St John Bar & Restaurant Smithfield in Islington

Enjoyable evening having a pint before going into the restaurant for dinner. Lovely British ingredients and dishes, prepared to a high standard. Solid.

White walls and white tablecloths with coat hooks covering the walls gives a relaxed atmosphere. Food of incredible quality. You can tell their chefs are proud of their ingredients. They really let each element shine through and they are served without over the top plating. The staff are also relaxed and very welcoming. There is no pretentiousness about the place, just good food and great wine. The places buzzes with chatter, because that's what good food does. It brings people together.

This might be one of the best restaurants I have ever eaten at in the world. The flavors that they are getting out of the food is just incredible. They give St John in London a run for their money as top restaurants in the city.Highly recommend sitting at the counter so that you can watch the chefs make your food, and you might even have some interesting conversation with them.If you're in London then you need to visit Manteca. You will want to at least order the bread appetizer, mussels, and one or two pastas.

Might have chosen the wrong main… took the star off but definitely will update when I return. The eel was must to be desired, however the rest of the meal was outstanding. The bone marrow- so tasty. The tongue fab. Desserts great.

St. JOHN will always be in my Top 5 restaurants and spending a cracking Burns night there sharing a wonderful haggis reconfirmed that. Brilliant, fresh ingredients cooked to perfection, outstanding service and an inimitable vibe that makes every lunch or dinner there a guaranteed treat. Fergus and team, thank you again!

This was our second visit, if you're looking for a fussy dining experience this is not it. The service is attentive but not overbearing. The focus is all on the food and the beef pie for two was exceptional, though with sides it could easily feed three people. The rarebit is delicious so we had to order it again. My only regret is not having space for dessert as I hear these are excellent, alas, next time!

Favourite restaurant experience in London. Great feel in the place, staff are excellent and the food is incredible.It’s the type of menu that would put some people off but I’ve been numerous times and everything I’ve tried was sensational. Always go for- Bone marrow- Welsh rarebit- Crispy gooseOrder one of the wines they make with Boulevard Napoléon and then come back for breakfast the next morning 😍

Appetisers and desserts were cooked in a classic way, relatively faultless; but the mallard for the main course was way underdone - blood was constantly seeping out and I couldn’t finish the dish due to the strong unpleasant flavours on palate. No one seemed to have noticed the dish was half uneaten and nobody asked why, which is pretty unusual in a restaurant of this level and reputation. Very disappointed and would not be coming back

Low key Michelin starred restaurant - very affordable - and the food is incredible. They use a lot of offal, and really bring out British fayre. Really good experience - one of my favourite restaurants in London. Definitely recommend trying the Rarebit as a side if you can manage it, and save space for a desert because although simple, they're full of flavour and in some cases come straight from the bakery.

Slightly lost for words about my evening here.Food was absolutely outstanding, worked my way through most of the incredible white wines - there are loads served by the glass.Service was lovely and atmosphere was perfect.Especially enjoyed the pig skin with radish and roasted shallots, the blood cake, and you've got to have the Welsh Rarebit.Can't recommend this place enough, everything was excellent value for money too.