The Traditional English Restaurants of London

I don’t know what it is about North London, maybe it’s the taste of the North Londoners, but it is a strange fact that most of the finest fish and chip restaurants seem to be situated there – Toff’s for instance is not far away in Muswell Hill.

However, among the real ‘afishionados’ there seems to be general agreement that this pleasant and lively Finchley chippy rates among the very best of the lot, consistently gaining the top ratings in the London food guides for both its food and its service. Perhaps its success owes something to the fact that it is actually run by two brothers, Leon and Tony Manzi, who really know about what they are doing, and take a great pride in its quality.

Though it is closed on Sunday and Monday, and only takes reservations at lunchtime, on the five evenings that it is open people happily queue for a table to dine at, or if they are in more of a rush, opt for its excellent quality takeaways.

The freshness of their fish wins universal praise - it arrives daily from Billingsgate, the London fish market, or directly from Cornwall and Scotland - as does the size of their portions, generous in the extreme, a rare feature in London restaurants these days, while chip fanatics rave about their offerings in that area.

The only slight complaints are about the look of the place, where some find the environment does not quite fit with what they would expect, and from disgruntled punters who hate the idea that they have to wait for a table in the evening – so get there early, or in the middle of the day, and experience one of the real ‘greats’ in Greater London.