Soul Mama Islington

Soul Mama Islington is a live music venue and restaurant on the first floor of Angel Central, right by Angel tube station. It's run by saxophonist and broadcaster YolanDa Brown alongside Adetokunbo "T" Oyelola, and it opened in May 2026, following an earlier residency at The Gantry hotel in Stratford. The space runs as a restaurant through the day before shifting into its signature, intimate live music venue by night, with floor to ceiling windows which offer up views over Chapel Market.

The venue has a 150-person capacity, built around a jazz-fusion feel, bringing jazz, soul, gospel, reggae and more from emerging artists and touring stars. Beyond the core live music programme, it also hosts comedy, spoken word events, Motown and Afrobeats brunches, so expect a mix of sit-down gigs and more dance-focused daytime sessions depending on what's booked in.

For listings purposes, the brunch slots here pull in a gospel-meets-house crowd, with the House Gospel Choir brunch a regular fixture on the calendar through autumn 2026. Food draws on African, Caribbean and South American cooking, so it's worth turning up hungry as well as ready to dance.