A True Taste of Persia! If you're craving authentic Persian…read morefood that tastes just like it came from back home, you've got to check this place out. We went on a Thursday night, and even though it was packed, it all made sense once the food arrived. The service was great, and the atmosphere was vibrant, but the food is what truly steals the show. Seriously, it's a must-visit for a true taste of Persia.

Kish Restaurant, 10-15 years ago, was an excellent Iranian restaurant known for its delicious food…read moreand reasonable prices. However, over the years, the quality has steadily declined. Each year, the prices have become increasingly unreasonable, while the portion sizes have continued to shrink. What was once a great dining experience has unfortunately deteriorated significantly. As a result of this, most Iranians are no longer inclined to dine there for traditional Iranian food, which they should be able to afford (but they can not). Consequently, you hardly see many Iranians at Kish Restaurant anymore. Instead, it has mostly transformed into an Arabic restaurant, as only Arab customers--who bring significant wealth from abroad--can comfortably afford the rising prices. Unfortunately, there isn't much that can be done since the restaurant continues to attract a steady flow of Arab customers. While I can personally afford their prices without issue, I have chosen to boycott Kish Restaurant as a matter of principle. You can choose to dine at other Iranian restaurants, as there are several good options in North Finchley and other areas. At these restaurants, not only will you enjoy authentic Iranian cuisine, but your bill will also typically be 30-40% cheaper than at Kish Restaurant. Food: 1

I wish I could say it was good. It's in the Marriott! The Marg pizza just lacked flavor and tasted…read morelike frozen pizza. Same for the fries and the Chicken Milanese definitely was disappointing.. super dry and nothing to complement it . We asked the waiter for pasta with Alfredo or some sort of sauce and he came back w Pasta and Feta cheese dumped on the bowl.. made no sense .. I also tried the Ribeye on the next day since we were staying at the hotel , I asked for medium rare.. it was cooked medium well instead. The calamari was fine and the green beans were decent.. The only thing good here was the coffee tbh !

The service is terrible. It took over 50 minutes to get my food. They closed the bar without asking…read moreif we wanted anything else before it closed.

Stopped in here for a quick lunch after getting the tube. The service was good, friendly and the…read morefood was quick and good! I'll definitely be back.

The beer was tasty. The bartenders were super friendly. Great time overall!…read more The pub or bar was quiant. Apparently, we missed the live music by one night.

Little Bay is one of those neighbourhood restaurants that you wish was in your neighbourhood. It's…read morequirky and cosy; the food is good, the service is friendly; and the bill will make your jaw drop - but in a good way. I was taken there recently by a friend who lives nearby. The exterior doesn't prepare you for what you find inside - not that much could. What you find is an intimate space, decorated in dark reds with baroque panels, rather like the sort of small 18th century opera house you might find in Prague or Salzburg. There are even little balcony "boxes" with tables accessed by vertiginous stairs (NB not good for long legged or tall people). The food is a mixture of French and modern European. There are vegetarian starters and mains, but the menu is heavy on throroughly meaty dishes, such as char-grill Lamb Steak, with crushed new potatoes, julienne vegetables and green peppercorn sauce, or chicken breast stuffed with minted minced lamb, herbal mash and Port wine sauce. I had the grilled Portobello mushroom, prepared with garlic and served with spinach and a roast pepper sauce; followed by roast aubergine strudel, stuffed with grilled asparagus and ricotta cheese, served with French beans and a tomato and basil sauce. Service was very pleasant throughout and I like the fact that they don't charge for a basket of bread. The prices vary depending on whether you book before or after 7pm; you'll save a pound on the starter and a couple of pounds on the main course if you go before. We had a very decent French vin de pays as the house wine. Pleasanter still was the bill - £55 (including service) for three people each having two courses, after 7pm. I'll definitely go back - or maybe try one of their other branches...

Great place to sit and have a great meal with great service. If your visiting the Maida Vale area…read moretake time to get to this hidden jewel. Every dish that came to the table was spot on. Flavorful, well melded options. I had a fish dish that was out of this world. This place is located off the beaten path but very easy to get to. You will enjoy the atmosphere around you while enjoying a well put together meal.

Pleasant neighbourhood cafe, serving a brunch-style menu, along with paninis, sandwiches, teas,…read morecoffees, pastries, cakes. There are tables with chairs one side and a banquette on the other. Staff were friendly and pleasant, and the food came reasonably quickly. Our lunch of Eggs Royale (£14), a spinach and mushroom omelette (£11) with a cappucino and sparking water came to £31.60. That's a little on the pricey side, but then it is Maida Vale, and we didn't feel at all rushed, so if you wanted you could make your coffee last, and watch the world go by. A lot of the patrons clearly knew each other, so there's a busy regular trade from locals.

