Islington is blessed with many great pubs but there’s one that sticks out, in a good way, and that’s Plaquemine Lock. Run by Jacob Kenedy of Bocca di Lupo, it’s bringing the bayou to the Regent’s Canal. Kenedy may have made his name doing excellent regional Italian food but here it’s all about the cajun and creole food of Louisiana. There’s a family connection to the state and it’s reflected in the pub – Jacob’s great-grandparents built a lock in the town of Plaquemine in Louisiana (hence the name) and the murals in the space, one of which depicts the family steamer boat that first passed through the lock gates, were done by his mother Haidee Becker. The menu is packed full of cajun and creole delights that you don’t often see in London restaurants, like sugar bacon beignet sandwiches, oysters rockefeller, duck & sausage jambalaya, shrimp & grits, and fried green tomatoes. The bar shakes up an excellent margarita and there’s live blues and jazz nights too, so it’s worth a trip to North London for a taste of the Deep South.