Smokehouse

Fantastic roasts. Nice setting inside but the food is the real star. One of the best roasts I’ve had in London and that’s saying something. They know their meats here.

We didn’t eat here and just had a drink but I must say the place looks beautiful and the team insider is super friendly. It’s full of wooden décor and represents a really romantic and cosy vibe. I’ll try to add a couple of picaro show you what I mean. Would think it’s lovely in the summer too as it has a nice terrace surrounded by a hedge

Came for a second Sunday roast, and this place is the real deal. Solid lamb option, excellent beef shin tacos, sticky toffee pudding to die for, along with reasonably priced wine by the glass and Beaverton gamma ray pale ale on tap. Would not hesitate to eat here again.
The mains and the apps do get a little pricy but the quality is second to none. I like it here as much as I like the princess of shoreditch and can’t wait to come back for more.
Islington has a good selection of pubs and this one definitely takes the cake.

Sunday lunch.
A beer, red wine.
Roast beef + all the trimmings.
Slow cooked lamb + all the trimmings.
Highlights…crispy Yorkshire puddings, creamy, mustardy cabbage, salty potatoes and tender, tasty meat. All delicious.
The double-​d pudding of chocolatey-​nougaty-​peanuty loveliness was a great ending to a really great meal.
White chocolate and peanut cup was peanut-​heaven.
We will most certainly return.

Lovely restaurant with great atmosphere and good food plus a very good selection of beers and wine
Try the Goat Tacos, they were amazing full of flavour and were a fantastic way to start the meal off. I really enjoyed them, definitely be getting them again.
For main the pork belly with black was very tasty with a lovely smoked flavour, the black pudding was a bit of a let down I’m a big fan of black pudding and from a place like this i expected something more.
Overall a good place to eat. I’ve heard the burger is good so will have to come back and try it.

Another very satisfying meal at the Smokehouse, not a great deal of difference compared to the new Chiswick branch and the service on the day was extremely charming and lovely which all made the evening much more enjoyable, along with a long but excellent selection of beer, Smokehouse is easily one of the best restaurants in North London at a well affordable price.

A phenomenal Sunday roast with all the trimmings and exceptional quality meat. We had attentive, warm service and a great wine list. The slow-​cooked lamb is a real winner!

I went for the Foie gras, apple pie & duck egg (£10), which had apparently been getting a lot of good reviews but I wasn’t blown away by it. It was a very balanced dish, with silky, rich textures and flavours but I prefer dishes to kick me in the face, which is exactly what Jack2’s Chopped brisket roll with gochujang (£5.50) did for half the price. Tender, juicy brisket smoked for about 14hrs, wrapped in kimchi and deep-​fried with a spicy, intense gochujang mayo. Stunning dish.
On to the main course Jack2 ordered the Peppered ox-​cheek with cauliflower cheese & gravy (£14.50), which he had his heart set on before we even got here and I had the Shortrib bourguignon (£16.00). Both dishes were delicious with beautifully cooked meat, rich mash and intense sauces. We also had a side of Korean Pulled Pork (£5.50), which is hands down the best pulled pork I’ve ever had. The addition of chilli, slices of spring onion, and crispy pieces of skin took it to a whole new level and we ordered a second portion before we’d even finished the first.
Neither of us fancied a sweet dessert so we had the Cheese board (£7.00) — Fourme D’Ambert, Westcombe and Ragstone with a glass of Woodhouse Ruby Port each (£3). We thought about ordering a board each but were advised by our waitress that one would be enough, and she was right.

We had such a great meal here. This is a cozy place to have dinner and catch up.
We sat by the fire and had dinner with friends and it was perfect.
We shared the goat tacos and the foie appetizer to start, then 2 of us ordered the short rib bourguignon, and the others ordered the crispy pork belly and the smoked lamb shoulder. The winners were the lamb shoulder (the gold medal entrée, just outstanding) and the short rib bourguignon, which was also amazing.
The service was great, we had a lovely time and would happily come here again.

Lovely restaurant set in a quiet residential area of Islington. The food was absolutely stunning — both in terms of the use of smoke (head chef Neil Rankin is best known for this) but also the various flavour combinations. Service was very informal and an impressive range of beers. Certainly not a cheap eat, but with three courses, wine and service coming in at about £50 a head it was very reasonably priced for what you got.

