Ally Pally (or, you know, ‘Alexandra Palace’ for adults who relish a couple of extra syllables) is one of London’s most iconic venues, steeped in history but always with an eye on the present, too. 

Sitting pretty in almost 200 acres of parkland, it boasts an incredible vantage point, providing panoramic views of the city skyline that are simply breathtaking. Originally opened in 1873 as a public centre for recreation, education, and entertainment, Alexandra Palace has played host to an impressive diversity of events in its 150 years, from the first regular public television broadcasts by the BBC in 1936 to hosting concerts, exhibitions, and sporting spectacles, including the most recent World Darts Championships, which were won by 16 year old Luke Littler. 

In the next few months, the venue’s concert hall will play host to a veritable feast of great performers, including Suede, The Manic Street Preachers, Jamie XX, Noel Gallagher and more. Its ice rink, boating lake, and regular farmers’ markets all add to its charm, making Alexandra Palace a beloved destination for both locals and tourists. 

Accordingly, the surrounding area caters to visitors looking to unload (and take a load off) before entering the park, with providers of luggage storage in London operating in the area, several pubs on the peripheries of the grounds, and some great restaurants on the outskirts of this most beloved of London destinations.

If you’re looking for a truly good feed in the surrounding area, then you’re in luck; here’s where to eat near Alexandra Palace, London.

Toff’s Of Muswell Hill

Ignore the jarring possessive. Banish the fear that, owing to the ol’ toffs thing, you might bump into William Sitwell sharing a cone of chips with Jacob Rees-Mogg. Instead, savour this Muswell Hill institution’s soothing, old school vibes – all dark wood panels and white greaseproof tablecloths – and seek solace in the chalkboard menu of sustainable, MSC-sourced fish. 

That fish is battered and deepfried as standard, but you can request it to be grilled, instead, for a small surcharge. The latter is the move, we think, with whole fish like dover and lemon sole deserving of that treatment. The chips are bloody excellent too, unsurprisingly for a restaurant that’s been doing its thing since 1968. 

Address: 38 Muswell Hill Broadway, Muswell Hill, London N10 3RT

Cyprus House, Green Lanes

Green Lanes is the place to head for Turkish, Greek, Kurdish and Cypriot cuisine (apart from, you know, those actual countries), and on the first floor of the Turkish-Cypriot Community Centre, you’ll find Cyprus House. ‘Find’ is perhaps not the wrong verb here, as you have to go looking for this place, firmly ensconced from the chaos of Green Lanes proper. 

It’s well worth the straying ever-so-slightly off the beaten path for the £20 a head mezze selection (served Fridays and Saturdays), which culminates in a whole lambs head, brain and all. You need to book ahead for this one.

Address: 630 Green Lanes, Harringay Ladder, London N8 0SD

Through The Woods, Crouch End

Speaking of making a little effort to find a place, the subtle, sophisticated Through The Woods in Crouch End keeps things understated, with its muted racing green facade and no discernible sign outside. Instead, look for a yellow logo on the window that could be arrows or trees (or, the pastel pink neighbours at Curl Bar will confirm you’re in the right place).

Inside, it’s a compact affair, with no more than 20 spots, all served at a £70 a head, no-choice, four course menu simultaneously at 8pm, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. That everyone is dining at the same time on the same thing creates an enjoyable sense of intimacy, and by the end of the meal, don’t be surprised if you’re best friends with a neighbouring table. The excellent negroni sbagliato certainly helps lubricate this conviviality.

On the plate, comforting, deceptively simple dishes like celeriac broth with cheddar toastie, or blushing longhorn beef with the restaurant’s signature hasselback potatoes, hit all the right notes. 

Address: 212 Middle Ln, London N8 7LA

Les 2 Garcons, Crouch End

Another Crouch End classic, Les 2 Garcons is the kind of big, bold French bistro that’s suddenly all-the-hype a little further south and into town, with a menu that wouldn’t feel amiss at current darlings of the London food scene Maison Francois or Bouchon Racine.

Expect snails with a bracing, garlicky persillade sauce, Provençale shellfish stew with a bracing, garlicky rouille, and steak frites with a bracing, garl… Actually, the bernaise sauce doesn’t contain any garlic. An exemplary version it is, though.

With several wines by the glass for under a tenner, and mains in the mid-twenties, Les 2 Garcons is good value for cooking of this generosity and flavour. It’s not in the least bit surprising that Michelin have awarded this place a Bib Gourmand.

Address: 14 Middle Ln, London N8 8PL

Kervan Sofrasi, Wood Green

If you’re looking for truly exceptional value, however, then it’s to Wood Green you should head, and to Kervan Sofrasi. This sprawling Turkish restaurant is open from 8am to midnight every day, and does an exceptional breakfast (£18 all in, including tea). But assuming you’re heading to Alexandra Palace for a gig, rest assured the early dinner options are superb too, the diced lamb Kusbasi pide, in particular, has something akin to cult status in this part of town. Yours for just £15.50 (add an egg for an extra 50p – you know it’s a good idea).

Address: 183 High Rd, London N22 6BA

Haringey Corbacisi, Green Lanes

Ideal for soul-nourishing soups and stews…

Just a twenty minute walk down the road and back to Green Lanes, Haringey Corbacisi’s reputation precedes it, the benefactor (or victim?) of relentless TikTok hype in recent months.

