North
The second site from the team behind The Tamil Prince, this one tucked behind Angel on a quiet Islington backstreet where all the action happens indoors. It’s another pub reinvention doing food from the Tamil Nadu region, split over a lively downstairs bar and a smart upstairs dining room with a checkerboard floor and famously low lighting (bring a candle, or your phone torch). The menu leans on Tamil Nadu classics, Chettinad lamb and Thanjavur chicken curries laced with curry leaves and whole chillies, craggy onion bhajis, alongside newer additions like lime leaf-roasted chicken with pineapple chutney and a rich beef masala uttapam. And the roti, given the founders’ Roti King pedigree, is some of the best in London, order two rounds so there’s nothing left unmopped. Sundays bring an Indian-inspired roast with masala chicken, lamb, and coconut stir-fried cabbage.
You won’t be short of entertainment in this Irish pub right by Tufnell Park tube. They’ve got pool and darts, regular karaoke and live music (and gigs in the neighbouring Downstairs at The Dome) and sport on the telly. If you just want a drink though, they can do that too with a decent pint of Guinness.
Given that it’s called The Taproom, it doesn’t take a genius to work out that this place is all about the beer. It originally opened as a pop-up serving just cask ale but was so popular (obvs the locals were thirsty) that it went perm in 2013. They’ve got eight gravity dispensing casks and seven keg lines, with even more bottled beers so you are defo spoilt for choice. And they serve pizza because nothing goes better with beer than pizza.
Formerly the Pride of Tottenham, a pub you’d avoid unless you wanted things to get a bit tasty on matchdays, The Bluecoats is now somewhere you’d actually want to go for pint. The team behind Night Tales is responsible for the new look, including 20 lines of craft, keg and cask beer and Ling Ling’s in the kitchen.
The Pineapple is so beloved by Kentish Town locals that when the place was threatened with redevelopment, a community campaign not only got it saved but listed by English Heritage. The Grade-II listed bar is home to a changing selection of ales, the kitchen dishes up Thai food and it’s also got a gorge conservatory that’s perfect if you’re hosting a little party.
Tucked away on a residential Islington Street, the Earl of Essex is well worth seeking out if you’re serious about your beer. They have a changing selection of around 20 craft beers up on their hymn board and they’ve got their own brewery on-site too. And every dish on their menu comes with a beer recommendation. Obvs you can get other drinks here but why would you want to?
The Albion is another North London pub with an excellent beer garden. This one has got to be one of the prettiest though thanks to all the fruit trees and hanging wisteria. Thankfully the inside of the Georgian pub is just as good too with log fires for when it’s cold, a solid gastropub menu for when you’re hungry and a well stocked bar for, well you know.
Once the playground for all sorts of night dwellers like Amy Winehouse, Noel Fielding and Alexa Chung this Camden pub still offers up a night out to remember…all those impromptu and secret gigs mean you don’t know what you might stumble upon. There’s a tiny outside area you’ll struggle to manoeuvre around but the real gem is the upstairs terrace. The staff look younger than your newborn cousin and couldn’t give a shit what band you are in. Just don’t cause trouble and have a bloody good time.
A guaranteed minimum of 18 ales and ciders are on tap here. GAU-RAN-TEED pal. Not only that, this very old school boozer also does a very good line in sausage rolls and pork pies too. You can’t book, reserve a table, a seat or an area though. You can’t pay by card either. And they don’t have a phone, just beer, cider and a fridge full of meat. How do you like them apples?
After you’ve scaled the rather steep hill and are back on level ground with a puff and a pant your mood will be lifted with the sight of The Flask. It’s a fine looking establishment that’s also a local to a certain Mr Gallagher (the angry one anyway), with a huge beer garden with booths and tables, a cracking roast, local and guest ales. What’s not to like…oh the hill, yes well.
Arguably the biggest attraction to The Faltering Fullback, just up from Finsbury Park tube, is the multi-level beer garden…staircase, beer garden staircase….it’s like a bloody maze. Admittedly weather depending, the garden offers secluded pockets of seating where you can chat into the early hours. The pub itself is a traditional one, except it does Thai food, which isn’t traditional at all, but you’ll find all your usual friends behind the bar. Great pub.
