London


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-where">WHAT? WHERE? </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="683" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/SoulMama05-26_by_MariolaZoladz_92-1024x683.jpg" alt="Soul Mama " class="wp-image-21947" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/SoulMama05-26_by_MariolaZoladz_92-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/SoulMama05-26_by_MariolaZoladz_92-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/SoulMama05-26_by_MariolaZoladz_92-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/SoulMama05-26_by_MariolaZoladz_92.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Soul Mama terrace </figcaption></figure>



<p>Angel Central Shopping Centre in islington might not sound like an ideal setting for a top new live music venue and restaurant, but it made a welcome respite from the blazing sunshine when I visited on a hot Saturday afternoon recently. Conveniently located just around the corner from Angel tube station on the shopping centre&#8217;s second floor, <a href="https://www.soulmama.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Soul Mama&#8217;s</a> a cool, cavernous space with restaurant, bar and stage, plus a spacious outside terrace and stairs down to the street. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="683" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/cSjyvH-q-1024x683.jpeg" alt="Yolanda Brown " class="wp-image-21948" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/cSjyvH-q-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/cSjyvH-q-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/cSjyvH-q-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/cSjyvH-q.jpeg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">YoLanda Brown </figcaption></figure>



<p>The brainchild of award-winning saxophonist, broadcaster and mum-of-two <a href="https://london.muddystilettos.co.uk/life/people/yolanda-brown-interview/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">YolanDa Brown</a>, the original Soul Mama opened in The Gantry hotel in East London 18 months ago after a record-breaking Kickstarter campaign (it&#8217;s the fastest ever crowd-funded restaurant globally) before moving to new premises in Westfield. It&#8217;s been such a success a second branch has now opened its doors to bring some soul to north London. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-vibe">THE VIBE </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="683" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/SoulMama05-26_by_MariolaZoladz_72-1024x683.jpg" alt="Soul Mama " class="wp-image-21949" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/SoulMama05-26_by_MariolaZoladz_72-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/SoulMama05-26_by_MariolaZoladz_72-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/SoulMama05-26_by_MariolaZoladz_72-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/SoulMama05-26_by_MariolaZoladz_72.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>Dark, glam, relaxed. I popped in for Saturday brunch with a side of live music with my two kids (11 and 15 years) and it was buzzing, with some diners already off their seats dancing, while others sat back and sipped cocktails and mocktails while watching the band. Everyone looked like they&#8217;d made an effort, but whether you turn up in jeans and box-fresh trainers or a tight dress and heels, it&#8217;s all good. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-scoff-amp-quaff">SCOFF &amp; QUAFF </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="819" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/JSP.SOUL_.26.07.24-239-1024x819.jpg" alt="Soul Mama food " class="wp-image-21951" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/JSP.SOUL_.26.07.24-239-1024x819.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/JSP.SOUL_.26.07.24-239-300x240.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/JSP.SOUL_.26.07.24-239-768x614.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/JSP.SOUL_.26.07.24-239.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>Soul Mama&#8217;s simple brunch menu&#8217;s a mouth-watering blend of Caribbean and African cuisine. We weren&#8217;t massively hungry, so bypassed the hearty sounding Small Plates (think plantain mountain or jerk oyster mushrooms) and launched straight into the main affair. </p>



<p>My jerk salmon fillet arrived blackened beside a mound of rice&#8221;peas, slithers of plantain and a dressed salad. The kids&#8217; dishes came in quick succession &#8211; a long plate of sticky jerk pit chicken wings in a smokey barbecue sauce and chicken plantain burger &#8211; a mighty meal which consisted of layers of chicken thigh with jerk mayo, fried plantain, mango dressing, pickled red cabbage and side of well-seasoned fries. Sonny declared it, &#8216;the best burger I&#8217;ve eaten in ages&#8217; and cleared his plate in minutes. The unctuous, finger-licking good wings took a little longer to demolish, and I savoured my salmon which was spicy, flakey and filled with flavour. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="771" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260530_134124775.MP_-1024x771.jpg" alt="Soul Mama " class="wp-image-21953" style="aspect-ratio:1.3281452658884565;width:640px;height:auto" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260530_134124775.MP_-1024x771.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260530_134124775.MP_-300x226.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260530_134124775.MP_-768x578.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260530_134124775.MP_.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>Next time (and we&#8217;d already decided there would be a next time), we all agreed we&#8217;d like to try the rich &amp; creamy coconut chicken curry, served with rice and, you&#8217;ve guessed it, plantain. </p>



<p>The only problem with the brunch menu is that the dessert choice is either Mama&#8217;s carrot &amp; orange cake or chocolate fudge cake &#8211; an impossible choice to make if you&#8217;re a cake stan. In the end, it was the two huge slabs of fudge cake we saw being delivered to a neighbouring table that swayed our selection, and soon we were all making short work of our own thick slices of moist, rich chocolate cake. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="771" height="1024" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260530_135224096-771x1024.jpg" alt="Passion fruit coolers " class="wp-image-21954" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260530_135224096-771x1024.jpg 771w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260530_135224096-226x300.jpg 226w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260530_135224096-768x1020.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260530_135224096-1157x1536.jpg 1157w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260530_135224096.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px" /></figure>



<p>Drink-wise, I sampled the mocktails. Passion fruit coolers were a refreshing blend of pineapple, orange, lime and vanilla and passion fruit syrups, while  no-rum coladas (coconut cream, pineapple juice and lime) tasted as good as the real thing. If you do want to spice things up, the drinks&#8217; menu reads like a list for good times, with a wide selection of classic cocktails (old fashioned, mojito, cosmopolitan etc), wine, shots, spirits and Champagne. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-and-the-music">AND THE MUSIC? </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="771" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260530_132042067.MP_-1024x771.jpg" alt="Soul Mama " class="wp-image-21955" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260530_132042067.MP_-1024x771.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260530_132042067.MP_-300x226.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260530_132042067.MP_-768x578.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/PXL_20260530_132042067.MP_.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>Doors opened at noon, and the music kicked off around 1.30pm, with the band playing until 4(ish), so you get a lot of tunes for your ticket price. First off, it was loud. Not so loud we couldn&#8217;t talk to each other but powerful enough to make us stop and listen &#8211; it&#8217;s a proper gig, rather than background music. Secondly, the standard of the vocals was SO good even the kids briefly stopped eating and just stared open-mouthed. </p>



<p>Five singers rattled through covers of universally-loved soul tunes from <em>Proud Mary</em> through to a Whitney Houston classic, but the one that got me on my feet was 90s hit <em>Shackles</em> by Mary Mary, a track so good it caused diners to throw their arms in the air like they very much didn&#8217;t care, despite it being 2pm on a Saturday afternoon. </p>



<p>It was a great taste of what Soul Mamas has to offer and made me hungry for more.   </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-go-there">GO THERE</h2>



<p>General admission ticket, £22.98; two-course brunch, £62.81; three-course brunch, £74.18. Check out the weekend (Saturday &amp; Sunday) <a href="https://www.soulmama.co.uk/brunches" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">brunch programme</a>, which includes a forthcoming  Big Gospel Choir brunch (7 June) and Ska, Reggae &amp; Jazz brunch (28 June.). </p>



<p><em>By Amanda Statham </em></p>


Review: Soul Mama brunch, Islington

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