We arrived at the tail end of breakfast so the buffet was fairly well picked over, however the al…read morela carte items were wonderful. I had the smashed avacado on sourdough bread with poached eggs. The eggs were cooked perfectly and the yokes were bright and orange. The yoke mixed with the egg to form a perfect sauce over the toasted bread. The Jasmine tea was piping hot and delightful in taste. This restaurant is situated in the Hari Hotel.

The Owl & Hitchhiker is a casual pub and arcade in Holloway serving up brews and pub grub. We…read morevisited for a Saturday evening hangout, and it was decently buzzing. There were lots of smokers (and other drug users) at the outdoor tables, which was off putting. The bar staff were also a bit standoffish and not very helpful with regards to the menu. The Tennessee chicken wings and the chicken & waffles were both ok but dry and otherwise unremarkable. The beers were fine. Overall it works as a place to meet up, but not my favorite joint.

A great atmospheric pub in Holloway road. Great selection of beers and nice interiors. Regarding…read morefood, I would say that it is of basic level and wouldn't suggest it - really of poor quality. For drinks and atmosphere though, full star rating!

A very good choice for breakfast and dinner, but my dinner experience was better. The service at…read morebreakfast was rushed and chaotic, although polite. The atmosphere is comfortable but classy. Service at dinner was mostly attentive and courteous. A very nice list of wines by the glass, much larger than offered by most restaurants. Oysters were fresh and properly shucked. I thought the heritage tomato and burrata salad was very good, except one of the tomatoes seemed rather underripe. The excellent Dover sole was de-boned table-side. I ordered the plate of five-cheeses for dessert (pudding?). All were excellent, my favorites were the cheddar and the blue.

We had a truly amazing High Tea at The Game Bird, located inside the very fabulous Stafford Hotel…read more It was expensive and requires reservations, but I'd do it all over again! The service, food, tea, and pastries were outstanding. The little pastries on the tea tray were as delicious as they were pretty. But the best part came after the meal. I had heard that they had a wine cellar, and that one might be able to take a peak if they weren't busy. So I asked, and the manager on duty came out and took my family and I on a personal tour of the cellar. It was like a London history lesson onto itself - dating back to the middle ages, and with artifacts from when it was a bunker in WWII. I'm getting chills all over again when I think about it. Plus there's the wine collection and some really cool old candelabras, barrels, etc. Then the manager took us back upstairs and showed us the original Picasso they keep in the lounge, and the private room where Queen Elizabeth used to come for tea. I was practically welling up with tears of gratitude by the end. I can't believe how kind he was - and we weren't even staying at the hotel! Go there if you can, and check out The American Bar for pictures of the female spy who used to hang out there and tell war stories. Do it now!

Visiting from Los Angeles and having High Tea here is definitely worth it! Great service, yummy and…read moreinteresting foods that will fill you up (we couldn't finish everything) and great photo opportunities. The one bald guy was really rude to us (prob why he's bald) but everyone else was beyond kind and gave us amazing service!

The food was great, went with IES aboard, (40 pounds for the scones), service was good, environment…read morewas really good.

I stopped in here a couple of times for dinner. The drink menu is impressive and I loved all the…read morecocktails I tried. I had a couple of the different spritzes. some of my dinner companions had drinks that were smoking and had some cool effects to them. We had the mac and cheese bites, the shrimp lollypops and chicken wings for apps and the table ordered a variety of dishes both times in. I had the curry dishes each night with the tofu. This is where things went south for me. The tofu tasted off, like it went bad in the sauce. I thought the first time was an off night but the second night with a different curry dish also with tofu, I am not sure if something was off in the sauce or what the tofu may have been marinated.. but I did not eat more than the first bite on my second night in. I stuck with the apps and yummy drinks. Definitely a fun spot for happy hour, good vibes, good tunes and good drinks.

