Things to Do in Newington Green: A Local Guide 2026
By the Islington Local Guide team. Last walked and updated June 2026.
Newington Green is the small square where Islington, Hackney, Stoke Newington, Canonbury and Dalston all meet, and it punches well above its size. This is where Mary Wollstonecraft set up a girls’ school in the 1780s and where the dissenting church on the north side earned the green its name as a birthplace of feminism. It is also one of the oldest squares in London, ringed by a Grade I listed terrace from 1658, and over the last few years it has quietly become one of the best little eating and drinking corners in north London, from a Michelin-listed bakery to a brand-new pizza bar and a cluster of natural wine spots.
I come here to eat and drink, mostly, but the history is worth slowing down for. It is a half-day rather than a full one, and all the better for it. Here is how I’d spend the time, with everything checked and current.
The short version
Where is Newington Green, and how do I get there?
Newington Green sits on the border of Islington and Hackney, between Canonbury, Stoke Newington and Dalston. It is one of the few spots in inner London not on the tube, which is part of why it has kept its village feel. The nearest stations are Canonbury and Dalston Kingsland on the Overground, with Highbury & Islington (Victoria line) a longer walk. Buses are the easy option, with the 73, 476, 141, 341 and 21 all passing close by.
The Green itself, and the Mary Wollstonecraft sculpture
Where: Newington Green, N16 9PR
Cost: free, open space
The green at the centre, properly Newington Green Gardens, is one of the oldest squares in London and the reason the whole place feels like a village. It is a tidy patch of lawn and plane trees with a children’s play area, recently restored and busy with families and dog walkers at the weekend.
Lizzie’s on the Green sits right by the playground for coffee, cake and a sit-down within sight of the kids. The thing to seek out is ‘A Sculpture for Mary Wollstonecraft’, unveiled in 2020 after a long local campaign.
The work, by Maggi Hambling, shows a small silvered female figure rising from a swirl of forms, meant as a tribute to rather than a likeness of the writer.
It caused plenty of debate when it arrived, which feels right for this corner of London.
Newington Green Unitarian Church: a birthplace of feminism
Where: Newington Green, N16 9PR (north side)
Built: 1708, Grade II listed
The plain, peach-fronted chapel on the north side is the oldest Unitarian church still in use in England, built in 1708. In the late 18th century its minister was the philosopher Richard Price, whose sermons drew radicals and reformers, and Mary Wollstonecraft worshipped here while running her school nearby. Her pew is still in the building. Now operating as New Unity, it remains an active and famously progressive congregation. You cannot always wander in unannounced, so check their site for open days, talks and services if you want to see inside.
London’s oldest brick terrace
Where: 52–55 Newington Green, west side
On the west side stands a row of houses built in 1658, reckoned to be the oldest surviving brick terrace in London and Grade I listed for it. They pre-date the Great Fire of 1666, which is remarkable for a building in the middle of the city. You will walk past them in seconds, so pause to take in just how old they are. The whole green is a conservation area.
Where to eat – Things to Do in Newington Green
Jolene
Address: 21 Newington Green, N16 9PU
Good for: breakfast, pastries, a relaxed lunch or dinner, natural wine
The bakery and restaurant most people come to the green for, and rightly so. From the team behind Primeur and Westerns Laundry, Jolene mills its own flour and bakes superb bread and pastries, with a daily-changing menu of sharing plates and house-made pasta. It is in the Michelin Guide as an inspectors’ favourite. Tables of more than six are not taken, so come in a smaller group or sit at the counter.
Bar Etna
Where: Newington Green (former Nino’s site), opened May 2026
Good for: pizza, spritzes, a buzzy night out
The newest and most talked-about arrival, an East Coast-style pizza bar from Ed McIlroy of Four Legs (The Plimsoll, Tollington’s) and Joe Beddia of Philadelphia’s Bib Gourmand-listed Pizzeria Beddia. The menu is deliberately short: four thin-crust pizzas big enough to share, plus cheese, salad and focaccia, with spritzes, a five-pound negroni on tap and soft serve. The front bar is walk-ins only, the upstairs dining room takes bookings, and the windows open onto the green. It is a genuine event, and exactly the kind of opening that puts a small square like this on the map.
Perilla
Address: 1–3 Green Lanes, N16 9BS
Good for: a proper dinner, a quieter special occasion
On the corner where the green meets Green Lanes, Perilla is the area’s grown-up dinner option. Chef Ben Marks, who trained at Noma and The Square, opened it in 2016 with Matt Emmerson, and the modern European cooking is precise and confident without being stuffy. The wraparound windows make a lovely room and the counter seats give you a view of the kitchen. Larger groups go onto a set menu, so check ahead.
Micky’s Chippy
Where: Newington Green
Good for: a proper bag of fish and chips
Every neighbourhood needs a chippy, and Micky’s is the one here, a straightforward local fish and chip shop that is exactly what you want after a walk or before the bus home. No frills, just the classics done well, and a useful antidote to all the natural wine.