Super quaint cafe located in Maida Val not far from the Bakerloo tube stop... friendly service and…read morefantastic cakes-- highly recommend !

Pizza was pretty great! The dips were mediocre, although. Best pizza was definitely the margarita!…read moreFranco Manca offers Gluten-Free crust but cooks it with flour so it really isn't Gluten-Free.

Smoky flavored pizza Pretty tasty…read more The no-logo lager beer is refreshing with a handcrafted flavor

Date-night-worthy Italian…read more My wife and I came here for an early dinner date while we were in London without kids and were impressed. We got the meatballs arancini balls on pea pesto, papardelle with wild mushrooms, rigatoni with basil pesto burrata and pistachios, and potted tiramisu. The standouts were the aracini, burrata, and tiramisu, but everything was quite good. The arancini were good for what they were but helped a lot by the being paired with pea pesto. I now wish arancini was plated on top of a counter-balancing sauce or food more often. The burrata was just fantastic and combining with pistachios and basil pesto brought the whole dish together in a way that really pushed things beyond the norm. The tiramisu came in a pot with a mint leaf sticking out the top. As with the other standouts, the tiramisu itself was good, but the whole presentation just really nailed things. The mint leaf went beyond decorative to actually boosting the whole dish. They also had a solid wine list and were willing to let us re-cork and take the rest of the bottle back to the hotel.

Some of the best Italian food I've ever had…read more Morso was just a short 7 minute walk away from our hotel. It's a small place with a front room and a back room. The pasta is made fresh everyday. So you have to try the pasta. The waitress brought out some focaccia bread for us to try. It was delicious! We ordered some wine and calamari for starters. The calamari comes with 4 large rings. It was very good! The breading is light and it is cooked to perfection. For dinner I ordered the sea bass. It is a small fillet and comes with the skin still on, with a small side of grilled romaine lettuce and sits on a green sauce that looks like chimichurri, but doesn't taste exactly like it. My husband ordered the Tagliatelle alla Bolognese. It was very good. The portions are small compared to most places. But, then you may have room for dessert! For dessert my husband ordered the lemon sorbet and I ordered the deconstructed lemon posset. It was delicious! I probably could have gone without it, as I was a little too full afterwards, but it was totally worth it! I highly recommend trying Morso. Get there early, or make reservations.

Food/drinks: yum! Loved the fish and chips + sticky toffee pudding and beer selection is standard!…read more Atmosphere: loved the atmosphere in here! Service: okay, they are friendly but forgot our orders several times Price: as expected

Rainy morning in London and I was on a mission for shepherd's pie, which, I've learned, is…read moresurprisingly uncommon at pubs these days. This place doesn't technically have it, but their braised beef & ale shortcrust pie comes very close, and it's one of their specialties. Creamed potato, greens, rich gravy... comfort food done right. £19.50 and honestly worth it, especially on a cold, wet day. The ambiance really welcomed me in: warm, cozy interior with the fireplace going and a charming vintage Christmas aesthetic. Add in friendly people and genuinely warm service. Exactly the kind of pub you hope to stumble into on a rainy London morning. I'm hyped.

Located at the ass end of Kilburn High Road. Not in Maida Vale or Maida Hill (erm nice try, Maida…read moreHill is miles away). But I guess you can't blame the Marriott marketing team for trying to spice up the address for the tourists. Nonetheless, Fratelli is a pretty good all round local Italian that is built into the Marriott hotel. Due to the location, the restaurant lacks passion and flare. The staff are less than enthusiastic, but pleasant enough. Another interesting aspect of the location is that it is opposite a Mosque that sometimes has some very hectic protests outside - forget about parking, or even traversing that part of the street if that is happening (like it did the first time I made a visit to Fratelli). Prices here are a little strange. The pizzas and pasta dishes are very reasonable, yet all of the other dishes are overpriced. I can't fathom it. Maybe it is down to Marriott and their room service tariffs? If you are in the area, Fratelli is a fairly good place to eat. However, a short journey to St John's Wood or Maida Vale will reward you with superior restaurants such as Toresano, Carluccio's (if you want decent standard Italian for a good price) or The Salt House.

ZERO for customer service…read more 4 people behind bar, including one mid aged women in blazer who appeared to be "manager" of some sort...... stood there chatting and chatting and chatting..... restaurant was empty but open..... i finally seated myself. (although there was no sign to do so). waited and waited and waited. no one came by to give me menu or at least take my room number for buffet. i served myself. there was no coffee so i went upstairs and got my own cup. ate....and then waited and waited and waited. no one came by with bill or ask for any information. i finally just got up and left. 3 of the 4 were still shooting the bull behind the bar and the asian guy kept telling the blonde how "happy he was that she was working with him....(very loudly)" dear heavens.... hit on her on your own time. i called the management to tell them my room # and that I had ate at the restaurant and what i had --- to bill me (since no one bothered to come to my table), but it never showed up on bill. the food was "ok" but the service set the tone ... and i just couldn't see going back even if the food was great.

