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New Rose, Islington

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user reviews of the New Rose, Islington

please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.

Since we were in the area we decided to try out this 2015 CAMRA Good Beer Guide pub. A decent range of real ales on offer and friendly service. But at £8.40 for a pint each of Dark Star Hophead and London Beer Factory Chelsea Blonde and served in mugs (why?) we had one drink and decided to leave The New Rose to it's target clientele...
DaveE6 - 16 Jan 2015 11:22
I really like this place. Always incredibly good service despite the shape of the bar, you're never waiting long to be served.

Lovely looking pub, excellent music and a really nice atmosphere.

Always a good evening to be had here.
B3XTER - 5 Jun 2014 17:28
Was reasonably impressed with this pub. It's near enough to the Emirates Stadium to be handy on a matchday, whilst being far enough away to ensure it is not packed. There is plenty of seating around the circular bar. Although we had to move around the bar to get served, as there was nobody serving in the one section. 4 ales were on - Bath Ales Barnesy, London Fields Hackney Hopster, Windsor & Eton Mandarin & Clarkshaws Phoenix Rising. The cider was Thatchers Heritage.
blue_scrumpy - 9 Dec 2013 22:18
Small, pleasant, but a bit dull having come from the wonders of E11/E10. 3 Wandle beers, the 2 I tried were OK. Very Islington formula pub.
mtaylor40 - 16 Oct 2012 22:35
The New Rose is still on my rota for a visit when in the area. Good beer selection, good music, funky trendy, nice.
rob372 - 12 Jul 2012 08:50
I�m really disappointed to have to be writing this about what I thought was my favourite pub in Islington. I�ve always opted for the New Rose as opposed to the Queens Head because I thought there�s always a good crowd, it is cozy and the service is lovely. I recommended this pub to a lot of my friends. On the 25/02/2012 a friend of a friend had an iphone stolen out of her bag at the New Rose. Well, I thought, what are the chances of that, surely the phone must have been left in harm�s way, I mean why steal the phone only and not the whole bag �Just the past bank holiday weekend (Thursday night 05/04/2012 to be precise), my friends and I went to the New Rose�I didn�t have cash on me so I paid by card (twice�) and put my purse in my bag each time. Only for the whole purse to be stolen out of my bag, the worst part of it the person that stole it had seen my PIN number and helped him/herself to whatever that was in my account. There were several bank cards in the purse as well as my driving licence and family photos.Ofcourse he/she tried drawing out of all of the cards using the same PIN(thankfully that did nt work).On realising this, I telephoned the pub twice to make them aware that this has been going on in their establishment and they were very unsympathetic and dismissive. I am sure my friend and I are not the only people that have had this happen this year, at the New Rose pub and I am convinced this is more organised than I might have thought .It�s just too much of a coincidence. So for this reason,The New Rose you have lost a loyal customer !
Faith2012 - 11 Apr 2012 10:33
3 handpumps available. According to the price list, real ales are "locally soursed" but yesterday were from Bath Ales, Orkney and Beartown! All at �3.50 a pint. Quality and service were fine.

A large pub with many posters and pictures on the walls.
cheshirecat - 10 Mar 2012 09:02
Been drinking here for about a year now. There are lots of real ales, decent spirits like Patron (coffee tequila shots) and the remarkable bourbon Woodford Reserve. The food is great without this place being a soulless gastro pub. Deals like 2-4-1 pizza on Mondays, some sports shown on the drop down screens and nearly always good music played, except when one barmaid in particular works,,,her sole mission in life is to play rap/hip hop/house/techno...all different word for complete and utter rubbish, samples and idiots talking along to cut and paste about bitches. Apart from that, utterly brilliant pub.
ruperockroll - 24 Aug 2011 10:18
Popped in on way back from Rosemary Branch and thought how much nicer the New Rose was. Quick service, good choice of well kept beers, roaring fire and nice ambiance - all three generations enjoyed being there. Will definitely return.
flombard - 29 Dec 2010 13:21
Handy to have a pub with real ale in this area of Essex Road even if the beer is expensive. It's well kept and a reasonable choice even if the same beer choice seem to be on for months on end.
ofrex - 7 Dec 2010 09:31
Popped in last night for a couple of drinks. Nice to get a pint in a glass with a handle. They had on Keltek King and Moorhouses Black Cat. We sat below the big screen but the football wasn't too loud that we couldn't chat. My friend ate and she enjoyed her pizza. Recommended if you're around the area.
DuchyBoy - 15 Sep 2010 17:24
Agree with previous posters - nice pub, good music (that's not so loud you can have a conversation with more than one person at a time), the pizzas on offer are nice & there's a projector on the ceiling that's used for big sporting events (ie Arsenal around these parts). Have asked to see the cricket here in the past which they happily sorted out for us even though it looked like a right faff. Also nice to get a pint in the ol' jar. Worth a visit.
TinosTheBest - 29 May 2010 17:19
No more Lowenbrau here.
Instead its �4.30 for a pint of Budvar..
Nice beer but �4.30????
actonboy - 3 May 2010 14:56
I posted a review just under a year ago. I hadn't been since but nothing has changed, thankfully. The beer was great, I had Exmoor Stag ...in a jar ! There were 3 or 4 others on offer including a Batemans seasonal .
The music was usually good, depending on who was selecting from the ipod.
The two gents behind the bar (at 6pm on 19th April) were friendly and polite.
Its an old pub given a funky refurb but not too funky, I will definitely return .
rob372 - 26 Apr 2010 12:05
currently my favourite islington pub. Went last night - great atmosphere. good staff. tried all three ales which were all excellent and from small breweries.
ian_j_baker - 21 Mar 2010 16:22
Excellent pub. Lots of character, roomy, interesting, warm, decorative, good selection of beer (Double Dark was exceptional), excellent music, polite and welcoming barstaff, great food.