First time here eating but had dropped by for a drink in the summer when you could sit outside. Although it looks like a pub Smokehouse is definitely more restaurant than pub. You can sit at the bar, there are a few spaces but it’s really a place for eating.
On an evening during the week it was packed. In fact we could only get a table after 9:30pm. Super attentive on cue service from the moment we stepped inside the door and our group was shown straight to our table. Rustic, woodsy vibe and low low lighting, almost dark. But what hit me was the noise. It looks like a cosy romantic place from the outside but inside the din from the boisterous diners is at the point where you can’t talk comfortably but almost need to shout which I’m not a fan of. We did have one of those large groups seated next to us so maybe it was extra loud that night?
For mains, I resisted the pork belly which I order too often and went for the signature shortrib bourguinon with a side of kale with sesame and chilli. Our dishes came in good time. The short rib was served with good rich, creamy, soft mashed potatoes and was a large meaty short rib with some of the bourguinon sauce and a few mushrooms and bacon bits. The flavour was deep and had that long cooked satisfaction. I would have liked a bit more of the sauce and more potato to balance the heavy meat. The meat was mostly tender and had a rich almost tarry wood smoked flavour (in a good way) but have to say that the outer portions had been rendered to the point of dried beef jerky which was very chewy and hard to even cut into due to the dryness. Overall the dish worked well but not sure if the contrasting texture was meant to to be that way or not. Since it’s not a cheap place and smoked meat is their specialty I think a bit more care on the meat would be in order.
Side of kale was really spicy, too much so. But then kale is a boring vegetable in my view, it needs something.
Decent wine and beer list and the mid priced wine we ordered was pretty good.
Desserts were great. I had a banana pie concoction which was caramely, creamy, satisfying and not too sweet and my fellow diners were pretty happy with their meals but overall portion sizes aren’t too generous we thought.
Service was great and our waiter knew about the dishes and which ones to order.
Overall good experience with some dips so I give it four stars but could be a 3.5 if we had that option on account of the uneven meat, loudness and overall value.

Went to a birthday dinner here last night. I decide to have starters for both my first courses because I wanted dessert and wouldn’t have room for 3 full courses. Everything was cooked to perfection and lots of unusual pairings and flavours that I wouldn’t have ever considered putting together myself. Everyone else loved their food too and there was lots of oohing and awing and passing of forks/​plates around the table. I tasted the burger too and would definitely put it up there with some of the tastiest, lovely smokey flavour. Staff is friendly, décor is nice — we were sitting in a window seat with a lovely rug thrown over our bench. We left happy, with full bellies and it wasn’t too hard on the purse either.

Go for the pork belly and the foie gras. Melts in your mouth. Maybe double portions of it!!! Yum yum yum!
Cozy place with the dim setting and the fireplace. Definitely a nice place to frequent and loud enough to make it kid friendly. Haha
I would definitely come back here.

In short — amazing, quaint spot with a lot of character.
Came here for lunch based on a recommendation from a friend, and I’m very glad I did.
They have a great selection of drinks at the bar, and the food was delightful. We tried a lot of items on the menu but would definitely say you can’t come here without trying the squid pad thai and the chicken fried pork rib (although it’s pretty hard to go wrong with anything on the menu).
Finally, staff are very friendly and attentive — just adding to the great experience of dining here. I’ll definitely be back!

Had a great experience here. Excellent selection of local beers. The hubby who is a Guinness drinker was persuaded to try a local craft stout which he was very impressed with. It was all down to the nice bar man who was so knowledgeable. I was impressed with the vegetarian options even though it’s a meat focused Smokehouse! The food was so fresh and flavourful and highest quality. You can tell they source well and have high standards. Highly recommended! Need to go back again soon.

This place is great!
I always loved this space back when it was The House. It is a hidden gem in the quiet Canonbury Area, but I have to say that now that it is Smokehouse, it was quite buzzy. And I like places with buzz. Packed with people eating at 9pm on a Thursday.
The service was incredible. Our waitress sat at our table and described everything on the menu in great detail. I nearly cried. I asked her if she had worked in the States, but she hadn’t. But good for her for putting her heart and soul into waitressing and knowing that menu inside and out and taking care of us with a smile.
I was sorely disappointed with my crab salad starter – thought it was bland and overly inundated with tomatoes. However, I loved my smoked oxtail special and also the taste of my dining companions’ Korean sloppy joe special and the burger. I would have liked something more exciting than fries on the side of my oxtail though.
I also loved the beer selection and cold IPAs. Thank you :)
Desserts for some reason didn’t call to me… they all sounded either too rich or too sweet. (I know that sounds weird for someone that loves dark chocolate cake but there was just something off about hearing the words marshmallow and peanut butter after such a heavy meal). My friend had a cheesecake mousse and it just seemed like a big heap of whipped philadelphia with some figs and mint on the side.
So, while this place isn’t perfect, it is pretty darn good.

