremely good. I complained about the fish dish to the waitress but she seemed a bit shocked that anybody might complain and seemed positively antagonistic towards me after that. All in all a very disappointing Birthday meal and experience.

The food is very good, portions not huge but enough. Service excellent. Our only quibble was that it was cold. We enjoyed the food very much and not outrageously expensive either

A fantastic place on Upper Street. Authentic stylish interior with white brickwork, wooden floors and an open kitchen at the back. Friendly team that are really helpful. The herring/potato and prawn starters were delicious and the presentation wonderful. The cod main course was exceptional and the roast potato and broccoli sides were perfect. The cheese cake and Akvavit (vodka) flavoured elderflower - wow the perfect end to a lovely meal. Highly recommend. A family run business and a unique dining experience and a much needed addition to the area.

The best herring you’ve ever tasted in your life! Delicious food, lovely atmosphere with minimalist but cosy decor, and extremely nice staff.

Excellent meal with great service! The portions are quite small though l could easily have eaten two of the mains! Would certainly suggest having some side dishes as well

We have visited Skal once a year for a few years. There has been a marked decline in the authenticity of the food. While the menu looks consistent with the past and the service is Ok, the actual food offering is very bland and dumbed down and would not near comparison with a Scandinavian offering.

Absolutely loved the food and decor here. We had the bread, pickles and gradvadlax to start, all really good especially the gradvadlax which came right a wasabi type sauce. We then had the meatballs and the cod. The cod was beautifully cooked, probably one of the best cod dishes I’ve eaten in London! We shared the broccoli and mash as sides, again both great. The service was prompt and friendly. Overall would hugely recommend; a bit of a hidden gem!

If you have a love of Swedish meatballs, this is the place for you. But it has so much more to offer. We’ve only been once but must return to try the wider range of dishes. This place is true to the Swedish tradition and everything has an authentic twist. The flavours are stunning, the surroundings cozy and open, and the drinks list has good affordable wines as well as unique akvavit flavours and personalised cocktails. Definitely recommended when in this part of town.

My partner and I absolutely love this place! The food is beautifully prepared by the ever friendly and knowledgeable chef, using fresh good quality ingredients. We’ve explored the menu extensively and have never had a mediocre dish, we’ve found nothing but perfectly seasoned excellence from the pickled veg (heavenly radishes) to local venison meat balls sourced humanely from nearby royal parks. Our favourite place to eat in London 👌🏻

Another fabulous meal at Skal. The food is fantastic, such flavour packed into every dish. I highly recommend the whipped goat’s cheese and venison meatballs. The service is attentive and so friendly.

Interesting food, unusual drinks, brilliant staff! What a little gem, delighted to have found it! Every dish was beautifully presented, delicious and authentic! We will be back soon, well done!

Skal has become one of my favourite places in the area. The food is delicious notwithstanding its simplicity; I fell in love with the salmon sashimi-like dish and the apple pie. The menu is small which shows that the food is cooked in-house and at the moment. The staff is super nice; I love that they are super welcoming and ready to suggest what to order. The welcoming vibe is evidence of the fact that it is a family-owned restaurant. I would definitely recommend it 😀

I live in Islington and have walked by this restaurant hundreds of times. What a mistake! I should have stopped and eaten a meal. So last night I did, and it was excellent. My two friends and I each had different starters and mains (and they had a pud), and every single dish was delicious. Not only that but they looked beautiful (for fans of Insta). One friend tried the new beef dish on the menu and declared it brilliant. My prawn brioche starter was yummy, and the venison meatballs were just right for a cold night. Speaking of the temperature, the only (slight) drawback was that the restaurant was a wee bit cold, but apparently they’re constrained by being a listed building in terms of heating. But the welcome was very warm! The servers were friendly, enthusiastic and helpful. We went pre-theatre and they kindly kept us on track for that. I would heartily recommend Skål Nordic!

We booked a table for a date night for the first times in ages. The place was quite busy but our starters came in good time. We have previously eaten out in Sweden so we’re familiar with the style of food. We had quite a long wait for our mains but without any prompting the waitress apologised for the delay once our mains arrived and offered complimentary desserts. The food was excellent, well presented and we left feeling pleasantly full. There are many establishments that could learn from such good customer service. We have eaten out several times where we’ve had longer waits with no apology. We will definitely be back and I recommend trying Scandinavian food here, especially the meatballs.

I booked this restaurant for my friend's birthday dinner and it exceeded our expectations; the food, ambience and staff were all amazing and we will definitely come back! They make their own aquavit, provide you with recommendations and genuinely want you to enjoy the time with them. They couldn't have done more to help celebrate my friend's birthday - candle, complimentary food and discounted cocktail - thank you, she had such a memorable time!

We went out and booked a table with my husband in this lovely restaurant as was my birthday.Food is amazing, friendly staff, good portions of food. Never had Scandinavian food before. I really recommend to go. Simple and easy menu to choose food. I want go back again although we live 2 hours driving. Thanks so much see you soon

We booked with my wife birthday and we could not do better !! We had starter with lovely salmon and potatoes tasty and fresh . The main was a lovely salmon with nice sauce and side of baked potatoes.. Lovely bottle of Prosecco and a bottle of water .. Dessert was amazing too.. Italian coffe to end up . Amazing food ,fresh ,cooked in a perfect way .. The chef which is the owner is superb friendly and welcoming. Waitress polite ,professional and with a perfect service!! If you want to taste a very nice and fresh food ,you must go to this restaurant. Easy to park or simply you have the tube station just right there . The restaurant is warm and clean . Prices are affordable.. I would score 100 points. Looking forward to seeing you again . Thanks

The food and service was amazing. But the portions were sooooooo small. The mains cannot be considered a main meal without atleast 1 side i suggest 2. And the pudding, i had the chocolate cake brownie thing. When it arrived it was tiny, i could of eaten it in one bite. If it wasn't for the portion size i would be back regularly. But £80 on a meal for two and having to go and buy food after is painful

This is a fabulous place for meeting friends and eating lovely Nordic food. We were greeted in both of my native , Finnish and Swedish and of course English as well by a friendly and attentive waitress . Superb service . We will definitely return and would highly recommend. Kiitos Tack Thank you Arigato .

Went in a group. Everyone had different dishes and all were of a fabulous standard. It is a family run business, father and mother cook, their daughter gives fabulous service on the floor. If in the area please give it a try.