It was my first time here and the food was amazing. The staff were friendly and they made us feel…read morewelcome. Plus, they have a great selection of beers. We will be back.

StreetHawker is a little gem of a restaurant, situated right next to Maida Vale tube station (turn…read moreleft as you come out of the station). It's been there for absolutely ages, yet it doesn't seem so. I grew up in a large house, just opposite, on the Maida Vale, and I remember when the site where StreetHawker is now, used to be a very different, unique kind of shop. The previous owner had created some sort of videoshop-cum-coldcurry house take away joint. I know that sounds silly, but this was the case. You walked in, and everything was decked out in white, with splashes of red highlights; like a giant Kit Kat wrapper. On the wall was a selection of B-movies for rent (think "American Ninja", you know, that kind of stuff; and on the counter were onion bahjis, samosas and pre-cooked boiled rice. (etc). So you could rent a video and grab a half-coldcurry, simultaneously. Genius. That man was way ahead of our time. He vanished into thin air, and suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, sprung up 'Streethawker'; and it was like Maida Vale (the area around the tube station) had suddenly acquired a little chicness into its life (the restaurant is nicely built into the tube station's red tiled facade). It's a smallish restaurant, with a galleried dining area, to the left, which is slightly elevated from ground level, and a larger, deeper area, consisting of about 10 or 12 square picnic-styled dining tables, situated to the right. There are a few large mirrors hanging on the wall, that seem to add more space to the whole effect. The front door is slap bang in the middle of the restaurant, and right in front of the front door is the counter, with a little seating bench by the window, which makes take-awaying a real breeze. The whole restaurant is windowed. Behind the counter, is the door to what I refer to as, the 'Magic kitchen'. If you ever have the pleasure of ordering some food there for takeaway one day, and watch one of the waiters open the kitchen door, you will see what I mean. To cut the long story short, the kitchen is about the same size as a red London telephone box. It's amazing. How do they make all that food in such a small space?! I think it may be an optical illusion, and (for the past 15 years) I have always suspected that this kitchen goes deeper than the eye can see. The Food: Well, if you like Phad Thai, then you're in for a treat here. My brother and I (he now lives in Singapore, so he knows a thing or two about oriental food) have had numerous conversations about Street Hawker's 'Phad Thai' (a noodle dish cooked with flat noodles, crushed nuts, king prawn or chicken or pork, and little bits of vegetables) , during the past 10 years or so. There's something about it. It's not 'amazing' (as in like fireworks start the second you place the first mouthful into your mouth), (sorry if I raised your expectations there), and it's not bland. It's unbelievably well-balanced. I have deliberately ordered Phad Thais when out at expensive oriental restaurants, just to compare the dish to the Streethawker's one. Ditto with chinese/thai delivery companies. None of them even come close to Streethawker's Phad Thai. God knows what they put in it, or where the ingredients are from (or more to the point, the quantities of each ingredient put in), but it's just spot on. I can only comment on the dishes I've ordered; which include Q4 (used to be Q5, for 10 years), which is little slabs of grilled pork, glazed in some kind of blackbean style sauce (Q5 is now the chicken equivalent!), which is chewy and delicious. 'Moneybags', which is a simple, popular oriental dish, consisting of 3 or 4 crispy pastry balls filled with a mixture of meats and veg etc. The last time I went in, I mistakenly ordered a portion of 'money-balls', forgetting that they were called 'money-bags', and got my Q 5's mixed up with my Q 4's. The waiter was quick to point out to me that, it's been a long time, hasn't it?, to which I replied, "yes, I've been having a few late nights recently; can't you tell from the two big black balls dangling beneath my eyes?". Then I said "chop chop, I don't have all day; there's a good footbag match on tonight, it's starting in about 10 minutes; oh, and can I have my food doubleballed please, just incase it does a Tesco on me, on my way home." The staff are friendly and attentive (Just be wary of a certain young oriental lady that works/worked there. She's nice, but she doesn't take ish from no-one. She will have you for breakfast. Whatever you do, don't get fresh with her, because you will lose. Period; (think 'the oriental girl from the group Miss Frank on the X-factor)). When ordering your food with her, at the counter, just smile ever so slightly, talk in a soft, clear voice, and try to avert your gaze slightly, so as not to make direct eye-contact. One verbal slip-up here, and you'll find yourself in the frying pan before you can say 'Ho Chi Minh'. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! Funnily enough, the manager of