This unassuming North London boozer has been named the capital’s best gastropub
Every so often in London, a stalking horse – whether it’s a little-known bistro or a pub or café – suddenly swoops to victory in the capital’s various rundowns of best restaurants, beating out dozens of fine dining establishments who may be expected to gallop to the top of the list.
One such place is The Plimsoll in Finsbury Park. This unusually angular bar on the corner of Plimsoll Road isn’t a place you’d take for granted as one of London’s best restaurants. Its rustic wooden décor is unassuming and, most afternoons and evenings, it’s filled with youngish after-work crowds spilling out on to the pavement outside.
But The Plimsoll is currently reigning supreme as the capital’s top gastropub. That’s right, booking platform Opentable ranked The Plimsoll among its list of London’s most ‘iconic’ restaurants, earning the special moniker of ‘gastropub of the year’ of 2026. On social media, its Dexter burger is something of a holy grail among enthusiasts. Bookings for the dining area are solid, even in the middle of the week.
The thought of making a reservation for a burger is enough to send my tiny head spinning. Is this really the best gastropub in London? Or has snazzy 21st century marketing created a foodie El Dorado? Either way, I set off to North London to find out.
It’s worth pointing out that The Plimsoll’s dining hours vary day by day. Monday to Wednesday sees the kitchen open at 6pm, while the latter part of the week and the weekend if operates lunchtime hours too. Walk-ins are possible at the bar but it may get busy. As for the dining area, I have to content myself with a 9pm booking on a Wednesday. Sheesh!
Stepping into the wooden, ye olden days dining area, it certainly has its charms – more the feel of a country pub than a London boozer. The tables are packed and there are dribbling white candles galore offering no shortage of flickering, ambient lighting.
I look about my neighbouring diners and on all three tables, everyone is happily gorging on Dexter burgers (£14). I can see some of the appeal, textured meaty Irish Dexter patties, topped with egg, cheese, and a secret sauce in a soft brioche. But they don’t look all too huge, if I’m honest. Plus I’m a bit wayward too. What else is on the menu I wonder?
It’s a small and creative menu. For £6, diners can enjoy Toulouse sausage and mustard, which is completely sold out at the time of my visit, or for the same price, bread boquerones (anchovies) and goat’s cheese. For £16, calamari & sweet chilli is a main meal, as fried lamb, French bean & guindillas, or for £18 girolle risotto, or mussels, Iberico broth and parsley.
This all feels very tapas style, and so I order fried potatoes & aioli (£7), curried carrots & ricotta (£12) and pork collar & marinated aubergine (£20).
The potatoes arrive first, just like a starter, and whoah boy, they are delicious. Perfectly golden yellow and crisp at the edges, without a hint of sogginess despite being surrounded in a bed of olive oil. But it’s the aioli sauce that elevates it, possibly my favourite savoury dip, with just the right dose of garlic and none of the sickly relish of other potted sauces.
On to curried carrots and ricotta, and I will say, any cold curried dish automatically makes me think of the 1950s. I can imagine Hyacinth Bucket serving this up to the VIPs in her village. Anyhow, the cold curry sauce tastes sweet and antiquarian, a bit like raisins, and there’s a firm al dente bite to the carrots. They’re very tough but I prefer this to soft and squidgy overboiled vegetables.
Try as I might, I can’t get away with the mushy ricotta. It’s adds a sickliness to an already all-too-sweet dish that needs something with a more crisp savouriness to counter it. Sweet, soft cheese isn’t working for me.
On to my piece de resistance and pork collar is said to be one of the most sought-after cuts of meat. It’s presented to me in two long mounds cut into neat slights, with sprinklings of spinach and underneath, a bed of shredded, tangy aubergine.
This is probably the pinkest pork I’ve ever tasted and I’m pleasantly taken aback. It’s by no means undercooked, there’s a healthy amount of chewing with each bite, and my tongue is popping with sparks of flavour. Of course, it’s not as potent as other red meat, but the inky richness is certainly getting there. And the aubergine offsets this richness with an alkaline punch. A show-stopping main.
I’m all done and I’m none too taken with any of the options for dessert. There’s apricot & almond tart (£10), plum & melon sorbet (£8) and manchego & honey (£8). Nothing for a card-carrying chocoholic like me.
I settle my bill, down the remainder of my pint of Estrella and soak in the dusky glow of candles for a few more minutes before sauntering off. Even close to 10pm, The Plimsoll is still lively with what seems like a crowd of young professionals. Is it really a gastropub? Or a restaurant housed in the shell of an old boozer? Who knows, but it’s having its moment in the spotlight and if it keeps up the high bar of its menu, the momentum will last for years to come.
The Plimsoll is located at at Thomas’s Road, Finsbury Park. See here for bookings.
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