The Gate

Restaurants

Restaurants and cafés

Islington

Mid-range

Time Out rating:

User ratings:

Rate this

Time Out says

Wed Oct 17 2012

First established in the late 1980s in Hammersmith, the Gate has finally opened a second branch in Islington, morphing in every respect to match its far-trendier surroundings. The only thing not modern and breezy about this vegetarian restaurant (a former Victorian butcher’s) is the ornate, listed tiling on one side of the room – a unique feature that reflects the equally original menu.

Food here has a Middle Eastern twist, far more ethnic than its Hammersmith sister. Pick from either the meze menu – fritters bursting with salty feta flavour; tart mushroom ceviche; featherlight artichoke tempura – or the carte, which refreshingly avoids using meat substitutes. Squeaky halloumi drizzled in a tikka marinade to start was well cooked, but a little mean in portion size for £6.50.

For mains, asparagus rotolo (a cheesy roll-up of Mediterranean vegetables and thyme potato) was as light as soufflé, and Thai favourites were piled high in a spicy summer salad, topped with an abundance of crushed peanuts.

Friendly but uninformed waiters need more time to get used to the menu, and although our seasonal crumble with crème anglaise did the job, we would have preferred an extra round of meze instead.

Comments

Add +

Venue location

Address:
The Gate 370 St John Street
Central London
London
EC1V 4NN

Phone:
020 7278 5483
Website:
www.thegaterestaurants.com
Opening hours:
Brunch served 10am-3pm Sat, Sun. Lunch served noon-2.30pm Mon-Fri. Dinner served 6-10.30pm Mon-Sun
Transport:
Tube: Angel Tube
Price:
Main courses £12.50-£15.50. Set meal (5.30-7.30pm) £15 2 courses.
Map
1. The Gate
  - 370 St John Street
    Central London
    London
    EC1V 4NN
  - 020 7278 5483
  - www.thegaterestaurants.com
  - 51.530366,-0.105368

Categories:
Food and drink
Facilities:
Restaurant and bar facilities. Take away. Reservations required. Vegetarian dishes. Vegan dishes. Accessible facilities. General facilities. Available for hire
Type of event:
Parties

Share your thoughts

Your rating
Name *
Email *
Comment *
* mandatory fields
Tick to receive relevant updates from Time Out including news, events, offers and competitions.

Comments & ratings

(5 ratings)

I was really excited when I saw that the Gate was opening in Islington as I'd been hoping for a vegetarian restaurant to open here for ages, but it doesn't really work. The food isn't as delicious as places like Ottolenghi and the atmosphere is the worst thing. They were playing club music when we were in there and the acoustics were really bad with the wooden floor. It didn't make me want to run back, which is a real shame, as I want to love it.

Lucy Sun Feb 24
Rated as: 3/5
Report
1. Name *
2. Email *
3. Reason *
Terrible overpriced food and rude service. Avoid

tali Wed Nov 21 2012
Rated as: 1/5
Report
1. Name *
2. Email *
3. Reason *
what a let down ... expensive ... boring menu bland food

fernblue Thu Oct 18 2012
Report
1. Name *
2. Email *
3. Reason *
Went to the Gate for Sunday Brunch. Had amazing halloumi cheese and mixed pepper skewer as a starter and for main I had the large beetroot, watercress and goat cheese salad and my partner had the corn cake from the mains menu. Both of the mains were absolutely delicious and nicely presented!

alba Sun Jul 29 2012
Rated as: 5/5
Report
1. Name *
2. Email *
3. Reason *
Love the restaurant in Hammersmith, so booked this for the first time for lunch on Saturday. When we arrived the staff seemed harassed, and tried to seat us at a really poor table (for two, against the wall). We said we weren't happy with the table and were prepared to wait but they didn't seem interested, so we left. The staff at the other restaurant are lovely so I don't know what's going on here, but suggest you avoid!

Dawn Mon Jul 9 2012
Report
1. Name *
2. Email *
3. Reason *
If you want very very small portions of vegetarian food and stupidly high prices, The Gate will suit you. A real disappointment.

Sadler Mon Jun 11 2012
Rated as: 1/5
Report
1. Name *
2. Email *
3. Reason *

The Gate

Time Out rating:

User ratings:

Time Out says

Venue location

Map

Comments & ratings

Near The Gate

Bars and pubs

Restaurants and cafés

Shops

About us

Time Out products

Time Out London magazine

Advertising

Site map

Follow us