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Back in 2014, Islington fishmonger-with-food Prawn on the Lawn made headlines when it briefly became TripAdvisor’s best-rated restaurant in London, musselling – sorry, muscling – all the big boys out of the way.
Now, in addition to spawning (sorry, sorry!) a coastal site down in Padstow, Cornwall, Prawn on the Lawn has closed its original Islington Green spot and moved to this bigger space up the road. It’s still got a neighbourhood vibe. As well as a fish counter (tucked into the corner), this split-level joint has a handful of tables, plus counters at the window and up by the open kitchen. Slightly bizarrely, it was also playing loud-ish dance music. On a Wednesday night.
As for the food, it’s mixed. There’s no doubt the fish itself is sparklingly fresh, but what they do with it doesn’t always work. A few dishes, like ray with ’nduja, or the tempura-battered oysters, dazzled. Others were amateurish, like good-quality seared tuna that deserved better than the excessively salty, one-note ‘Asian’ dressing it came with. Or scallops with a Thai curry sauce that belonged at a ’70s dinner party: no complexity, no kick.
But still, you should book ahead. Even on weeknights, it gets super busy.