Restaurant in Newington Green, United Kingdom
Perilla
225Pearl PointsOrder the tasting menu. Book ahead.
About Perilla
Perilla is a neighbourhood restaurant in Newington Green worth booking for the tasting menu. Chef Ben Marks takes classical formats and delivers something more subversive than the candlelit room suggests. Service charge is included in all prices and flagged clearly — the kind of transparency that makes budgeting straightforward. Book if you want ambition without formality.
Perilla, Newington Green: Worth Booking
Perilla is one of the most compelling neighbourhood restaurants in north London, the tasting menu is the clearest reason to go. Chef Ben Marks runs a short, seasonal menu that reads familiar but consistently delivers something more interesting than expected. If you want a dinner that earns its place on a special occasion calendar without the formality or pricing of a Michelin-starred room, this is a strong answer.
What Makes It Work
The kitchen's signature move is taking a classic format and doing something oblique with it. The awards record notes a cauliflower mushroom carbonara that pulls together bacon, Parmesan and breadcrumbs into something closer to a mac and cheese and au gratin hybrid — the kind of dish that sounds like a gimmick but lands as one of the most satisfying things on the menu. A Devon duck breast main shows restraint when the dish calls for it: soft, pink, paired with celeriac and sauerkraut, it confirms this isn't a kitchen that subverts for its own sake. When classicism serves the plate better, Marks uses it.
Vegetables get serious attention here. The menu consistently positions plant dishes as full participants rather than supporting roles, the kitchen's sourcing shows in the quality of what comes out. This isn't a vegetable restaurant in a dogmatic sense, but if you're eating with someone who wants a plant-forward menu, Perilla handles it without compromise. Desserts are deliberately limited: expect a sorbet and one proper pudding. The prune and damson doughnut filled with Armagnac cream is the kind of thing you order and then wish you'd ordered twice.
The room is candlelit with pot plants and terrazzo — it reads intimate without being precious. The atmosphere works for date nights and small group celebrations. The wine list is short and all-European, with a supplementary single-bottle list available on request. All prices include a service charge, which is stated clearly on the menu and the bill, a detail that removes the usual end-of-meal arithmetic and is worth noting if you're planning around a budget.
Late-Night Framing
Perilla's format, a short menu, tasting option available, convivial room, does not lend itself to late-night drop-ins. This is a sit-down dinner restaurant, the experience is structured around a full meal rather than grazing or drinks-and-snacks. If you're looking for somewhere to land after 10pm in the Newington Green area, this is not the right choice. Check our full Newington Green bars guide for options that work later in the evening. For the dinner window, though, Perilla rewards booking.
Know Before You Go
- Location: 1-3 Green Lanes, Newington Green, London N16 9BS
- Booking difficulty: Easy, reservations available without extended lead times by current accounts
- Tasting menu: Recommended over ordering à la carte; represents the kitchen's leading work
- Service charge: Included in all prices and clearly flagged on both menu and bill
- Wine: Short all-European list; ask for the extended single-bottle list at the table
- Vegetarian/plant-forward: Stronger than average for a non-specialist restaurant; reliable for mixed groups
- Leading for: Date nights, small celebrations, neighbourhood dinners where you want quality without ceremony
How Perilla Compares
See the full comparison section below for how Perilla sits relative to London's broader modern British dining options.
Explore More
- Our full Newington Green restaurants guide
- Our full Newington Green hotels guide
- Our full Newington Green bars guide
- Our full Newington Green wineries guide
- Our full Newington Green experiences guide
Other Restaurants Worth Considering
- CORE by Clare Smyth in London
- The Fat Duck in Bray
- L'Enclume in Cartmel
- Moor Hall in Aughton
- Gidleigh Park in Chagford
- Hand and Flowers in Marlow
- hide and fox in Saltwood
- Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons in Great Milton
- Midsummer House in Cambridge
- Opheem in Birmingham
- Restaurant Andrew Fairlie in Auchterarder
- Le Bernardin in New York City
- Atomix in New York City
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I order at Perilla?
Order the tasting menu — the awards record is explicit that it represents the best of the carte and is worth the premium. If you're ordering à la carte, the kitchen's strength is in dishes that subvert a classic format: the cauliflower mushroom carbonara is the standout example, the prune and damson doughnut with Armagnac cream is the dessert to choose. Vegetable-focused dishes are given genuine prominence here, so this works as well for non-meat eaters as it does for omnivores.
Can I eat at the bar at Perilla?
Bar seating isn't documented in the available venue information, Perilla's format — a sit-down dinner restaurant with a short menu and tasting option — isn't designed for drop-in counter dining. Book a table rather than showing up and hoping for a bar spot.
Can Perilla accommodate groups?
Perilla is a neighbourhood restaurant on Green Lanes, N16, so capacity is limited and large groups may find the format a tight fit. For groups of 6 or more, check the venue's official channels before booking — the short, deliberate menu and convivial room are better suited to parties of 2 to 4.
What are alternatives to Perilla in Newington Green?
Perilla is the most documented destination restaurant in the immediate Newington Green area, so direct local alternatives at the same level are limited. If you're open to a short journey into Islington or Stoke Newington, the north London modern British scene has several comparable neighbourhood options — but for Ben Marks's specific cooking style, there's no like-for-like substitute nearby.
Is Perilla good for a special occasion?
Yes, with the right expectations. The room delivers — candlelight, pot plants, terrazzo — and the tasting menu gives the meal a clear shape. The cooking is confident and the wine list is short but considered, with an extended single-bottle list available on request. It's a better fit for a celebratory dinner between two than a large group milestone, the all-in pricing (service charge included and flagged on the menu) means no bill shock at the end.
Location
1-3 Green Lanes, Newington Green, London N16 9BS, United Kingdom
Newington Green, United Kingdom
Compare Perilla
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perilla | Easy | ||
| CORE by Clare Smyth | Modern British | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown |
| Restaurant Gordon Ramsay | Contemporary European, French | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown |
| Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library | Modern French | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown |
| The Ledbury | Modern European, Modern Cuisine | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown |
| Dinner by Heston Blumenthal | Modern British, Traditional British | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown |
Comparing your options in Newington Green for this tier.
Also Consider
- CORE by Clare Smyth, Modern British, ££££
- Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Contemporary European, French, ££££
- Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library, Modern French, ££££
- The Ledbury, Modern European, Modern Cuisine, ££££
- Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Modern British, Traditional British, ££££
Perilla sits in a different tier from the ££££ London restaurants it is sometimes mentioned alongside. CORE by Clare Smyth and The Ledbury offer more elaborate tasting menus, more formal service, harder booking windows. If you're planning a significant occasion and want a room with full Michelin production values, those are the better answer. Perilla's strength is that it delivers genuinely interesting cooking and a considered menu in a format that doesn't ask for that level of commitment in time, formality, or spend.
Against Dinner by Heston Blumenthal or Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library, Perilla looks deliberately low-key. Those venues carry a broader event-dining infrastructure: larger rooms, more theatrical presentation, more complex booking logistics. Perilla is a better choice when you want the food to be the conversation rather than the setting. It's also easier to book, which matters if you're not planning weeks out.
Restaurant Gordon Ramsay occupies a more traditional fine-dining register. If French-influenced structure and classical technique are what the occasion calls for, it remains a safer bet for formal business meals. Perilla is the right choice when you want something that feels current and neighbourhood-rooted without sacrificing quality. For a date or small group celebration in north London where the goal is a genuinely good dinner rather than a production, Perilla is the easier recommendation.
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