The Cellars

So this was a phenomenal surprise.
On heading to Stoke-​Newington for a Friday night Unilocal event Livvy and I decided we need to eat something first to ensure we were at the top of our Unilocaly game. On having a look around this neighbourhood, the reviews of The Cellars really struck a cord with me.
The bar itself really reminds me of the Lower East Side of Manhattan, in style and substance it really ticks a lot of boxes for me.
I reviewing the menu one dish jumped out at me, seared chicken livers with crispy bone marrow!!! Erm yes please, as you can see in the photo the dish is presented beautifully in and around a giant bone! Happy boy.
With a side of fries it was just the right amount of food for me. The pink livers, the marrow and the green purée were a taste explosion for me. Just an epic dish that would sit well in any Michelin restaurant without question. If you are in the area a visit here is highly JD Recommended!

Ugh, I wanted to give The Cellars five stars. I really did. And it was so close.
So damn close.
Because this pub is fantastic. And I mean that not being a giant fan of pub culture. But you have to love this space, because it’s beautiful. It surprises, from the outside it looks like any other pub with it’s picnic tables and giant windows. But inside, from the bright blue walls to the fireplace with red lights inside to the weird old TV sitting on the side, this is a place with funky atmosphere.
And staff to match, who are friendly and fun and nice and attentive and everything you could want from pub staff.
And they let dogs in! Not just outside, but all the way in, anywhere you want to sit kind of thing. They even have dog treats for canines who are good and when we sat, they brought a dog bowl filled with water for my pooch. Yes!
So why only four stars then? It all falls to the food. And it’s such a shame too, because their starters, phenomenal. We did the Scotch Egg and the Crispy Pig Ears and both were amazing. Easily one of the best Scotch Eggs I’ve had in London. Boom!
But our mains were so heartbreaking, especially after everything else was so good! We did a burger (overpriced at £13) and steak (about normal at £16) and both were just… eh. Nothing terrible, but nothing amazing. Not even great. Just kind of mild average pub food. I didn’t finish my burger and my gal didn’t finish her steak. They were just kind of… eh.
Which is such a shame! Because beyond that, this place NAILS it! Up your main food Cellars and you are five star great for sure. Until then, I’ll be back for the drinks, atmosphere, fun and Scotch Eggs!

Good spot for relaxed Sunday lunch. Pretty good wine selection. No need for a reservation. Would recommend.

The setting is very nice and so is the staff.
Food is good without being outstanding — you get what you expect from a pub.
I started with a Bloody Mary — very good with a nice garnish.
I then had the beef roaster which was ok even though the meat was a bit overcooked.
I strongly recommend the coffee with truffles for desert — it is the perfect size for ending a good meal and the truffles are truly amazing!
Lots of families were there to have lunch and a lazy afternoon. Overall, the atmosphere is very laid-​back.

Pre-​review background: despite the arrival of burger joints like Honest Burger, most places in the UK will cook their hamburger patties 110% to kill any heebie jeebies. They need to do this for health and safety reasons and any pinkness is a giant no-​no which just highlights to me the quality of meat they are using. It also makes for a dried out, grey coloured, rock of a hamburger patty. For this reason, I always ask if they can cook the burger medium rare. If they can’t, I order something else.
All that to say, four of us arrived for lunch at the Cellars. The pub itself is quite cool and I loved the Miss Havisham style lamp shades hanging from the ceiling. The main room has a fabulous skylight which lets in natural light.
I asked the waitress if it would be possible to get their burger medium-​rare. She said yes so I ordered it. When it arrived, I cut it in half and the meat was completely cooked through, resembling a dessicated hockey puck. This is exactly what I was trying to avoid so I called the waitress back over and pointed out that I’d ordered it medium-​rare. She said they could only do medium but I showed her how overcooked the patty was. This was not even medium! Overdone was more like it. She took the burger back to the kitchen but subsequently brought it back out, put it in front of me again and said all the burgers had to be cooked well done. If she had pointed this out in the first place, I would have ordered something else. I ultimately sent the burger back.
I decided to get the the fish pie. A few minutes later, she came back to say they had run out.
So I ordered the chicken burger instead. During the 30 – 40 minutes it took to make the new burger (!!), the manager came over and gave me a mini lecture on food safety and why they couldn’t cook the beef mince medium-​rare. Rather than apologise, I was treated as if it was my fault this whole debacle was happening in the first place!
To add injury to insult, they messed up our bill and charged us twice for the chicken burger and comped us nothing. The friend who went to close out our tab got more lip from the people at the bar rather than any sort of apology. They messed up on our drink orders too, at one point bringing too many and another time forgetting to take our order.
The Cellars has potential to be great pub but the service is sorely lacking. Unfortunately, during our visit, it turned into a comedy of errors.

This is a great pub. Booze, food, staff and customers are all that you could want in a local and the place looks great with plenty of space. My particular favourite bits; the very handsome and elegant mirror backed bar; the chicken and guacamole burger and; the good selection of ale. A whole chicken with veggies (for 2) for £25 on sunday is pretty good value for the area too.

Wow! I have lived in Stoke Newington for 3 years and had only been to The Cellars for a drink. This evening I went for dinner for the first time with a friend and my dog. They were so welcoming and friendly and gave my dog a bowl of water on arrival. Everything from the drinks to the food was incredible. We ordered the sea bass and the mushroom ravioli with truffle foam followed by the most interesting dessert I have EVER had in my life– the flower pot. I am so impressed with this pub and thoroughly recommend it to anyone local or in London! IT’s well worth the travel. Such a lovely vibe and they use local produce. Can not wait to go back!

