Sainsbury’s

Have never seen management like it. Abusive and rude to a members of staff and when we mentioned what we had witnessed to another member of staff we were informed that a dog would be treated better than staff in this store.
We also shop in Camden Sainsbury’s and we have never come across this in this store in all the years I have shopped there. Shall not be going back to the Islington store ever. Disgusting!

Busy busy busy Sainsburys in an somewhat richer part of North London amidst cinemas, million pound flats, and markets. It’s a good supermarket branch and one that has plenty of space to roam.

I lived in Islington (closer to King’s Cross) for about 8 months before I discovered this GIANT market, close to my house, with more selection and lower prices than anyplace I’d found in London so far.
I was so pleased to find this Sansburys for a few reasons:
1) Fresh fish, meat, bread and cheese counters.
2) Did I mention the cheese selection?
3) Greater offer of variety on similar products (basics, taste the difference and many other levels of sainsburys brand lines are often offered for the same product here)
4) Greater variety in general than smaller stores
5) Close to bus stops and also other shops in the angel area.
All in all, this place can get quite crowded on the weekend (I generally try to make my trips on weekday afternoons or EARLY saturday morning) but this is the biggest shop i’ve seen in central London and I’m happy to take my shopping here.

I have yet to step foot in this store when it is not jammed packed with people. It is always busy BUT I’ve never been in the till queue when it has been more than one person deep, so kudos to keeping the tills properly staffed.
This superstore (borderline superstore if you ask me) is in need of refurbishment but this statement should not be mind-​blowing to most because I think it’s safe to say that most Sainsbury’s stores are in need of refurbishment.
Previous reviewers have commented on the strange wedge shape of this store. Frankly, I’ve never felt that it is wedge-​shaped, sure it’s not a square or rectangle but it’s not like a wedge of cheese either. I think a better description would be to say that it is «not quite a rectangle but pretty close.»
What really gets me about this store is that it’s poorly organized. I have spent too much time wandering around the store looking for things like lightbulbs, honey, and rice. I think that this, in general, is one thing that Sainsbury’s really fails at. All of their stores should be organized similarly. I should be able to go to Sainsbury’s A and be able to find cereal in the same spot as in Sainsbury’s B. And I really dislike that shelves are stocked during the day but this is a UK thing. Having to navigate around push chairs, nanna trollies, children, scooters, and stock trollies is annoying but this is city living, so it is what it is.

Someone told me that per square foot this is the most profitable Sainsburys in the country. Not sure if that is true but I can believe it. I usually shop here while my youngest is training at Cally Pool — I get an hour and a half to kill — which means flat white to go from Tinderbox and a shop for the salon and home. By early evening a lot of the shelves have been bought out. It’s reasonably inexpensive, staff are pretty helpful and lots of checkouts (they need them) and it’s large. Living in town it’s pretty tricky to find a decent supermarket — with Waitrose next door for tasty treats this makes for a pain free shopping experience. I’m a creature of habit — find me here every Wednesday and Thursday evening…

I study abroad in london for several months and I came here for most of my groceries. The store is clean and the workers were always working in the meal deal section and making sure everything is nice and tidy. This supermarket is big, everything you need for the 6 months, yeah i’m talking to the students, its here and you will survive in that time period. Cheap bread, digestive cookies which are sometimes on sale for 1 gbp, thats when i get excited. I go for the cheap supermarket brand food, frozen veggies for 60p, ice cream for 80p 2 litres, oh and if the taste the difference cookies are on sale, grab one of those packs, there that good, soft in the middle and all around the sides.

Great place for groceries. Clean and decently priced compared. Gets pretty busy at times but that attests to its popularity in the area.

Sainsbury’s is my supermarket of choice. Even though Waitrose is just next door, I nearly always go to Sainsbury’s. Why?
1) I am used to it and know I can get everything I am looking for there.
2) The quality of the food is high and selection is good.
3) I also sometimes buy their ‘Taste the Difference’ foods which usually deliver as well as the ‘Basics’ range (eg loo rolls which are great value).
4) Prices are good.
The only downside to the Islington branch is that it doesn’t have the best layout (long and wedge shaped) and the car park stuck at the back means you have to schlep your trolley in the rain through an obstacle course all the way around the side of the store past the crowds waiting for the bus along the pavement but this is a minor complaint really given the central London location. The Camden Town Sainsbury also has an underground car park but is a newer store. That branch also has an in store bakery which Islington doesn’t.
Weekends, especially Sunday, also tend to be a zoo so either be prepared for the crowds or go during the week.
Bonus of the car park however is that you can visit the excellent market stalls in Chapel market and pick up some great bargains on fruit and veg as well as fish. There is an excellent fish stall in the market with much lower prices than you’ll find in Supermarkets and probably fresher.

This place is a mad house of busyness. This is a huge Sainsburys that services the N1 community. You can definitely pull out a weekly shop here, and like all chain supermarkets, you know what you are going to get. This is a very safe option when you need to pick up groceries.

This is THE Sainsbury in Angel/​Islington area. Sure you have a handful of Sainsburys Locals around, but this is a massive Sainsburys. If you go in on a weekend, it is a mad house. However, they do have a lot of little things that you can’t get at the Local or Express markets. It is those little buys that make coming here and dealing with the madness worth it.
My favourite aisle would be the aisle in the back that has ALL of your boozing needs. Why is it my favourite? Duh, you are on Unilocal,we are all a bunch of raving drunks. I would say alcoholics, but alcoholics go to meetings, we go to events… totally different!

A decently sized supermarket in the Angel Islington area — bigger than the tesco located on Essex Rd. Often has quite good reductions on offer, but the queues at checkout tills on the weekends are mind numbing. Bigger than a metro store but by no means ‘superstore’ sized. Can easily get everything required for a weekly /​monthly shop at this location. Has a car park at the back that is free for 2 hrs with receipt.

Though it’s a fair trek, I do find myself in this store quite often. Sainsbury’s is not the cheapest, but I find they seem to stock most of the basics I want. This is a large and busy branch, near Angel tube and just off Upper Street.
Being in a richer area the ‘slant’ in this store is slightly different to that in my local Dalston store. Slightly less of the very useful basics ranges, slightly more of the ‘quality’ ranges. You might find pumpkin tortellini here (yummy) whereas you are unlikely to find it in Dalston. Better range of Indian ready meals too, including my fave Sag Paneer!
It’s actually not bad for bargains. My theory is that there’s less competition for the reduced shelves, so more nice stuff is there when you arrive, and maybe at a lower price! I had a wonderful treat for Christmas breakfast from here: bread pockets with rosemary, filled with lettuce and dressed crab. The smoky flavour of the rosemary was amazing with the crab and egg! I think the items cost 50p or £1 each
I’ve actually not been in for a while I wonder if it’s had a refit? If not then it will actually not be looking as good as Dalston right now!