The friendly chain’s Islington branch isn’t particularly original, but it’s a safe bet for some decent food and drink.

The Venue
The decor of Giraffe Islington won't blow you away with its originality, but this is a chain restaurant after all. It's not entirely unpleasant, with a funky orange and brown colour scheme, comfortable if slightly small eating booths and large, bench-style tables. The restaurant is fairly large and suitably ambient in its lighting in the evening. If you're looking for a unique, personal venue, this is not the place to come, but if decor isn't a consideration, you won't be shocked by what you find here.

The Atmosphere
Situated five minutes from Angel, this place is suitably buzzing, with a mixed crowd of young professionals and young families. The latter contingent, in a screaming-kids sense, slightly clashes with the former, but all Giraffes are famed for their family-friendliness. Bear this in mind if you're looking for a quiet romantic spot to eat, or alternatively if you're a parent - Giraffe and has a great kid's menu and does children's parties.

The Food
Giraffe Islington fares fantastically on the more cafe/ bar side of its menu, and less well on its more serious dishes. For starters the Japanese crisp fried tiger prawns are succulent, perfectly complemented by the lime chilli dressing and reasonably priced at about £5.00. The mezze plate (about £6.00) is a mixed bag, featuring average hummus and tzatziki, bland Tunisian ratatouille and a dry falafel, with tasty pitta bread and a fabulous chili tapenade.

Mains did not fire on all cylinders: the Thai hot and spicy prawns, featuring sweet basil, tomato & fresh ginger, have too much spice and not enough subtlety, and are overloaded with red onions and peppers. The organic brown rice is hearty but slightly bland. The roasted corn and chilli bean burrito was enjoyable but could have been better. Comprising black beans, roasted corn and spinach topped with spicy adobe sauce, crispy chorizo sausage, sour cream, melted jack cheese, avocado salsa and toasted seeds, you can't argue value for money at about £8.00. However, while very filling, a slightly less sardine-can-packed arrangement would have definitely made this dish more palate-inspiring.

The burgers are superb, with fresh wholesome ingredients and a massive range to choose from. Take the simple Aberdeen Angus burger in a fresh bun and add your own toppings, from classic bacon and cheeses to chorizo and guacamole. Or try staple menu standouts like grilled lamb satay burger, with a juicy minced lamb patty and adventurous mix of spicy peanut and mint sauce and chilli pickled cucumber. Specials on rotation include haddock fish finger burger with Caesar mayo and crispy goat's cheese burger with roasted pepper, currant relish and rocket.

Desserts were good and good value at about £5.00. The banana waffle split features a banana cooked perfectly in liqueur on a just-sweet-enough waffle, with rich vanilla ice cream and hot chocolate and butterscotch sauce on top. The Swiss mountain chocolate cheesecake has a slightly bland filling redeemed by tons of chunky chocolate chips, a nicely textured base, and a hunk of Toblerone, with rich chocolate sauce to finish it all off.

The Drink
The wine list at Giraffe is pretty much what you'd expect from a chain restaurant of this type, with affordable house bottles of about £12.00, a few mid-range treats at about £20.00 and no high-end specialties. Still the house white, Acacia Tree was perfectly acceptable and for something a bit more special the fruity Cabernet Sauvignon Wholeberry is good. For reds the houses, Acacia Tree and Orizzonti Montepulciano, are both safe bets. There's also an entertaining list of wet and dry cocktails and Cruzcampo, Corona, Brooklyn and Red Stripe lagers by the bottle.

The Last Word
It's important to remember Giraffe Islington is meant to be an affordable, family-friendly chain restaurant, not a mind-blowing Michelin-starred eatery. Don't expect gastronomic miracles but do bring your kids and order the thoroughly enjoyable fresh burgers and comfort desserts with a bottle of cheapish wine.

venue information venue map view london review user reviews (2) image gallery (4)