Amazing food and service. Came here at 9pm after a long train ride and was accommodated with…read moreluggage and all! highly recommend

My parents live in W8 and we're all huge fish & chips fans. The way London (esp. KHS) changes,…read moreit's hard to retain a fave F&C place (with closures & such). So when we visited in 2024, the parental units said "We found our fave F&C place, Balans." So me & the boy went one night for dinner. About have full and we were seated right away & a server was with us in a few minutes, his name was David. Wow, what a fantastic person! He was charming, around when needed and I feel I cannot say enough good things about him. Onto the meal, I had the F&C (ofc) and the boy had the roast chicken. The PU's were not wrong, literally the best F&C I have had in a very long time! The alcohol prices were better than the local pubs & the ambiance here is out of this world, just beautiful! Do yourself a favor & eat here.

Landed after a 10-hour flight, half alive, fully starving. One thing on my mind. Fish and chips. A…read morepint. Bit of fresh London air. Balans gave me the lot and then some. The cod? Massive. Battered like it owed someone money. Crisp on the outside, flaky in the middle, seasoned right. Chips were chunky, like they should be, not those little frozen fries that taste like sadness. Mushy peas weren't shy either. Tartar sauce had enough punch to remind you you're in Britain, not on a cruise ship. My bruv was with me, the one who's always got it all figured out. While I was neck-deep in cod and joy, he's sat there with a pot of tea and a steak omelette like some kind of Soho aristocrat. Didn't say a word, just nodded at the first bite. Man knows what he's doing. Service was sharp. Our waitress had that no-nonsense, bit-of-a-tease energy. Proper London. Never hovered, didn't push us out, and no fuss about the tip. Let us eat, drink, breathe, and get our bearings. We sat outside, under the red umbrella. Sun peeking through the trees. Locals walking their dogs, tourists trying to look like they belong. Great crowd. Better view. Felt like I was back, in all the best ways.

Beautiful, airy space and v promising menu but unfortunately failed to deliver. I ordered the city…read morebowl which promised lots of ingredients highlighted with interesting sauces. While it certainly was colourful and textured, the flavour profile was tediously one note, that being pickled and tart. My companion ordered the luxurious lasagna and commented it similarly wasn't anything to write home about and she didn't need the sad side of mangled greens which made a sorry excuse for a salad. We had opted for two courses, so she had the almond cake and I the double vanilla scoop. Mine was not worth £6, a gross markup on ordinary ice cream, but my friend's slice was generous and rich, hence the second star. It being the Friday following New Years, it was not particularly busy, yet service was slow (in arrival of food and human contact). My baby girl eventually smashed one of the plates to the floor, echoing the adults' frustration, which finally caught the attention of our server who I had asked the bill from twice already. I'm genuinely sorry this wasn't more of a success as it's right close to my flat and the other reviews are generally positive.

This place is absolutely delectable, and the service is top notch. I was visiting the UK from Los…read moreAngeles and desperate for some exquisite plant based cuisine, and I found plant heaven on a plate. Thank you London and the chef magicians at at Stem and Glory for giving me what I always dream of finding and never do in California!

Discovered this bar on a horrible rainy day, wandering around Shoreditch trying to find something…read moreopen before 5pm. I loved this place a lot. The outside area (when it stopped raining) was really nice (the pop up ice cream bar looked amazing but was the slowest service I've ever seen) and the space inside is shabby but nice. A bit hidden away but in London that's never a bad thing and just means you may actually get a seat! The wine was reasonable and the mac'n'cheese was delicious. A good find and one I'll keep in my pocket for when I'm in the area.

At one time an ever so slightly hedonistic bar where you were just as likely to see Emma Bunton and…read moreWill Young slumming it with the original Shoreditch crowd as you were to see Liam Gallagher propped up at the bar, the Strongroom bar has in recent years been refurbished and stripped of much of its idiosyncrasy and in turn, for me at least, some of its original appeal. Seeing the once legendary Strongroom bar redecorated, stripped of its original Jamie Reed - of Sex Pistols fame - motifs and largely of its character is a sad and disappointing sight on par with seeing Johnny Rotten appearing on I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. It shouldn't have happened but it has. Regardless, this is an interesting Shoreditch venue steeped in - recent - history, with friendly staff, a beautiful paved outdoor area with seating which is lush during the Summer, and a recording studio upstairs which lends the Strongroom a certain cultish appeal.