Where to drink: the wine bars – Things to Do in Newington Green
For its size, Newington Green has a remarkable run of natural wine, with two strong spots within a minute of each other.
Cadet
Address: 57 Newington Green, N16 9PX
Good for: natural wine, charcuterie and paté en croûte, small plates Thursday to Sunday
A small, busy natural wine bar in a former chicken shop, from the importers Beattie & Roberts with charcutier George Jephson and chef Jamie Smart, both with St. John and Lyle’s on their CVs. The list leans French, the charcuterie is the thing to order, and a blackboard of small plates appears towards the weekend. It is in the Michelin Guide and it is walk-ins only, so go early.
Yield N16
Address: 44–45 Newington Green, N16 9PX
Good for: a glass or a bottle to take away, cheese and charcuterie
The green’s original wine spot, open since 2015, a natural and organic wine shop and bar with a deli counter of cheese and charcuterie and a friendly, kitchen-table feel. Drink in with nibbles or take a bottle home, and keep an eye out for their tastings.
Where to drink: the pubs – Things to Do in Newington Green
The Lady Mildmay
Address: 92 Mildmay Park, N1 4PR (corner of the green)
An airy, friendly gastropub on the corner facing the green, with open fires and sofas in winter and doors flung open in summer. The kitchen has a Mediterranean lean, the Sunday roasts are well liked, and there are board games for a slow afternoon. It has picked up local CAMRA honours and is the one I’d send you to first for a proper pint with food.
The Alma
Address: 59 Newington Green Road, N1 4QU
A film-themed pub a short walk down Newington Green Road, dog-friendly and easygoing, with craft beer, a long whiskey and bourbon list, and a kitchen that runs from Thai grill to pop-up Sunday roasts. Quizzes, acoustic nights and vinyl DJs through the week, and a beer garden for the summer.
The Edinburgh (formerly The Cellars)
Address: Newington Green Road, N1 4RA
The corner local long known as The Cellars reverted to its older name, The Edinburgh, in 2025. It is a relaxed neighbourhood boozer with craft beer, cocktails and a kitchen, and a handy third stop if you are stringing the green’s pubs together.
The Snooty Fox
Address: 75 Grosvenor Avenue, Canonbury (opposite Canonbury station)
A short walk towards Canonbury, the Snooty Fox is a proper real ale pub, a multiple local CAMRA Pub of the Year and listed as an Asset of Community Value. It is the best bet in the immediate area for a serious cask pint, and being right by the station it makes a natural last stop.
Independent shops and delis – Things to Do in Newington Green
Half the pleasure of Newington Green is the independents strung around it. The standout is Newington Green Fruit and Vegetables, a greengrocer locals are genuinely evangelical about, with a huge range and a cheap-as-anything fruit and veg stall. For sweet things, the long-running French patisserie Belle Époque is the local institution, while Gallo Nerohandles the Italian deli side with cured meats, cheeses and pasta. Add Jumi Cheese and the butcher Stella’s and you can build a very good picnic without leaving the green. Down Green Lanes you also hit the Turkish food shops and ocakbaşı grills, some of the best value eating in this part of London.
Nearby: Clissold Park and Stoke Newington
Newington Green works well as the start of a longer wander. Head north and in around ten minutes you reach Stoke Newington Church Street and Clissold Park, with its deer enclosure, tennis courts, café and the Elizabethan tower of the old parish church. Head south and you are quickly into Canonbury and the rest of Islington.
How to spend a few hours in Newington Green
Newington Green FAQ
Why is Newington Green called the birthplace of feminism?
Because Mary Wollstonecraft, author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, ran a girls’ school here in the 1780s and was part of the radical circle around the Unitarian church, whose minister Richard Price was a leading reformer.
What is the statue on Newington Green?
It is ‘A Sculpture for Mary Wollstonecraft’ by Maggi Hambling, unveiled in 2020. It is a tribute to the writer rather than a literal likeness, and it prompted plenty of debate when it was installed.
Where should I eat in Newington Green?
Jolene for a bakery breakfast, lunch or relaxed dinner, the new Bar Etna for pizza, Perilla for a more grown-up dinner, and Micky’s for fish and chips. The Turkish grills down Green Lanes are great value too.
What are the best pubs in Newington Green?
The Lady Mildmay on the corner of the green and the film-themed Alma on Newington Green Road are the two locals, with The Edinburgh (the former Cellars) nearby and the real-ale Snooty Fox a short walk towards Canonbury.
How do I get to Newington Green without the tube?
It is not on the Underground. Use Canonbury or Dalston Kingsland on the Overground, or the 73, 476, 141, 341 and 21 buses, which pass close to the green.
A note on how we put this together
Every place here was checked against current listings and the businesses’ own pages before publishing, and nothing goes in unless it is open and worth your time. We live and work across North and East London and visit these places ourselves. If something has changed since we last walked the green, tell us and we will fix it.
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