The Elk In The Woods, Islington, London

Yes. Well. It is certainly different. The decor is wood, everywhere. With deer skulls. The food, definitely not woody, slow in coming but such a variety of unusual flavours… definitely worth the wait, and almost worth the price.

I used to go here a lot when I lived in North London. The best time to go is for brunch on a weekend, start with a coffee, order your late breakfast, and then when you feel like you might want another coffee - order an espresso martini instead, they are made with coffee tequilla and are to die for.

The luches are good too, especially the sandwiches and platters. It's usually quite busy so its recommended to book before you go. I've kept the number in my phone just in case!

Our table wasn't ready when we arrived, and our food did a little while to arrive. But that stuff didn't really matter, the great decor, relaxed atmosphere and the smiling staff more than made up for it.

Maybe not the place to go if you want a quick meal before a gig, or you're worried about getting served quickly, but for a place to relax and eat good food with friends it's brilliant. If you have to Google the meaning of some Danish food at the table, then that just adds to the fun!

A lovely quirky hideaway, with tasty, good-value, slightly unusual Danish food. Popular, so we looked through the window to see if anyone was paying up before we found the door.

The wood panelled walls give you the feeling that it's permanently cold outside but super-snug in here. The very friendly staff's descriptions of frikadeller as Danish pork meatballs didn't compare to the deliciousness of the two gigantic meatballs that arrived with scrumptous mash, two generous slices of doorstop-thick bacon, and unremarkable apple sauce. The shot of gammel dansk (a sort of caraway-tasting bitter Schnapps) that accompanied it had us both giddy with one whiff - an acquired taste that would perhaps be better placed in a Danish sauna but it was certainly memorable.

My friend's vegetarian platter of pea guacamole, beetroot & walnut dip, with various other bits and pieces (none of it quite the way you usually expect) was also delicious.

The only tiny tiny letdown was the slightly slow service from very busy staff... but their big smiles made up for it.

8 of us ate there this evening for a pre-theatre meal. Lovely looking venue, vintage furniture and random cutlery- you know the sort!

Food took an age to arrive, quite staggered. I'll give them that considering the number of us.

Between us we had some very bad food: burnt steak with overcooked chips, a TINY portion of calamari and some chowder complete with curly hair. Yum

Desert: nice, but cold choc fondant and no runny insides. Nice sized, but tasteless apple crumble.

2stars due to nice beer and wine and good location, plus they took chowder off our bill. We won't be going back.

Nice looking place and well located, tucked away behind Upper Street. Cosy bar and elk related decor provide a good atmosphere and at first glance the menu looks good - steak and chips, rabbit paella, whole roast fish. Expensive though at £12 for a vegetarian main course up to about £17 for steak. The day we went on a Friday evening it was not that busy but the staff were friendly but harassed. You aren't allowed to order drinks from the bar, so it takes a while to get served and you can't just casually get a pint. The food was the real disappointment though - rabbit paella small and tasteless, veggie platter underseasoned, the farro, pomegranate and feta salad with only the barest scattering of feta and pretty underwhelming. The food was uniformly bland. For this price I'd expect much better, given the competition in the area.

Fantastic menu, with a few unusual dishes to tickle the tastebuds. I had a delicious Rabbit with mushrooms and pancetta (actually, don't remember the pancetta now I think about it) with mash, and friend had venison burger (slightly stodgy).

Friendly service, cute decor. Went for early Sunday lunch and good job I booked, as people were being turned away.

The Elk In The Woods gets points purely for being on one of my favourite streets in London - the adorable Camden Passage. It has a lovely, cosy atmosphere and is perfect for dates but works well as a venue for meeting friends.

The staff are friendly, the decor is pared down yet lovely and nice soul music plays in the background. The prices are a little steep, but it's to be expected in this part of town.

I'm not quite sure what it's meant to be though. It seems to operate as a bar, restaurant and cafe depending on where you're sitting and what time you're visiting. This is no bad thing, as it works very well as a bar and cafe (I've yet to try the food).

One tip: The entrance is really tough to find - it's the nondescript black door to the right of the restaurant.

