Primeur

Primeur—which sits on a sleepy, leafy street not far from Clissold Park—is the sort of joint you wish was in your neighborhood. A stunning space built into an old garage with original door intact, which, on clear days, opens to the street allowing for the crowd to spew out onto on large communal tables. Owner Jeremie Cometto-Ligenheim selects around a dozen wines to be poured by-the-glass daily, a unique approach that allows him to list rare bottlings from producers like Domaine de Bellivière in the Loire or the Savoie’s Gilles Berlioz without risking them being pillaged from a wine list. Further, being free from the shackles of a physical wine list means that you might frequently find yourself stumbling upon the last bottle of a rare older wine, generally poured from a magnum and paired with Chef Dave Gingell’s hearty, no-nonsense fare. While the beloved rump steak with garlic and snails on toast rarely leave the menu, the fish is the real highlight here.