Came here with my flatmate, as it is just a 10 minute walk from our house, on a quiet residential road just off of Highbury Corner. I’d heard about it from a few fellow Islington residents, so I’m glad that I finally made it over! Smokehouse has the cutest outdoor garden area, perfect for drinks on a summer evening, and inside it has a great neighborhood pub feel, so it would be lovely to pop by in the winter too.
On this particular summer evening, the windows/​doors were wide open and we sat outside but could see into at least half of the restaurant inside. On one board, they have pictures of a cow and a pig, with different cuts of meat labeled and explanations of how they are featured on the menu. The waitresses are all very helpful and took the time to explain various items on the menu to me as I waited for my flatmate, and my main takeaway was that the shortrib bourguignon and/​or the dino rib to share was the most highly recommended.
We ended up getting the dino rib for two… and I can see why it’s the signature dish. It is one giant rib (in the serving for 2) that is at least 1 foot long, and looks like it’s from a dinosaur. It was served with delicious bacon lardons and mushrooms, along with mashed potatoes. It was like a hearty pub meal rather than a light summer dinner (they did have salmon on the menu). But it was so memorable… definitely an item you must come here to try (and then write a review about)!

nice spot in a great location inbetween canonbury and highbury/​angel. basically a pub inside, allbeit a nice one. country feel in the city and an excellent kitchen to match.
nothing on the menu really stood out for me, which made it hard to choose. however the beef short rib was excellent and the the brisket roll… f*cking beautiful. a couple of the other starters were a bit meh… duck rolls? greasy. burnt leeks/artichokes…maybe they’d ran out because it was a tiny amount of veg hidden by parmesan. terrible. the only down point of the night.
the wine list is good, not overpriced and the waiter offered a decent recommendation. service overall was attentive and pleasant.
would give 3.5 stars but its worth a 4. cheers.

What a great experience! I’ve been to Smokehouse twice now — once for a date night and again just this past weekend with my girlfriends for our Secret Santa Christmas dinner. And what a great spot for both types of eating out.
For date night we landed a table near the (non-​working) fireplace — The pub has a very intimate feel to it so although we were in a rather open room, the acoustics are good which makes any dining experience much more enjoyable.
For our Secret Santa, we got a larger table closer to the back. Service was great — a few members of the staff came over to check on us throughout our 4 hour (!) meal and each time were super friendly and accommodating. The wine list was quite extensive for a small pub and throughout the evening we shared a prosecco, wine and dessert wine. The great ratings, though, go to the food. We were a bit annoyed when going through the Christmas dinner booking process where as a group you need to basically order in bulk (rather than individual dishes). I’m all for family style dining but this doesn’t always bode well for all groups — so something to keep in mind.
The food — DELICIOUS. To start we shared sourdough bread with bone marrow butter. The appetisers, for me were the best part of the meal: the mullet bergamot, lime, chilli & charcoal oil was delicious — though my girlfriends couldn’t stop raving about the pulled pork. For mains, we split the two christmas menu choices, duck with cranberry glaze and pork with a pea and baby gem mashed salad. The duck was particularly glorious in that it was done in such a way no matter what part of the meat you enjoy.
If ever in Canonbury or near the Highbury and Islington tube, I would definitely recommend. You won’t be disappointed!

Wow. This place is awesome! I so badly want to give it 5 stars, but they have just a few too many kinks to work out before I can do that. They just opened last week though, so I am sure they will get there.
To start with the positives:
— The beer list is extensive and any beer lover will find something to love. Seriously. My husband could have stared at the menu for a very long time.
— The food is amazing! We started with the duck confit, which was salty, chunky, and downright delicious. I had the corn on the cob with bearnaise sauce for my entrée and my hubby had the short rib bourgignon. Yummmmmy!
— Love the fairy lights outside!
— Our waitress was very nice!
The kinks:
— No way to wrap up our leftovers, so we ended up eating an uncomfortable amount because we didn’t want such deliciousness to go to waste.
— The layout of the tables could be better, as we kept getting bumped by people trying to get by.
— Our food took forever to arrive.
We will absolutely 100% be back here. We live only a few blocks away and I can tell this is going to be our new favorite neighborhood haunt!