The Island

We are here New Year’s Eve on our London vacation. The place was a. It loud but the food was spot on. I had the vegetarian pasty and my husband the lamb chops. Both were delicious. My kids ordered the bacon burger and they were excellent burgers. Recommend!

Charcuterie plate was awesome.

Wow! So far, after 15 days in London, our best meal. This is our «local» for the home exchange we have for our summer holidays.
The atmosphere is exactly what you want in a pub: warm and dozy but not dark and dank. It’s bright and airy. We were here on July 31^st, which is pay day. They had a live DJ – Paul – who lives in the area. He played some great ambient music. No requests; no worries!!!
Food was splendid! She had the roasted chicken breast in a sautéed peppers. I had the pan seared bream with samphire and green beans – incredible! Boys had pasta, which was cooked to perfection. We started with chips – my older son said they were the best in the UK, and we tried a lot over the last couple of weeks. Also had the house made hummus and pita that was really fresh and delicious.
Service was friendly and efficient. She suggested the toffee pudding for dessert, that was seriously ridiculously good.
We will be back for Sunday Roast. Will post update.

An absolutely wonderful dining experience.
Some friends and I decided to have a Sunday roast here, having heard good things, and we were not disappointed. A great range of dishes is on offer, all averaging about £15-£20, with some good veggie options in both the starters and mains.
I skipped starters and went for the roast pork belly with red cabbage, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, and Yorkshire puddings. The Yorkshire puds are about as big as a baby’s head so I recommend lots of gravy — which our amazing waiter was really happy to keep supplying is with! Everything was delicious. One friend had the chicken which she said was very tender, and another had the rack of ribs with sweet potatoes which was great fun and very tasty.
Our waiter was brilliant, a really friendly guy from near Liverpool and I wish I had got his name. We had just come from a morning playing stuck in the mud and climbing trees and he was incredibly forgiving that we had muddied up the floor somewhat!
A good selection of local beers and ales are on tap, including Portobello Star and Camden Hells.
As it was Easter Sunday there were a lot of kids running about so it was pretty noisy but the atmosphere is very friendly and the pub itself is open and light. They also have a nice outdoor terrace where we enjoyed a sunny drink.

Pretty much a perfect pub, nice relaxed atmosphere, nice décor, outdoor seating, great drinks, a cool cosy basement area, and amazing food in the restaurant or the bar. This is the real little piece of paradise in Kendall. Too bad that I don’t live 5 mins walk away, even from Queens Park it’s a bit out of the way even though it’s so close but maybe that what makes the place what it is, only locals and people who make the effort to go somewhere nice instead of the most convenient or cheapest pub.

Great food and very friendly service. Dinner here twice. First time I had a hamburger — why are hamburgers piled so high here in UK so that they appear impossible to eat? I asked the waiter — he sat down beside me, laughed along and gave me «permission» to squash the whole thing so I could eat it like a sandwich. .. which I did. .. and it tasted great!
Second time I had a chicken cassolet. For me, I found that the liquid was too thin — more like a soup than a casserole. However, I thickened it up with the accompanying mashed potatoes and all was well. Again, excellent flavour. Recommended.

The thing that makes this place stand out is the food,
They do a great onglet steak (their signature dish) and I had a great risotto and other great dishes too.
Great for the summer to sit out and have lunch also. Staff friendly and nice environment. Recommended

I would love for this to be my local. But it’s in the middle of nowhere! Tucked away in a more residential area but kind of close to the tube station (meh, I think my friend said ten minute walk).
Lots of space. Three levels and an outside garden area.
Just overall cool, chill atmosphere. It certainly feels like a community spot since only people who live in the area would regularly come here. The décor and music playing and clientele make me want to make a night of it in this place.
My friend was having her leaving party here and reserved some tables downstairs for the group. The bartenders were nice enough. We were only ordering pints and Jäger Bombs so Im not sure of their pouring skills.
Should I need a place to have a fun evening with a big group of people… in the area… then I’ll be back!

It’s true this place has a great atmosphere and is a local favourite. The food in the upstairs restaurant used to be amazingly excellent but lately it has slipped. I am not sure if this is due to a change in management. The last time I went there they had stopped serving lunch as well, only dinner. Apart from that, it is a great place to wind down after work (if you live in the nieghbourhood) and it is a relaxing place to visit over the weekend. Note to staff: Put some effort into the food again, not to mention some of the décor (the ‘reed’ fence, outdoor seating and plants seem to need some attention) and perhaps it will be a 5 star rated place again. At the moment I would give it a 3.5 mainly for the atmosphere. It’s the best gastropub on college road though.

Went here for pre-​fireworks drinks on Saturday night.
The bar area is like someone’s lounge (in a good way) and opens right onto a terrace with lots of outside seating, the beer was good, and most of the customers seemed friendly.
The upstairs restaurant area looked nice so will probably head back to try the food another time

Really like this place. Off the beaten track, smack bang in a residential area, this ‘desert’ Island has a great vibe and lots of character.
There is lots of space inside, with three floors of seating, and lots of seating outside too — perfect for a summers day. I haven’t eaten here, but the tapas style snacks that my friends ate, looked tasty.
The staff are super lovely and friendly and the music is really good (they also have a dj on some nights) — ranging from indie/​rock/​ska/​reggae etc.
Prices are average, and they also have a proper fancy coffee making machine, in case you need a caffeine fix.
In the words of Dolly Parton:
«Island’s in the stream, that is what we are, no one in-​between, how can we be wrong, sail away with me, to another world…»

Recently visited this little gem while visiting my boss in Kensal Rise. The atmosphere is nice, with lots of interesting decorations around, but the food is the real winner. We started with some wonderfully seasoned olives, some of the best I’ve had. We also ordered some oysters, which were fantastic. A great start all in all. Then on to the main… We all ordered the rare grilled Welsh black onglet, hand cut chips & béarnaise. Amazing! I have not had such a tender cut of meat in quite some time. Needless to say I went home satisfied and happy. If you are in the area, this is the place to go.

Wonderful food in a great atmosphere, this is unusual in the area of Kensal Rise. The staff were very friendly and the food (steak in this case) was great-​well worth a visit. Unfortunatley, it is very expensive so I doubt it’s worth more than the occasional visit.

In a normal suburb — kensal rise — you suddenly come across a pub that serves great gastro food. I have to say the atmosphere doesn’t quite have a ‘pubby’ feel, and often when I’ve been in here it hasn’t been very busy, but it has a great reputation and certainly a good place to come for lunch. There is also a lower bar area with comfy seating.