We were somewhere around Islington on the edge of the Green when the hangover began to take hold. I remember saying something like 'I feel a bit lightheaded; maybe you should choose a place to eat. . .' And suddenly there was a terrible silence all around us and the sky was full of deer skulls, all staring at me with their cold, dead, eyeless sockets, as if to say 'We have seen eternity, and we can see your soul...' And a voice was screaming, 'Holy Jesus! What are these goddamn animals?'

The breakfast was great, but feeling a little 'sensitive' after the night before, perhaps I shouldn't have chosen the table across from the wall of dead animal heads... I didn't really need a side order of existential crisis with my fry-up. Not that morning anyway.

I like it here, but wish I’d had more chance to stick around and try some of their food! It looked yummy!

It’s a strange little cafe bar kind of place. Not pubby enough to be in the gasto-pub ilk, but too 'fancy casual’ to be a restaurant. Maybe fancy cafe describes it well.

We managed to bag a table by the window (everywhere else was reserved) which was great for people watching, but you suddenly realise that you’re 'centre stage’ and everyone walking by watches you as well! Very strange.

Still, we got here before it got busy which was great (if you’re planning on coming for dinner, BOOK!) and the rose was lovely. Not cheap though. Two drinks - £8.50. Ouch. But, I’d come back if I wanted to have a nice lunch somewhere in the area. It’s a bit better than your average though, so maybe it’s worth saving for a special treat.

Although, someone should tell the shop over the passage that if the people don’t shut the changing room curtains, the people in the cafe can inadvertently see them undress. Ooops.

Above average prices, but good atmosphere, tasty selection of food, and decent cocktails add up to make it worth our while for an occasional visit. The location in Camden Passage is a convenient destination after roaming the antique shops.

Entering through what at first glance appears to be someone’s front door you enter The Elk, one of the finest establishments in Angel. The decor is lush- love the deer’s head on the wall, but miss the beautiful vintage ashtrays they had pre-smoking ban- and the drinks are great too, and although the cocktail list is pretty short the bar staff are happy to go off menu if you just ask. The food is pricey, but great quality; the menu changes every couple of months, but there are daily specials too which are consistently excellent. The full english breakfast is always a good choice, and the chips have always been excellent, a sure sign of a quality establishment. If I could afford it/wasn’t away studying in Scotland most of the time I’d be here as often as possible.

GREAT date place by the way, because the atmosphere is really relaxed, the music isn’t obnoxiously loud, the light is pretty dim which makes everyone look sexier, it’s pretty cool so you’ll seem like a hipster- what’s not to love??

The Elk in the Woods is a very popular little restaurant / bar just off Upper Street in the lovely Camden Passage, huddled in between the antiques, books and vintage shops.

The food and wine are both consistently excellent; very well presented, hearty and delicious. The Elk attracts a sophisticated, but not snobby crowd - and as one reviewer said it is the perfect place for a date. You’re bound to impress.

Pricey but for good reason, sometimes its worth shelling our a bit more when you know you will get good quality grub. If you find you have broken the bank then just head over to the Camden Arms for cheap beer!

Walk down Camden passage and you are safely shielded by the chain hell that Upper Street has become and The Elk in The Woods is integral to this. This is a rustic restaurant with big solid tables (taking the Elk and Wood themes literally) The food is good with very generous portions and the emphasis is on good quality fresh produce and lots of meat. This is a great date place a little quirky and something that is still independent amongst the Pizza and Burger chains up this way. Alternatively fuel up here before you head down to Essex road and party the night away. Either way this is the sort of restaurant that you will probably go to again and again out of convenience and its consistency

I love this place! Located just off Upper Street on Camden Passage this little rustic up-market gastro is perfect for Sunday afternoon red wine drinking. The Elk in the Woods food is generally great- my favourite dishes include: the rib-eye steak, the vegetable platter which is huge and roast belly pork sandwich with apple sauce. I would definately recommend booking as it can get really busy- the atmosphere is chilled out and there is a quite a cosy feel to it and the barmen are certainly easy on the eye!

I've been in here a number of times for lunch and whenever I walk past it's always close to full, which is generally a good sign. They serve a kind of upmarket pub lunch, or what I would call "Rustic", but that might be the decor influencing my opinion of the food. I especially recommend the sandwiches, and the platters.