That hype certainly isn’t harmed by the restaurant staying open until 2am nightly, its signature soups (corbacisi loosely translates to ‘soup seller’) simply so soul-nourishing in the bewitching hour.

If it’s on (there’s no menu, just an ask-at-the-counter kinda vibe), the iskembe corbasi is a highlight, the lamb tripe soup thick and milky from both its roux base and the terbiye (egg yolk and lemon) spun through right before serving. The low, throbbing thrum of offal brings depth and fortifies. No wonder this one is widely considered a hangover cure. It’s good enough to snap you back around during a session, too.

Address: 7, Salisbury Promenade, Green Lanes, Harringay Ladder, London N8 0BX

Le Chamarel, Turnpike Lane

Ideal for arguably the city’s best Mauritian restaurant…

Next up on our guide to the best restaurants close to Alexandra Palace, we’re pitching up at Le Chamarel in Turnpike Lane, the latter the original base for London’s Mauritian community, the former arguably the city’s best Mauritian restaurant. 

Whilst the country’s cuisine is a complex fusion of Indian, Chinese, French, and Creole influence, Le Chamarel leans most heavily on the Indian side of things, with the samosas here from the snack counter particularly good. They are also 70p. We realise we described an £18 breakfast as exceptional value earlier and have now run out of superlatives, but properly crisp, generously filled samosas clocking in at under a pound? That’s verging on the ridiculous.

Speaking of great value, the boulette chou chou (bouncy chayote dumplings) come in a simple but replenishing soup, with five of them bobbing about for just £5.90. We’re also big fans of the octopus curry here, a slippery, saucy affair that demands a side of roti. In your glass, it’s got to be the ubiquitous Mauritian pear soda, Pearona. 

Address: 27 Turnpike Ln, Harringay Ladder, London N8 0EP

La Lluna, Muswell Hill

Ideal for tapas classics served with flourish and theatre…

We end in Muswell Hill, at the neighbourhood’s first and only Spanish restaurant (their words, not ours). Expect tapas classics served with a little flourish and theatre – perhaps it’s all a bit square plates, cheese on slates and omnipresent micro herbs for our taste, but there’s plenty of flavour to be found here, too.

The pan con tomate is particularly good, unsparingly generous and seasoned with similar zeal. A little premium jamon Iberico, sliced gossamer thin and served warm so the fat is beginning to melt, feels like the perfect companion piece. The arroz negro arrives in a welcome bowl, and is a free-handed portion for just £10.95. Rich and moody, it’s also perhaps a little salty. It doesn’t half help the sangria slip down though, which is available by the jug for £23.50.

Address: 462-464, Muswell Hill Broadway, Muswell Hill, London N10 1BS

Hey, would you look at the time? We’ve got a gig to get to…

We hate to throw around the word ‘institution’ willy nilly, but Gambrinus is just that. An old-school spot that has been open for close to a century, the vibe here is fine dining, white tablecloths and silver service, all with a focus on seafood.

Although named after the legendary King Gambrinus, the patron saint of beer and good times, the prototypical rowdy and raucous Lisbon seafood spot this ain’t. Instead you’ll find a more subdued, subtle atmosphere. Sometimes, it’s what you need in such a lively city.

Indeed, Gambrinus feels like you’re stepping back in time, its ambience remaining more or less unchanged since they remodelled the restaurant in 1964 – think dark wooden panelling, red carpets and immaculate linen tablecloths. In the main dining room hangs a gorgeous tapestry representing the four seasons, whilst glimmering in the smaller dining room is a stained glass depiction of the beer-swigging from a glass King Gambrinus himself. Service is attentive, almost reverent. 

There’s a danger that the food might be something of an afterthought at Gambrinus, but with decades of experience cooking seafood, the guys on the stoves certainly know what they’re doing. Sure, it’s old fashioned cooking  – correct and classic – all the way down to the Iranian caviar on the menu, but it works. 

All that said, we’re here for a perch at the restaurant’s iconic wooden bar. It’s one of our favourite spots to dine solo in Lisbon, and you’ll find us here, swigging a Gambrinus tulip beer (a blend of ‘white’ and dark beer) while snacking on toasted almonds and slices of butter-slathered rye bread in between courses of hot (a rare thing in the city!) beef croquettes with Colman’s mustard. They sure do love their mustard in Lisbon.

Order a plate of gossamer thin serra ham and the restaurant’s signature prego, too, which is one of the best you’ll find in the city. They also serve another sandwich, the sandes de rosbife, which sees perfectly rare beef with tartare sauce sandwiched between that rye bread. Order all three plates and you’ve got one hell of a meal. And, one hell of a carb overload.

If you’re here with guests and want to impress, don’t skip the crepe suzette, prepared tableside. Or, do as we do and finish your meal with a balloon coffee prepared in a mad scientist-like syphon coffee maker, alongside a slice of their custardy, salty abade priscos pudding. 

It’s worth noting that the Gambrinus is also famous for its pies; partridge pie served on Mondays and lobster pie on Thursdays. A fine excuse to visit more than once in a single week, we think.

Address: R. das Portas de Santo Antão 23, 1150-264 Lisboa, Portugal 

Website: gambrinuslisboa.com