The Cellars (née Edinburgh Cellars) is a classic example of a decent Islington pub. Visited a few times, as I moved to the area, and was pleasantly surprised each time. A laid back, easygoing feel, with the seating arranged for personal conversations amongst groups, with a pretty decent range of alcohol (some missing favourites, but you can’t have everything), very attentive staff, always available for food or drink requests, and a dedicated area out back for the diners, meaning that the drinkers and diners are kept somewhat apart. Their roasts are pretty good, not the best I’ve had, but to a decent level, and the ambience is kept well, so that kids or groups are allowed get on without disturbing each other, or anyone else. Certainly worth a visit, if you’re in the area, and one I’m sure I’ll be coming back to.

Nice bar with nice (if a lil pricey) food. Hand cut chips are delish but not a big portion for £3.50 a pop. Nice big seating area in the back also benches outside and board games to use.

I was in the neighborhood to buy a sweet Peugeot bike from the Pedal Pedlar (yeehaw!), and needed to kill 30 minutes while they finished prepping the bike — and there was The Cellars. I had no idea what to expect from the neighborhood, so it was a true pleasure to find this quaint, upbeat, hipster place for drinks and food.
I REALLY liked the vibe here — so laid back but obviously cared for, everyone was nice and attentive and enjoying themselves. And the food and drinks — pretty darn good really. I had the chicken avocado and walnut salad and my husband had a cheeseburger with blue cheese. My salad was fresh and good, and the grilled chicken with walnuts was a good combo. My husband thought that the burger was just fine, and really liked the blue cheese choice.
We sat inside, but there’s a great area outside for groups or just for yourself if you wish. The inside of the building was quite impressive and the décor was very cool. They have MANY beers on tap and a nice menu. I have a feeling this place gets busy on a non-​Tuesday night.
A lovely neighborhood corner ‘pub’. Even made me think about moving to Islington!

Great, perfect, yes please. Came here for a pint and a roast with my sunday morning climbing crew. Just a bus ride away from the castle. Didn’t actually order the roast but everyone else did and they all looked great. The beef roast came with proper horseradish sauce.
The huge open glass sun roof in the center was delightful after all these rainy days but my fair friends were a bit put off by it so be careful where you sit yourself. Seriously I think every other table was shaded but ours haha.
Spacious place, tons of seating, super friendly staff.
Ordered the bread and olive plate and the split-​pea and veggie soup. Yummo and just enough! You know, plus a couple of bulmers… what?

I don’t know if someone read my prior review and passed the word or that this pub has been revamped… but WOW! I’m almost sorry I didn’t keep this gem to myself, especially now that they serve food. I ate there last week for a little celebratory dinner and the guinea fowl melted in my mouth and if my Grandmother wouldn’t have rolled over in her grave, I would have licked the plate! I’ve eaten there often and am NEVER disappointed. A bit of warning to other eateries in the area, and you know who you are, you need to seriously up your game, If you don’t your customers will run in droves to this delicious, chilled, lively, fun, unpretentious pub!
I have totally changed allegiance and the Cellars is now my local! So please, don’t sit at my table! :)

This is a lovely pub: spacious with large tables for large groups and some beautiful features including a stunning skylight that allows the larger seating area to be flooded with natural light during daylight hours.
They have recently started doing food as you will see from their massive ‘food glorious food’ signs on the windows. It’s pretty standard gastropub food: burger served in a ciabatta bun on a breadboard* with a small metal container of chips, venison sausages and mash, steak and chips, salad etc
It’s a bit overpriced but aren’t most places like these, but it’s a decent enough feed.
I’ll definitely be back, maybe not for food but for pub drinks with friends, it’s ideal.
*serving food on a breadboard does not justify charging higher prices and seriously, doesn’t it bother you that they don’t go in the dishwasher and take up loads of space in the kitchen. You’re not the only place to do this and honestly, I don’t mind plates.

The Edinburgh is a wonderfully diverse and eclectic blend of the old and new. The décor inside combines dated 70s style carpeting with recently refurbished victorian style bar and a glorious domed glass ceiling. In spite of the apparent contradictions everything merges together really nicely and creates what is quite a handsome space. Similarly the clientele range from more elderly gentlemen who’ve lived through the various modifications to the Cellars to twenty-​somethings and students who come for the quirky interior and reasonably priced drinks.
The atmosphere is often a little jaded by the age gap of the punters and things can be pretty dead here of an afternoon. Come in the evenings, however, and you’re more than likely to find a decent crowd chatting and joking amiably enough. The weekend provides DJ entertainment with Friday nights dedicated to electro and drum ‘n’ bass whilst Saturdays produce an array of funk and soul.
In terms of drinks you can find a decent range of lagers, spirits and cocktails at incredibly reasonable prices. A cocktail sets you back just over a fiver whilst a pint comes in around £3.
The Edinburgh Cellars has been growing in poularity for some time and shows no sign of slowing. If you’re after a no frills night out with cheap drinks and great tunes then this is the place for you.

The Edinburgh Cellars is a fantastic space to meet friends for a drink with its very high ceilings and a glass roof in the back. Its quickly becoming a popular place for brunch for that reason, with the light breaking the dark and cosy atmosphere. There are pool tables out back as well as some paintings for sale by local artists. There are also benches out front for the smokers, people watchers and sun worshipers.
Every Wednesday is a live acoustic night, where unsigned talent perform for free. It can get quite busy, so to secure a table, its best to get there by half eight. There are also DJs who play till 2am every Friday and Saturday night. This is my favorite pub to go to, even though it might take a while to get through to the hungover staff. They don’t mean to be churlish, they’re just having too much of a good time.