look, we’ve all been there. you’re scrolling through instagram, your stomach is doing that weird little "feed me" growl, and you’ve got a date coming up in angel or highbury. you want to look cool, but not trying-too-hard cool. you want somewhere that says, "i know exactly where the vibes are," without having to sell a kidney for a bottle of natural wine.

islington’s upper street is basically the gauntlet of date nights. one wrong move and you’re stuck in a chain restaurant listening to a playlist of "acoustic coffee shop covers" while staring at a lukewarm bowl of pasta.

but don't panic. we’ve done the hard work (and the heavy drinking) to find the spots that actually deliver. whether it’s your first "let's see if we actually like each other" drink or your hundredth "we're just here so we don't have to wash the dishes" dinner, these are the top 5 date night spots in islington.

and yes, one of them is a secret weapon that’ll make you look like a total legend. 🤫It All Begins Here