Fig & Olive

Tried some very flavourful crab cakes and duck salad for starters here. Followed it with ‘Falafel the Fig and Olive Way’, which is essentially a few pieces of falafel in a yummy tomato-​vegetable concoction. Falafel itself was nice and crispy, reasonable by UK standards. For dessert we had ice cream on a hot waffle with a delicious raspberry coulis. They also have an impressive display of other desserts — all sorts of luxurious cakes, Sicilian cannoli, and so on.

Something at Fig + Olive doesn’t quite do it for me but it is hard for me to explain just what that is.
The food here is certainly good. Hummus started its redemption with me at this restaurant. On my recent visit i enjoyed the Pumpkin, butternut squash + manchego cheese soup. The goats cheese + aubergine risotto is a trusty main course. The desserts look. A-​MAZE-​ZING as you arrive and leave, but I never have room to test them on my not particularly sweet tooth.
I keep thinking that they don’t have much choice. Its true that I don’t eat much meat, but they have like half a dozen vegetarian options. I think that I have this impression means that not many of the choices particularly appeal to me.
There was an order mix up on my last visit with some confusion over the soup of the day. Turns out there were two different soups of the day and this ended with us getting both… and another starter we had ordered. But we got the extra accidental starter for free so that really removes the reason to complain.
I think perhaps it is just a little classy for me. It is quite posh and a little more expensive than my usual meals. There is nothing wrong with the food but none of the main courses get my mouth watering and make me excited to order. It is all quite tightly packed together in a small space (the chairs and tables, not the food).
But I think the problem may be more mine than the restaurant. My rating feels a little harsh but I gots to go with my gut.

We walked past Fig & Olive and the luscious looking salads and cakes on display caught my eye. First we sat outside because it was nice and sunny but then asked for a table inside because the street is a bit too busy and loud. The long table in the back is beautiful but the rest of the restaurant is not especially classy.
I wanted a light lunch so I went for the Fig & Olive Salad, hoping that this signature dish would give me the best impression of the restaurant. Technically the salad was lovely but sadly it was cmopletely oversalted. I was with company so I didn’t send it back to the kitchen but really I should have. I guess this can happen so I’m not writing this place off for good. I might give them another chance some time.

Great value and service. Good Sunday roast and a vast dessert selection. Don’t forget to save some room for those cheesecakes! They are simply divine!

i ordered the duck breast and it was cooked perfectly at medium, with a flavorful mushroom sauce reduction and potatoes. we went here with a large group of 14 and ordered plenty of good red wine. i’d return, but don’t come here extremely hungry as the portions are modest.

I went there for a late night dinner on a Thursday evening. I had the roasted aubergine and goat cheese dish — super tasty! My friend had the veggie mousakka and also really liked it. The service is pretty quick and waiters are friendly. Very cool vibe. Nice location. Awesome that they are open pretty late for dinner — everything was closed when we looking for food and I am glad we ran into this place! Would definitely go back.

After yet another lovely lunch here, thought it was well overdue to review! Upper street is crawling with restaurants, bakeries and cafes these days, but Fig and Olive is a real standout for it’s delicious food, reasonable prices and adorable atmosphere.
Breakfast/​brunch here is great value, with meals between £6−13. I’ve had the veggie full breakfast (all great minus one kind of dodgy vegetarian sausage), the Halloumi Salad, and most recently, the pancakes with bacon — all so yum!
Clean, bright space, with friendly staff and strong coffee make for a great place to spend a lazy Sunday morning/​afternoon.
This will continue to be a top choice for me!

