Finsbury Park Area Guide

Finsbury Park is a 46-hectare (115-acre) public park in the London Borough of Haringey. Officially part of the London area of Harringey, it is also adjacent to Stroud Green, the Finsbury Park district and Manor House. It was one of the first great London parks laid out in the Victorian era. The park provides a large green space in Central North London. It has a mix of open ground, formal gardens, avenues of mature trees and an arboretum area with a mixture of more unusual trees. There is also a lake, a children's play area, a cafe and an art exhibition space. The stretch of Seven Sisters Road, running past Finsbury Park, is open to the park on the west side, and on the east side are large Victorian villas now mainly used as hotels.

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Highlights and attractions

The district is home to a growing café culture and has a number of cosy pubs. Whether you’re a football fan or not, Emirates Stadium, the home of Arsenal Football Club, is just around the corner, so you won’t be able to miss the throng of sporting pride felt here.

The area is well connected to the city; the main Finsbury Park station is located on the Piccadilly and Victoria Tube lines, meaning your commute into Euston or Kings Cross will be hassle-free, taking less than 10 minutes.

Originally opened in 1869, Finsbury Park has become an essential part of the local area. Spanning a huge 46 hectares, the park offers copious amounts of green space, sports grounds and a serene boating lake at its centre.

Commuting

Finsbury Park is on the route of the East Coast Main Line from King's Cross to the north of England and Scotland. It serves a number of National Rail, London Underground and bus services. The station is the third busiest Underground station outside Zone 1.

Nearby points of interest

Arsenal Stadium - within a mile
Emirates Stadium - 1 mile S
St Thomas Church - 2 miles E
Springfield Park - 2 miles E
Tottenham Hotspur FC (Stadium) - 3 miles NE
Hampstead Heath (Park) - 3 miles W
Clapton Park - 3 miles SE
Regent´s Park - 3 miles SW
Regent's Park - 4 miles SW
University of London - 4 miles S
St Bartholomew-the-Great (Church) - 4 miles S
St Giles-without-Cripplegate (Church) - 4 miles S
St Bartholomew-the-Less (Church) - 4 miles S
British Museum - 4 miles S
City Temple (Church) - 4 miles S
St Alphage London Wall (Ruin) - 4 miles S
St Andrew, Holborn (Church) - 4 miles S
St Botolph's Aldersgate (Church) - 4 miles S
Postman's Park - 4 miles S
St Alban (Tower) - 4 miles S
St Anne and St Agnes (Church) - 4 miles S
Lincolns Inn Fields (Park) - 4 miles S
Christ Church Greyfriars (Ruin) - 4 miles S
All Hallows-on-the-Wall (Church) - 4 miles S
St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate (Church) - 4 miles S

Food and drinks

Blackstock Road is known as “Little Algeria” for its profusion of Algerian residents and Algerian-run shops, but find here, too, Blighty, which describes itself as “Commonwealth of Nations” café; coffee shop, Salt the Radish, which also runs a supper club; and Yard Sale Pizza, which now has four branches in North and East London.

The Crisis charity shop has a nice café; Dotori is a tiny Japanese and Korean restaurant; MoseyHome sells mid-century furniture and modern accessories; La Fabrica is a Spanish tapas restaurant; Common Ground is another independent coffee shop specialising in fermented drinks; Season Kitchen offers a seasonal menu Wednesday to Saturday evening; New Beacon Books specialises in Caribbean and African writing; Stefan Alexander is a boutique selling fashion samples; Pretty Shiny Things is good for gifts, and Itto describes itself as serving “Pan-Asian fusion” food.

Along Tollington Park, Boulangerie Bon Matin is a patisserie and salad bar, and The Front Room Café tables spill out onto the pavement. Back on Stroud Green Road Pappagone is a large and popular pizzeria; The Concept sells mid-century furniture and accessories, Mylands paints and offers an interior design service.

Where Stroud Green Road becomes Crouch Hill, you’ll find the legendary Max’s Sandwich Shop, Il Piccolo Diavolo for homely, freshly cooked Italian food, and Hodgepodge, a modern British restaurant where “You’ll Get What You’re Given” in the form of a four-course tasting menu.

Finsbury Park’s favourite pubs are the Faltering Fullback, a quirky Irish pub with sports and open mic nights and a large garden in Perth Road; Stapleton Tavern, the local offering from the Antic chain; the Brave Sir Robin specialising in craft beer with food from The Factory Project serving Asian dishes; and The Old Dairy in a beautiful former dairy, all in Crouch Hill; the Lion in Stroud Green Road has a large outside seating area; and Brownswood is a pub with guest rooms in Green Lanes.

Here are some of our favourite places to eat and drink:

Il Guscio

This colourful Italian restaurant specialises in the food and wine of Sardinia, and has a dedicated clientele. Guscio is for everyone and every occasion: whether a light dinner after work or a grand celebration. Guscio Pizzeria devotes equal attention to the grape as to the food, which means that each dish, be it a delicious seafood risotto or one of the freshly baked pizzas, comes recommended with a particular glass of house wine.

Jo Jo's Kitchen

A family-run, American inspired kitchen and bar specialising in Burgers and Southern Style Cuisine. The restaurant is dressed with exotic Ethiopian decor, offers wheelchair access and can hold big groups. Share a truly remarkable East African dining experience in North London at JoJo’s restaurant.

The Woodbine - Irish Pub

Nestled in lower Highbury, along Blackstock Road, you will find this warm and welcoming Irish Pub! This quaint pub is the perfect spot to enjoy a meal with family or watch a sports game with friends. They have a diverse assortment of beers and whiskeys to palate!

Shops

It’s a busy town centre with shops stretching along Seven Sisters Road; Blackstock Road; Stroud Green Road and Fonthill Road, North London’s fashion street with a concentration of fashion wholesalers who also welcome personal shoppers.

In Stroud Green Road, the shops run all the way from Finsbury Park station to Crouch Hill station with breakouts along Tollington Park.

Schools

Schools in Finsbury Park fall under the Hackney Local Education Authority. Finsbury Park has state primary schools that are all judged to be “good” or better by the Government’s education watchdog Ofsted. The “outstanding” rating for Primary schools are Ambler in Blackstock Road; St Aidan’s RC in Albany Road; Gillespie in Gillespie Road; Grafton in Eburne Road; St John’s CofE Highbury Vale, Conewood Street; Woodberry Down in Woodberry Grove.

The local comprehensive school is Arts & Media School Islington (co-ed, ages 11 to 16) in Turle Road. The nearest “outstanding” comprehensive school is Highbury Fields (girls, ages 11 to 18) in Highbury Hill.

City & Islington College (co-ed, ages 16+) is the local further education college with a campus in Blackstock Road.

North London Rudolf Steiner (co-ed, ages three to six) in Campsbourne Road is a private nursery and infants school following the Steiner method. There are two top private schools in nearby by Highgate: Channing (girls ages four to 18) in The Bank off Highgate Hill; and Highgate School (co-ed, ages three to 18) in North Road.