St Paul’s Road Islington: A Local’s Guide to the Restaurants, Pubs and Shops
Most people only meet St Paul’s Road sideways. You cross it at Highbury Corner on the way to the tube, clock the traffic and carry on. Stick around, though, and the stretch heading east from the station has quietly become one of the best short eating-and-drinking runs in this part of North London. Within a few minutes’ walk you have a Michelin-listed Italian, a Cornish seafood bar, a modern European room, two proper pubs, a natural wine shop, a florist and a row of cafés and everyday spots that keep the place feeling like a neighbourhood rather than a strip.
This is my guide to what is worth your time on St Paul’s Road, written by someone who walks it rather than reads about it. I have grouped it by what you are actually after: a table to book, a casual bite, a pint, a coffee, a bottle of wine or a quick errand. The road is long and turns residential as it runs towards Canonbury and Newington Green, but almost everything below sits at the Highbury Corner end, so that is where we will spend our time.
Where is St Paul’s Road Islington and how do you get there?
St Paul’s Road is in N1, on the seam between Highbury and Canonbury. It begins at Highbury Corner and runs east towards Newington Green Road and Essex Road. The food, drink and shops cluster at the western end, on and just off Highbury Corner.
Restaurants worth booking – St Paul’s Road Islington
Trullo — 300–302 St Paul’s Road
If you ask me where to eat on this road, this is the answer. Open since 2010 and run by Tim Siadatan, the chef behind the Padella pasta queues in Borough Market, Trullo does unfussy regional Italian cooking on a menu that changes twice a day.
The pasta is rolled by hand before each service and the charcoal grill does the heavy lifting on the mains.
The pappardelle with beef shin ragu has a fair claim to being one of the best plates of pasta in London, and there is usually a long-aged T-bone for two if you are feeling serious. It is set over two floors, with a low-lit bar downstairs that is a lovely spot for a drink while you wait. Book ahead, especially at weekends. This is the anchor of the whole stretch.
Prawn on the Lawn — 292–294 St Paul’s Road
Part fishmonger, part seafood bar, and a genuine local fixture. It opened in 2013 with eight seats, did so well it moved to a bigger room a few doors along, and now runs alongside a sister site in Padstow.
Fish comes up from Cornwall and Devon daily, so the menu is a blackboard that shifts with the catch. Order oysters (the deep-fried ones with garlic creme fraiche are a treat), whatever crab has landed, and a handful of small plates to share.
A few practical notes from experience: it is card only, no Amex, a discretionary service charge applies, it opens Tuesday to Saturday, and it books up well in advance. You can also buy fish over the counter to cook at home.
Oui Madame — 290 St Paul’s Road
Come back to the Sawyer & Gray address after dark and it becomes Oui Madame, an evenings-only modern European restaurant from Martin Lange, the restaurateur behind Salut! elsewhere in Islington. It is small, candle-lit and built around seasonal sharing plates, classical technique with the odd Korean or Japanese accent. Open Tuesday to Saturday for dinner, and booking is advised. The fact that one address runs a proper café by day and a grown-up restaurant by night tells you most of what you need to know about this corner of the road. A newer arrival, and a good one.
Casual eats and takeaways – St Paul’s Road Islington
Tootoomoo — 278 St Paul’s Road
Pan-Asian done as small plates and sharing dishes, pulling from Thai, Chinese, Malaysian, Vietnamese and Japanese cooking, with sushi, cocktails and a weekend bottomless brunch. It is a reliable, family-friendly option a minute from the station, and it does a brisk takeaway and delivery trade if you would rather eat at home. The miso salmon and the rendang are the ones regulars come back for.
Thai Corner Café — 236 St Paul’s Road
A small, unshowy Thai café a little further east that punches well above its size. Big flavours, fair prices, plenty for vegetarians, and a strong takeaway game on Deliveroo. The green curry and the pad thai are exactly what you want them to be. Worth the short walk down from the corner.
314 Kitchen and Bar — 314 St Paul’s Road
A neighbourhood kitchen and bar at the far end of the run, at number 314, which is where the name comes from. An easygoing all-rounder for a casual bite or a drink without booking ahead.
New London Café — 216 St Paul’s Road
A proper old-school caf further east, the kind that does a fry-up and a mug of tea without fuss. Not a destination, but exactly the sort of place a neighbourhood needs.
Cafés – St Paul’s Road Islington
Sawyer & Gray — 290 St Paul’s Road
A café with actual heritage. The 1940s shopfront signage was uncovered during the building’s renovation and gave the place its name. Inside it is a calm, Scandi-leaning room over two floors doing speciality coffee, brunch and small plates. One thing to know going in: there is no wifi and laptops are not allowed, by design. It is built for talking to the person across the table, not clearing your inbox. Open daytimes, Wednesday to Sunday, before it hands over to Oui Madame in the evening.
Fantail — 274b St Paul’s Road
The newest face on the road. Fantail has taken over the 274b site that locals knew as Bar Liber, and before that St Paul and Nanna’s. It leans towards pies and good coffee. This corner turns over quickly, so go and form your own view; it is good to see the unit back in use.
The pubs – St Paul’s Road Islington
The Hen & Chickens — 109 St Paul’s Road
The Victorian corner pub right on Highbury Corner, and more interesting than it first looks. Downstairs is a proper local with a rotating beer selection, it is dog-friendly and there is a small garden out the back. Upstairs is a fringe theatre of around fifty seats that has been staging comedy, plays and music for years; The Mighty Boosh cut their teeth here in the early days.