We were off to meet our friends in a nearby pub, so we walked along Upper Street checking out our dining options via the window menus. We saw a lot of interesting menus, but we wanted to see what else we could find… until we saw the Fig & Olive menu.
Inside, we found a quaint yet romantic restaurant. The tables and chairs were quite close together, but this London and space is limited. The back is reminiscent of a French solarium with the brick walls and glass ceiling. There is a long heavy wooden table. The top is a lovely whitewashed grey and the legs are a whitewashed mint green. It would be perfect for a nice meal out with a group of 10 – 12.
We ordered the Mix Vegetarian Meze Platter, which contained 3 pieces of pita (a bit skimpy in my opinion, but since this was a starter, I got over it… especially after tasting what was on the plate). It came with hummus, chili ezme salad, an eggplant ratatouille, a small spring salad with balsamic glaze and roasted halloumi cheese. I had no idea what ezme was, but it was like a mediterranean salsa, with the chunky tomatoes, onions and lemon juice (I think). My husband isn’t a fan of hummus. I’ve had him try a few kinds and he just doesn’t care for it. Upon trying the hummus at Fig & Olive, I was torn. It was the absolute best hummus I’ve ever had… I wanted it all to myself, but when you love someone, you share what you love. I told him he should try it, and he really liked it, also. I will go back and get an order of hummus. Possibly just get it to go so no one has to see me eat the entire thing. Chris noted that the halloumi was the best he’s tasted.
Chris ordered the Roasted Aubergine and Goat Cheese dish. The Eggplant was stuffed with mushroom, fresh pepper, onion & herbs, with rice on the side and topped with caramelised goat cheese. It came on the plate looking quite a bit like fish, which as non fish eaters, we found a bit off putting, but it was really really nice. Again, they did the cheese very well.
I opted for the Asparagus and Spinach Risotto. The rice was cooked beautifully, the asparagus was tender, and the spinach and parmesan were nice additions. The rocket and balsamic glaze on top was just the perfect thing. They added just a hint of unique flavour to a great dish.
We will definitely be going back. I expect that we’ll be back many times.

What an amazing restaurant. They have fantastic desert and salad buffet in front of the restaurant and they taste how they looked. On my last visit I had seared scallops with Apple pure, it was nice and juicy and followed by slowed cooked lamb shoulder with mashed potato. It was full of taste and flavored. Service was polite and the decoration was very pretty. For the price, you’d be hard pushed to get a better meal in islington. I will go back soon. Highly recommended.

Great place for a steak if you are out late. Try the Bodega Norton Malbec. Great value for the money, a really excellent wine. The service was also top notch and friendly.

Dropped in here for breakfast over the weekend…
I couldn’t make up my mind between the nicoise salad or the asparagus risotto… so, since it was fa-​reezing and SNOWING, I took a chance on the risotto and I’m glad I did. It was warm, creamy and nicely seasoned, with a lot of great textures.
Yum.
It’s definitely an easy weekend brunch and lunch spot.

Fig & Olive is pretty much my go-​to local place whenever I have visitors, and it never disappoints.
Most recently, took a friend visiting from the US. We started (as I always do) with the deep fried camembert, and also had the hummous, which were both great. For mains, I tried the lamb steak, and the friend had the shin of pork, which were delicious.
I’ve always been happy with the service, and find that the prices are really reasonable for what you get (considering the neighbourhood). I’ll undoubtedly be back again soon.

My partner and I have only visited this place once and will never go back. I can therefore only comment on our experience, but I can say I’m shocked that some people have given an excellent 5 star review. In my opinion the service was the only glimmer of hope for this restaurant, oh and maybe the rosemary and chilli infused olives we shared for starters. Our other starter was cheap, recently defrosted, white baguette with a thin veneer of acrid garlic paste. Not a great start.
Drinks were not great either. the water and beer we were served were poured, out of sight, from bottles at the bar. This seems suspiciously odd, when most restaurants pour at the table enabling the diner to see the labels and know the products are fresh. This should have been a sign.
We opted for the specials board over the set menu. Roasted Lamb Shank with Mash Potatoes and Aubergines for her and Wild Smoked Haddock in a Hollandaise Sauce with Green Beans and Mash for me. Both dishes were repulsive. First things first, the Lamb didn’t taste like Lamb, the sauce was a funny artificial colour and was strangely reminiscent of Heinz BBQ sauce. I ate a lot of this, too much to complain convincingly about afterwards, not so the Haddock. With it’s top hat of leathery skin and texture like an old plimsole, not even the sulphurous yellow hollandaise sauce could rescue it. What a shame, and it wasn’t cheap. £11 may not buy much in restaurants around Angel, but it buys a packet of Birds Eye Fish Fingers, and I’d reluctantly prefer the latter any day of the week. We complained because it was obvious from the full plates we were unhappy. This was met with shock, and thankfully a reduction in the price of the bill. We didn’t pay for the Haddock, even though the waiter insisted it was freshly caught 24 hours ago. Pollocks.
We didn’t have desserts, for obvious reasons, but they looked appetising. A coffee and a cake might have been a wiser decision.

