Situated on Petherton Road, a wide tree-lined avenue between Newington Green and Highbury, the elder sibling of the acclaimed Western’s Laundry is surely one of London’s most appealing restaurants for a sunny summer’s evening; when rolled back, its ex-motor garage doors allow golden rays to bathe the convivial room. There’s a certain nonchalance to Primeur’s take on Franglish bistronomy, though that appears based on the knowledge that their low-intervention wines and the food on offer are quality — deceptively simple small plates of lamb consommé and spring vegetables; onglet, onions and wet garlic; grey mullet, olive oil and lemon. 

Those familiar with the northern end of Green Lanes will know the Antepliler name through this enterprise’s Haringey-based restaurant, doner grill and kunefe bar. An eponymously titled baklava-focused satellite at the southern end of the road might not bustle and hum in the same way as the other sites, but is certainly of note. Both exterior and interior are modest — hidden behind perspex shields are seven or eight trays of masterful baklava, all of which hit that sweet spot between textured and sticky, sweet but not sickly. There’s a coffee machine too. Sometimes it works.

A decent all-rounder for those wishing to enjoy a Turkish grill without making the (short) trip to better known ocakbasi restaurants in Dalston or Haringey. 01 Adana is cavernous and can be quiet, but it does a good line in freshly baked gozleme, pide and lahmacun, as well as the full, fire-cooked range of lamb chops, adana (sumac-seasoned, minced lamb kebab), halep (spicy minced lamb kebab) and beyti (lamb or chicken kebabs wrapped in lavash) with generous servings of salads, rice and flatbread. Liver, kidney or Cypriot sheftalia shish options are a few more good moves.

Perilla offers an inventive, contemporary and refined spin on seasonal British cooking. Diners can choose from a relatively succinct daily changing menu (octopus bolognese; cultured cream and roasted nut soup served in a burnt onion; grilled and pressed radicchio with blood orange and sheeps curd) or go all-in for the four course plus snacks set menu of the day (£66.) It’s proper, near fine dining, but in a relaxed setting, and appears to have gone from strength to strength since opening in late autumn 2016.

Newington Green’s best coffee is found on the green itself, in a kiosk. Bittersweet and black-cherried Alchemy beans should provide a draw to caffeine aficionados, while the smoked creamed corn and jalapeños on toast, fish finger sandwiches and cakes baked on site each day are reason to shun takeaway and instead stay and eat; there are a decent number of tables and chairs on the shaded decking.

Jolene follows Westerns Laundry and Primeur, both from David Gingell and Jeremie Cometto-Lingenheim. It iterates on those restaurants’ principles while bringing something new to what they have accreted — lightly-worn, plainly-spoken hospitality. That approach manifests in a scrawly blackboard menu, long on assemblies of good ingredients exchanging sideways glances: pork and green sauce, buttermilk and plums, ravioli and sage butter. Continental Europe stakes an assertive claim, with exceptional crisp, buttery croissants, palmiers, madeleines, charcuterie, anchovies, and cheeses featuring heavily. So too does a shrewd, brisk list of natural wine.

Twelve years ago, Acoustic Brasserie (née Cafe) was a bit of a brunch find — with a menu featuring mounds of smashed avocado and feta on toast, remarkably consistent variations on poached eggs and hollandaise on muffins, Turkish eggs with sucuk and flatbreads, and a pretty serviceable full English. All that might now be a bit vanilla, but the Acoustic benefits from an enviable morning sun trap and remains a dependable and crowd-pleasing weekend spot.

Probably the Newington Green restaurant most changed by COVID-19, Trangallan is now Tranga, a dining and grocery hybrid. The Galician slant, excellent tapas, and slouching sun trap of a terrace, though, have endured, meaning it retains its place as one of the most compelling places to eat in the area.