There is a nice bit of pub lore attached, too: the interior is often cited as an inspiration for the Moon Under Water, George Orwell’s essay on the perfect pub, and he lived just around the corner in Canonbury Square. Check the listings before you go if you fancy a show with your pint.
The Alwyne Castle — 83 St Paul’s Road
The road’s other pub, and a very different animal. The Alwyne Castle is a proper gastropub with one of the better beer gardens in this part of Islington, plus a conservatory for dining, Sunday roasts, a Tuesday quiz and live jazz on Sunday evenings. Family-friendly until early evening, sport on the screens, and a real summer draw for that garden. Named after the Alwyne family, the old Lords of Canonbury Manor. Worth knowing it is card only.
Wine and provisions
Yield N1 — 97 St Paul’s Road
A natural wine shop and bar, sister to the original over in Newington Green. Low-intervention, organic and biodynamic bottles fill the shelves, and you can drink any of them in or take one away. The deli side is the quiet hero: E5 Bakehouse bread, Neal’s Yard Dairy cheese, charcuterie and the bits you need for a proper cheese-and-wine night at home. There are a couple of benches out front for warmer evenings. If you want a knowledgeable steer rather than a wall of labels, this is where to ask.
Shops and services – St Paul’s Road Islington
Jen’s Plants & Florist — 99 St Paul’s Road
A florist and plant shop next to the station end, full of cut flowers, dried bouquets that last for years, unusual houseplants and the pots to put them in. Friendly, knowledgeable and the right shout for a last-minute bunch on the way home. There is a second branch over on Brick Lane.
Everyday essentials
Beyond the food and drink, the western end of St Paul’s Road covers the practical stuff that keeps a neighbourhood ticking: a couple of estate agents, nail salons, the Healthy Living centre and shop around 282 to 284 for wellbeing and therapies, plus the usual convenience stores, barbers and dry cleaners. Past here the road settles into Victorian terraces and turns residential as it heads towards Canonbury and Newington Green. If you run a shop or an independent along here and reckon it deserves a write-up, get in touch and we will come and have a proper look.
A good few hours on St Paul’s Road
If you want to make an outing of it, here is the order I would do it in. Start with coffee and brunch at Sawyer & Gray. Pick up a bottle at Yield and a bunch of flowers next door at Jen’s. Time lunch for Prawn on the Lawn and a plate of oysters, or a quick pan-Asian plate at Tootoomoo. Mid-afternoon, take a pint out into the garden at the Alwyne Castle.
Then dinner: pasta at Trullo, seasonal sharing plates at Oui Madame, or fish at Prawn on the Lawn if you skipped it earlier. Finish with a nightcap, or a show, at the Hen & Chickens. That is a full day of the road’s best without straying more than a few hundred metres.
St Paul’s Road Islington : frequently asked questions
What is the best restaurant on St Paul’s Road, Islington?
Trullo, at 300–302, is the standout: hand-rolled pasta and charcoal-grilled mains from the team behind Padella. For seafood it is Prawn on the Lawn, and for a modern European dinner it is Oui Madame.
Is Trullo on St Paul’s Road?
Yes. Trullo is at 300–302 St Paul’s Road, N1 2LH, a couple of minutes from Highbury & Islington station. It shares an owner, Tim Siadatan, with the Padella pasta restaurants.
Where can I eat fresh seafood near Highbury Corner?
Prawn on the Lawn at 292–294 St Paul’s Road is both a fishmonger and a seafood bar, with daily deliveries from Cornwall and Devon and a blackboard menu that changes with the catch. It opens Tuesday to Saturday and is card only.
Where can I get a modern European or date-night dinner on St Paul’s Road?
Oui Madame at 290, open evenings only, Tuesday to Saturday. It is a small, candle-lit room doing seasonal sharing plates, set inside the Sawyer & Gray café space after dark.
Is there a good pan-Asian or Thai option on St Paul’s Road?
Two: Tootoomoo at 278 for pan-Asian sharing plates, sushi and takeaway, and Thai Corner Café at 236 for proper Thai at fair prices, with delivery.
Which St Paul’s Road pub has a beer garden?
The Alwyne Castle at 83 has the bigger garden and conservatory, plus Sunday roasts, a quiz and live jazz. The Hen & Chickens at 109 has a smaller garden and a fringe theatre upstairs.
Where is there a good café on St Paul’s Road?
Sawyer & Gray at 290 for speciality coffee and brunch, though note it has no wifi and a no-laptops policy. For an old-school caf, New London Café at 216 does a no-nonsense fry-up.
Where can I buy natural wine or flowers on St Paul’s Road?
Yield N1 at 97 is a natural wine shop and bar with a deli counter. Next door at 99, Jen’s Plants & Florist does cut flowers, dried bouquets and houseplants.
What is the nearest tube station to St Paul’s Road?
Highbury & Islington, on Highbury Corner, served by the Victoria line, London Overground and National Rail. It sits right at the western end of the road.
Do I need to book the restaurants?
For Trullo, Prawn on the Lawn and Oui Madame, yes, particularly at weekends. Tootoomoo, Thai Corner Café, the cafés and the pubs are more walk-in friendly.
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