Petit déjeuner très sympa dans un lieu assez joli. On est un peu serré, mais sinon ça va. Un ou deux serveurs parlent français. Moi je voulais un déjeuner typiquement anglais et ma femme complètement autre chose. Je dois dire que j’étais parti pour être déçu et finalement la qualité de la nourriture était vraiment bonne. La salade fig & olive et très délicieuse ! Les desserts très bons !

Nice Café. Excellent Waffles, good selection of cake & antipasti.
Can highly recommend It.

Décor, service, location, and quaint points for this place. Beyond that, it was pretty meh. The wine list was okay and affordable. OHHHH, and the waffles for dessert were actually fantastic.
Unfortunately, despite the charming waiter and adorable ambiance, the food was just not good. Too much gravy does not compensate for too little taste. It’s not super expensive so at least I didn’t leave filled with disappointment AND rage. Just disappointment. And waffles.
The cakes look amazing in the window and, truly, the waitstaff was spectacularly sweet.

We popped in here after our Sunday Roast just around the corner. We felt like something sweet to round off the meal and the display cheesecakes attracted us in.
I got a crème brûlée cheesecake and my partner got a lime and cookie cheesecake. They were nice and hit the spot, but a little on the expensive side.

The hubby and I wandered into Fig & Olive for lunch and were thrilled were our random find! We had the grilled calamari as an app. Yum! I had the lamb shoulder and the hubby had stuffed chicken breast. The lamb & mashed potatoes were ammmmazing (although my hubby and I are still arguing over who picked the better meal).
Cool décor, great service and delicious food… can’t wait to head back on my next trip to London!

I decided to treat myself to a Friday afternoon off, and what better way to spend it than with a stroll up Upper Street. As I hadn’t been to the area for ages I was keen to try a genuine Islington institution in favour of the many chains outlets.
I just love afternoon tea and was drawn in by the tempting display of cakes, even though they all look a bit on the heavy side. I opted for a brulee cheesecake which was served lovingly decorated. Sadly, this was just too sugary even for my sweet tooth.

Super cooler Laden mit einer tollen Kuchentheke, Kleinigkeiten zum Essen und sehr guten Hauptspeisen.
Tolles Ambiente, nette Bedieungen. Mediteranne Speisen. Guter Wein!
Es lohnt sich vorbei zu schauen!

Before I left London I wanted to try as many restaurants as possible, and Fig and Olive was one of them.
For appetizer I had the prawns. It was cooked just right, with the perfect texture that is just a slight crunch. The sauce was not overpowering to the prawn’s own freshness.
For entrée I ordered the cod, which was slightly overcooked. The portion was generous though. I liked the sauce for the cod, but it did not penetrate to the center of the fish, which was slightly bland. My friend ordered the sea bass, and the spinach that came with the dish was delicious and a good compliment to the fish. The skin provided a good counter texture to the fish, which was also cooked just right.
For dessert we ordered waffles, and the waffles (recommended by friend) were the reasons we came to Fig and Olive. I had the one with chocolate sauce with ice cream, and it was delicious but not as much as the one my friend ordered — raspberry sauce.
I wish I had discovered this place earlier so that I could have had the opportunity to return, but I guess I will just have to wait until I come back for a visit.

While I think that weekend dining in London is legally reserved for the famed Sunday Roast, there is an underground brunch movement bubbling to the surface. You have to search in unexpected places, but seek and you shall find, as we did at Fig & Olive.
Frankly, neither figs nor olives really whet my brunch appetite, but upon first glance at the neighboring ginormous plates of sausage, hash browns, eggs and toast, I knew I would be in for something delicious.
Coffee? Fantastic. Definitely a good start. When my plate of food arrived, I was presented with a veritable bouquet of wheat toast, fluffy scrambled eggs, and blossom of pink smoked salmon in the center. At that point, all conversation devolved into a cacophony of forks to plates and mmms and ahhhs.
Maybe weekend brunch isn’t shining in full glory as it does in the states, but no one bothered telling Fig & Olive. Regardless, a line of patrons out the door proved that brunch culture can (and should) be alive and well in London.
Bring on the brunch!