To be served beer in proper old style mugs was a nice touch, good attention to detail.

The food is good albeit limited on choice. The burgers were great but the accompanying chips were out of this world. Not sure I've ever tasted a better chip, brilliant!!

Hard to find a fault with this pub as it ticks so many boxes, not least the fact that it's not full of Upper Street bellends.
Dylarolla - 11 Nov 2009 12:19
There was a decent selection of ales in here on my recent visit, including SA Gold and Mordue India Pale Ale and also a selection of premium lagers including Lowenbrau, which I�ve not seen for an age.

This is a large pub with three separate drinking areas and although I spotted no TVs the jukebox seemed popular and some decent songs were selected.

I found the staff to be friendly and the other punters were nice enough creating a good atmosphere.

There are a selection of stone baked pizzas available and maybe I will try one next time I'm in the area.
Strongers - 11 Sep 2009 09:20
First visit yesterday evening. Nice place. Nice staff. Good mix of people. Good lagers, well kept. All round really good!
biggerbyfar - 31 Jul 2009 10:18
Not being lazy but the review below is pretty much spot on.
3 beers on offer, including one from Mordue brewery (all advertised on a board outside) Close to the excellent Flashback record shop ( +cds !)
rob372 - 16 May 2009 12:46
Gets a lot of things right and confirms the feeling that the further you trek from Angel station in Islington, the better the bars and pubs generally become. The skill here has been to tread that wafer thin line between the traditional plus points of an English pub (dark wood, a range of rooms, good ales and a convivial atmosphere) and the more pleasing aspects of trendy De Beauvoir Town artiness (unpretentious 'gastro' food, a fashionable and good looking clientele and a decent juke box) without straying too far into either and thus upsetting nobody. It gets rammedly busy later in the evening but is one of the better recent conversions in London.
BoehmBawerk - 5 Apr 2009 11:04
Called in last night after spotting 3 real ales advertised on the board outside. All very nice but at �3.50 a bit on the pricey side. Early doors is pleasant for relaxed drinking - weekends and later in the evening can get a bit noisy for the 'normal' ale drinker. This pub has come on a treat since it first opened in it's current incarnation. Hope it continues it's cask ale policy but it may have trouble getting ale drinkers to cough up the higher price charged here, particularly since the financial meltdown.
chick - 6 Mar 2009 11:47
Have been a couple of times now - once at lunchtime, once after midnight. It was much more lively the second time! It's ok. Have not quite made up my mind about this place yet, but have no qualms about returning!
FreeBornJack - 1 Dec 2008 23:44
This place rocks. Love the bar staff. The London Pride is well kept (and another guest beer promised soon if the landlord Matt is not telling porkies). Staro also keeps the 'connoisseur' lager drinkers quiet. Jack the chef serves up mean fodder too. It's a lovely place and never too packed or moody like its neighbour the Queen's Head. It is just far enough up Essex Road to keep the tourists away. A hidden gem.
beer - 27 Feb 2008 20:23
Seems like a decent pub. For some reason looked a bit rough from the outside, even though I double checked on the way out and the exterior's actually quite nice, with it's Victorian tiling.

Nice on the inside too with it's exposed brickwork. Far enough away from Upper Street not to have that frenetic feel. Friendly, effient service. Quite a comfortable and relaxed feeling. Good solid pub.
Greshon - 25 Feb 2008 11:53
I really like this pub. yes it's had a refurb but the beer is still good and the fire is still warm and the service is still friendly. It's a nice mix of cosy pub, not too shabby and not too islington
rachelgroves - 3 Jan 2008 22:45
Shouty pub full of drunken estate agents - or at least it was when I went in - with a dash of Shoreditch types. I've spoken to old locals who used to go in there but were told they weren't welcome any more after the refurb. Seems to be fairly empty in the week - probably why I've seen more of the old locals in there recently when I've peered thru' the window on the way past. I suppose any cash in the till is welcome when mid-week trade is slow.
chick - 31 Aug 2007 20:15
definetly worth a visit. Week days are friendly and cosy with real log fires in both rooms, sofas and large booths to sit on. At the weekends they have dj's playing music you wouldn't expect, or forgot that you love. the foods great and unpretentious, staff actually know their regulars names and yet it doesn't feel any more than "just a pub" (as the hanging sign tells you outside)
bobbydaze - 24 Nov 2005 14:57
This is a gem of a place amongst the myriad of standard Islington bars. A real pub! Log fires, real ale and one of the best juke box selections since T-birds in Finsbury park.
melinda - 23 Nov 2005 17:00
Now been refurbed and renamed as "The New Rose". The new owners/staff are very friendly and generally they have effected a vast improvement. Exposed brick work and careful restoration of wood interior has added a new dimension to what was previously a pretty unattractive space.

The ususal leather sofas are there (no sign of this Shoreditch export declining in popularity yet)and most of the trappings of the feather-cut mullet/drainpipe set are in evidence but it would be a little unfair to laugh too hard. Effort has been made - the Jukebox is well stocked and there is a lot of space for live music/DJ if the place goes in that direction. Locals of the previous incarnation look appropriately baffled by all this.

Probably destined for fashionable N1 venue status (it is near soulmates such as the Embassy, the Warwick and the Queens Head) which it deserves. Only drawback is the beer selection. Standard lagers and no ale. Not that this will bother the target clientele.
beer - 21 Jul 2005 15:12
Like the Green man just along the street, this pub contains some of Islington's strangest characters. Indoor deco is pleasant, traditional and in some contrast to the shady looking exterior.
Russell - 20 Jan 2004 13:26

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