Half Cut Market

This local neighbourhood restaurant, wine bar and wine shop is on the cusp of Islington and Camden – a fabulous find for people in the vicinity looking for somewhere casual to have a nice bottle and snacks with friends, or for a date-night dinner. The menu is perfect for sharing and easy to adapt; you can order extra plates as you need and many dishes are cooked over charcoal with their Konro grill. Seasonally driven, it changes regularly with responsibly sourced produce grown, farmed or caught with care.

You’ll find a solid page of 50 or so wines including sparkling, rosé and orange, along with the usual white and red categories, slanted to minimal-intervention producers and, importantly, no funkiness. Some well-known producers are here though it is a safe list if you wish to try something new, or are less familiar with these styles of wines. A wonderful place conducive to socialising out over wine with a sweet spot of £45-65 bottles, though the option to go higher if you wish.

They also allow you to buy the bottles to take with you any time they are open, though you’re sure to be tempted by their set sharing menu on Tuesdays and Wednesdays – it may change your mind if you were thinking about a quiet night in!