Perilla

Perilla, Newington Green: Worth Booking

Perilla is one of the most compelling neighbourhood restaurants in north London, and 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, and 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, and 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? Book the tasting menu rather than ordering à la carte. It represents the clearest expression of what Ben Marks does well: classical formats pushed in unexpected directions, strong sourcing, and restraint when the dish calls for it. If you're ordering from the carte, the kitchen's vegetable-forward dishes and the pasta course are reliable choices. End with the pudding rather than the sorbet if one is available.
• Can I eat at the bar at Perilla? There is no confirmed bar-seating option in the available venue data. Perilla is a sit-down neighbourhood restaurant and the experience is structured around a full dinner. If you're looking for a drop-in drinks-and-snacks option in the Newington Green area, check our Newington Green bars guide for more suitable options.
• Can Perilla accommodate groups? The restaurant's intimate room and short menu format suits small groups well, particularly parties of two to four for a special occasion dinner. Larger group bookings are not confirmed in the available data. Contact the restaurant directly to discuss options for groups of six or more. The Newington Green restaurants guide includes alternatives with more confirmed group capacity.
• What are alternatives to Perilla in Newington Green? For high-end modern British cooking with more formal structure and confirmed Michelin credentials, CORE by Clare Smyth and The Ledbury operate at a different price tier but deliver more elaborate tasting experiences. For something closer to Perilla's neighbourhood price point and register, the Newington Green restaurant guide covers the area's current options in full.
• Is Perilla good for a special occasion? Yes, with the right expectations. The room is warm and the tasting menu provides enough ambition to mark a celebration, but this is a neighbourhood restaurant rather than a grand dining room. If the occasion calls for formal service and a more elaborate production, CORE by Clare Smyth or Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library would better fit. For a dinner that feels genuinely special without requiring a full formal occasion budget, Perilla is a strong call.