Ottolenghi Islington

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.

Nice and clean, good selection of food to choose from and not overly priced for the area. I went here for breakfast.

Incredible experience here. Had an amazing first date which went super well, possibly securing a second. Great sharing menu with good wine reccomendations from staff. In terms of food got the beef open kebab shish, goat cheese ravioli which was delicious, the raw fish and a salad on the side - miso/tahine eggplants which were tasty. Great atmosphere with the candles and also the option to have communal tables. Will be coming back here.

I've been waiting 10 years to dine here! I arrived to London and my son and DiL brought me for dinner the same night. The experience was sublime and, for an eatery of this calibre, the meals were reasonably priced and wine - delicious. Many thanks to all the staff and, hopefully, it's not another 10 years' wait!

Love them! Aubergine, cauliflowers were so good! Lettuce was a bit salty but I enjoyed the place and food. I'd love to come back to try their sweets :)

I do love Ottolenghi. This time we had lunch in the Islington restaurant and, as always, it was an absolute delight. Healthy and yummy food, great service and quite reasonably priced. Definitely recommend this place!

Such a delightful lunch! Love the whole vibe of homemade food on display and super minimalist interior, we shared a few items, extremely customizable and our server (Sarah I belive, if I remember our receipt correctly) was so sweet and helpful and attentive, delicious flavourful food and options to bring gifts and books home, a whole experience! Highly recommend 🥄

Oh I LOVE this place. The food, the cakes, the ambience. The menu is suitable for vegetarians (large salad selection from the counter) and even though larger groups of 2 sit at the communal table, we didn’t feel squashed. Can’t wait to go again.

Great car/restaurant for a nice casual meal. Kinda of mid eastern

The mains were delicious, but the salads that accompanied them were out of this world. I have several Ottolenghi cookbooks, but this was my first chance dining at one of the restaurants. It was even better than I could have imagined. Every dish was so fresh, vibrant and flavorful.

If you have a sweet tooth, then this is certainly the place for you. Wide choice of freshly baked goodies to choose from as well as a good variety of regular meal options. Topped with the best service and chic location. What more can you ask for? Win win

The pastries are divine. Stopped in to have some for breakfast. The fruit financier was rich, buttery and almond-y. The chocolate tart was intensely chocolate. Both had a dollop of creme fraiche balanced out the tastes. The fruit (peach, blackberry, cherry) were perfect. With the hot chocolate and black americano brought the total to just a teeny bit over £10 each.

As always with an Ottolenghi creation, this too is a delightful culinary experience. Unfortunately I wasn’t too hungry so I only tried the labaneh and the aubergine, both delicious!

Cozy place for Mediterranean cuisine. Knowledgeable attentive staff and good wine selection. Be sure to get the assorted breads!

Wow. That was such a great brunch. I was there with family and friends. We all got different mains that came with two choices of salad from a variety of eight. We shared those mains and salads and there wasn't any of those that I just savored every flavor. From the Char Grilled Loch Duart salmon, to the Pan Fried Sea Bream and the Char Grilled Lamb Kofta, we were amazed. The roasted carrot salad and the mashed been and squash were two of the salads that come top of mind. Servers were great and definitely on with their recommendations. Definitely recommend.

After cooking from the books for years, I finally got to eat in the original place where it all began and I can only say that the hype is totally worth it. Will come again for sure next time I'm in London! Excellent food, exceptional service and a great atmosphere.

Ottolenghi Islington — Unusual, Inventive, and Absolutely Delicious Ottolenghi Islington is a celebration of bold flavours and unexpected combinations. It’s not your typical restaurant — and that’s exactly why it works. From vibrant salads to beautifully spiced mains, every dish feels like a creative journey. The presentation is artful, the ingredients fresh, and the taste? Unforgettable. Why it’s so unique and tasty: Middle Eastern–Mediterranean fusion — spices, textures, and herbs used with flair Signature salads — colourful, layered, and full of surprises Pastries and desserts — inventive, indulgent, and beautifully balanced Atmosphere — sleek, airy, and quietly elegant

Amazing food and staff! Went here today for some takeaway sweet treats - didn’t disappoint. The staff were rushed off their feet due to demand but made us feel welcome and gave us their time. Sadly there were 2 young girls who were talking into the window cake display, but the staff kindly reminded them where to stand and after doing this multiple times their mother protested from the back of the queue, in the form of leaving the store. Thank god the staff protected the display and probably £400 worth of food - just want it to be known the staff handled this very well. Thanks again 5pm crew

We had a lovely meal here. Ella was our waitress and she was amazing. She was very insightful with all the different ingredients in the dishes and made the experience very easy, relaxed and most joyful. I would recommend to anyone ! Check it out.

