The best Stoke Newington restaurants

The original Rasa is still going strong, serving the vegetarian dishes from Kerala with which it broke the anglicised curry-house mould way back in 1997. The hot-pink interior sees a roaring trade throughout the week, thanks to the great Indian cooking at very reasonable prices. Following snacks (not just poppadoms, but achappam and pappadavadai too) with pickles, you could have a masala dosa, but that hardly seems the point. 

Calong is a date spot and no mistake, with food made for sharing and fork fights over who gets to scoff the last kimchi fritter. Chef Joo was raised in South Korea, but began his cookery career in the UK, and for a long time focused on French technique. It shows. Calong sees him cooking dishes inspired by his native cuisine in a masterful light-touch fusion fashion. Warm pumpkin and crisp pear salad is delicately dressed with gochujang cured Chalkstream trout is so fresh, it practically swims off the plate, a perfectly tart sesame and plum soy, with grapefruit and crisp cucumber adding to its sprightly charm. Then comes Joo’s fried chicken, a dish so good that the chef gave his name to it.

A slice of Echo Park in Stoke Newington, this LA-style taco joint offers three short menus; one for breakfast burritos, and one each for grill and guisado (braised) tacos. Most are pork and beef-based, though there’s a cactus leaf nopales offering for vegetarians and faux chorizo for vegans. A sensible diner would order three tacos, but you’d be within your rights to order four, even five. Prices are an extremely reasonable £3.50 to £5, and though they look petite, Sonora’s paper-thin tortillas come packed to the floury brim. Truly excellent stuff. 

This grand corner boozer has gone through various iterations over the years – many will remember it as The Defoe neighbourhood pub. It's now extremely bougie, serving up the likes of fregola-stuffed summer squash with parmesan cream, artichoke, datterini tomatoes and black olive to a very chic crowd. They also have an outpost at Kettner’s, if you're ever looking for a slice of Stokey in Soho.

'Escocesa’ is Spanish for ‘Scottish’ – a clue to the set-up at this Stoke Newington tapas bar, which uses Scots ingredients to make incredible Spanish scran. Church Street is roughly a third of the way from Sauchiehall Street to La Rambla, and Escocesa is clearly two-thirds Spanish. Menu staples include juicy pan con tomate, piquant patatas bravas and tortilla that yields easily under the fork. The fried baby squid is crisp not greasy. Still, the Calendonian accent is strong, with Scottish seafood among the specials: scallops from Ullapool, langoustines from Lochinver. 

Johnny Boys is a good-natured attempt to bring the West Coast diner to the mean streets of Stoke Newington, drawing not just on blue jeans and Bruce Springsteen, but the Mexican and Jewish immigrant communities of southern California. Which is why the short-but-sweet menu sees taquitos, tostadas and pastrami sandwiches alongside chicken plates, patty melts and cheeseburgers. Johnny Boys is the project of LA native Julian Denis, who also runs nearby vegan Chinese restaurant Facing Heaven and the taco-slinging Easy 8 bar. What can you say, the man loves a theme.

Wakon yōsai refers to a sense of Japanese spirit infused with Western learnings, and is the guiding principle behind Aun, an independent izakaya-style restaurant in Stoke Newington. The focus is on Japanese food made using British ingredients and techniques served in a relaxed atmosphere. Exposed brick walls, beautiful earthenware crockery and a charming Church Street setting give you the feeling you’re in the home of a close friend, and an imaginative and creative one at that. The five course set menu options include twists on classics like breaded pork tonkatsu but with stilton sauce, sundried tomato sushi rolls, or somen noodles in a spicy, tahini style sauce. The colourful, vibrant small plates are truly memorable, at an incredibly reasonable price for the number of courses and quality of ingredients.

Napoli-style pizza done delightfully. Thin, crispy and served with beautiful burnt bubbles in the dough, what makes the pizza really special is its softness. No exaggeration, you can cut through this base with the edge of a fork, and it comes so saucy and voluptuous you actually have to cradle each piece with both hands to keep things together.

A family-run Eritrean joint that offers traditional dishes with a British twist. Low-lit and inviting, diners are drawn to the smells of rich spice mixes, grilled meats and steaming stews. We’re talking assa qulwa, chopped cod fillet cooked in fresh garlic and peppers, and zigni begie, a spicy lamb stew with tomatoes and berbere spice mix. Make sure you add on the Laza Special Foul, a vegan dish of fava beans cooked with onions, fresh tomatoes and cumin with pitta bread. Leave room for a slice of basbousa (syrup-soaked semolina) with ice cream.

Part New York diner, part Middle Eastern deli, The Good Egg is the kind of daytime dining spot you'll want to come back to again and again (but make sure you turn up before their 3.30pm weekday and 5pm weekend closing times). The extremely chill energy is complimented by its extremely decent food. Here, everything is brunch; from shakshuka with preserved lemon yoghurt, za’atar and fluffy pita to boureka with spiced potato, caramelised onion and dates or a challah french toast sandwich with poached rhubarb and orange syrup. A big fat yum to all that. 

Inspired by the flavours of Jamaica and St Lucia, Octaves is the first restaurant from BBC Radio 1Xtra DJ Sian Anderson. Opened on the advice of her pal Ed Sheeran, this isn't a vanity project, but rather a welcoming neighbourhood Caribbean restaurant with an all-you-can-eat menu. There's a £30 or £50 per head version, with curry goat, saltfish fritters, peppered prawns, plantain and a dedicated vegan menu. There's also a roast on Sunday, with jerk chicken, jollof rice and yorkshire pudding. Weekend bottomless brunches are hosted by the likes of Carnival sound system faves Rampage. 

Il Bacio's been serving up splendid pizza and pasta for yonks, and long may it continue. Grab the Sardinian specials such as pasta with cuttle fish and green peas in a slow cooked tomato sauce or homemade ravioli filled with potatoes, mint and pecorino cheese. Very decent pizzas are all just over a tenner. Cute as hell. 

The pair of oriental beckoning cats on a shelf, who greet customers with a smile and a wave, are one of the few giveaways as to this local eaterie’s cuisine. You certainly wouldn’t pick it from the otherwise nondescript and coldly modern interior – wooden floor, plain walls, bare wooden tables. Still, the sweet and friendly service warms the place up. The overly long menu trips across Japan, Thailand, China and Vietnam, picking up mostly obvious choices along the way. It’s ideal if, say, you fancy a Thai and your partner has a yen for Japanese.

A noticeboard crammed with adverts for gardeners and yoga classes reinforces Blue Legume’s local vibe. You get the sense that everyone eating here lives within a five-minute radius. Weekends see a younger crowd healing hangovers with a standard breakfast menu. Grilled cumberland sausages, crispy hash browns, tiny button mushrooms, smoked bacon, a perfectly poached egg and a dollop of baked beans populated a generous plate. Thick scotch pancakes soaked up a pool of maple syrup, while the scrambled eggs were rich with cream.