Me and my brother just had a wonderful birthday celebration lunch here. Yes, the food was incredible - but it was the service which most impressed me. My son has additional needs, and the team went above and beyond to help him feel comfortable. Particular thanks to Tamsin, whose warmth and kindness made all the difference. Highly recommended for a special treat ⭐

We stopped by for breakfast. We didn't have a reservation but we're accommodated quickly on the communal table. I had the farinata with roasted mushrooms and my daughter opted for the Middle Eastern breakfast. Both dishes were delicious. The service was helpful and quick. Definitely recommend.

A lovely night out in Islington with wonderful staff and nice food. The highlights were definitely the pork belly and the lamb koftas which had great flavours. The salads were nice but perhaps weren’t as fresh as they could be, and the labneh dip needed to come with more dip as you don’t get very much. A nice night out though.

Really nice and tasty food here. The service is pretty much amazing, our servers took a lot of care to ensure drinks where filled and, the food was always warm. Would highly recommend 🤘

Very good and tasty starters, but the pork belly was a bit dry. All in all a good experience, even if probably other Ottolenghi restaurants provide a better experience. The ambient is not very relaxing and looks a bit sterile, more like a clinic than a cozy place.

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.

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.

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

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.

had a danish halva and it was decent lots of chocolate chewiness to it not bad idk worth the price but ok

Wonderful selection of salads, it was so hard to choose! The baked goods are also to die for - and laid out so nicely in the front window. It’s a great place for a girl’s lunch, or somewhere to take your parents. Every salad was delicious and fresh. Only taking 1 star off because it was a little unpleasant sitting at the long communal table (very hard to hear my friend across the table) and the prices are super duper pricey.

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 🙂

Booked on trip advisor last minute, as we were at the concert in Union Church nearby. The restaurant close at 22.30, but our booking was accepted for 22.00. Service was very fast and courteous. Our Waiter took his time to explain and advise. Our drinks arrived immediately together with a plate of homey bread and olive oil. We ordered aubergine as a cold starter, which arrived very promptly. And our mains cod and cabbage followed shortly. Even though the dishes are served as tapas and are smaller then usual. It was plentiful for both of us. All our chosen dishes were so flavoursome. Deserts also looked delicious. We just have to try these on our next visit. I loved the decor, very light and airy. Overall a lovely experience that calls for a repeat visit. Those tables are perfect for food sharing experience.

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 .

Great food, really love the flavours that are always there with Ottolenghi. The Pork was a stand-up, spicy yet moorish. The eggplant for a starter was also phenomenal. The atmosphere feels a little cold, stark white everything, but I guess that's the style they are going for. Will be back for a takeaway dinner soon!

We love Ottolenghi and have been many times. They say their plates are small and you need to order 6 for two of you - but we ordered 3 salads and it was plenty. They are famous for their roast aubergine salad and it was delicious. We shared two cakes, an almond cake that was OK but not great and a small Persian cake taht was delicious. We had a wonderful waiter - thank you!! I tried a glass of wine but it seems they have gone natural for their list. It was fizzy and just not very nice. They took it off the bill, which was good.

Loved Ottolenghi, even though it’s definitely expensive and overpriced. It almost always feels worth it because everything is so flavourful. Some of the baked goods can be a bit hit or miss and don’t always taste as strong as they look, which can be disappointing. I actually prefer cooking from their cookbook more than visiting the store, but it’s still a good spot and worth trying at least once.

This was a very different dining experience for us. Had 'nibbles' with drinks which were actually substantial and then the 'salads' arrived at the same time The advice was to have a salad each and something from the kitchen with some bread. It was good with interesting flavours amd spicing but all extremely rich. There wasn't really any plain salad or carb to balance it (even the bread was rich). Wine was expensive. Puddings which we almost didn't have were good but enormous. Had £100 voucher as a gift and the bill was still £190 on top. Interesting and obviously popular but probably won't go back.

Stick to the books.. Service - it was fine. Food - we tried two pastries (cakes). The one was okay / good (depending who you ask. The other one we both didn’t like it. Atmosphere - very simple. Plastic chairs not too comfortable, because they are very wobbly. Location - good Price - overpriced, not worth it in our opinion. Wifi - unknown

The food and the presentation is top-notch, but the restaurant setting is not very comfortable or inviting. No give on the communal tables or the private tables. The food is all tapas / small plates style, but the service is also really really slow so remember to order all your food at once. The food itself does make up for some of the above issues, but it isn't a place you want to go more than once.

The sweets are visually very appealing and beautifully presented. Unfortunately, I was disappointed by both the taste and texture. I tried four different varieties, but none stood out as particularly enjoyable. Given the quality, I found them to be overpriced. There are much better options in the area and at a more reasonable prices.