please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
I've been to this place a couple of times now and on both occasions I spent the majority of the time in the Garden which I have to say is very nice. Kept reasonably well but be careful if you coming down the steps with a tray of drinks. I didn't experience the bitters & ales there only the lager but this nice tucked away side street pub in Primrose Hill seems a nice enough place to take the friends and family for a Sunday drink, they even allow you to take your dog in which I think more pubs should do, Woof Woof.
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External colour scheme has changed since photo, for the better imo.
Good Timothy Taylor's Landlord was had and I noted another couple of cask/draught.
Pleasant interior, still has feel of a pub although they do food too (not sampled).
Noted a mega screen in the corner but volume was agreeably low at the time.
Service prompt.
Could wish for more e.g. wider array of cask but frankly, no complaints.
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Noisy. Muzak terrible.
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Popped in by accident on a saturday night - as got lost looking for another pub. Looks good from the outside, looked good on the inside. Nice collection of clientele, nice selection of beverages including organic cider and perry in the fridge. Didn't eat but did wonder which prize the pork pie and picallilli had actuall won. This to me gave the impression of a pub I would like as my local, laid back, clean and comfortable
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This pub turned out to be better than I expected. The only ales on were GKIPA and Abbot unfortunately, but I nevertheless quite enjoyed my visit. Like other pubs in the immediate vicinity, it has intentionally moved upmarket. It�s bare-boarded, with the usual solid wood tables, but comfortable nonetheless. There was some laid back blues being played during my late lunchtime/early afternoon visit, making a very welcome change from the usual banal pop music. The service was friendly enough.
It still retains some of the vestiges of its Victorian, or perhaps Edwardian, heritage. There was what looked like some old etched glasswork in a panel by the door; an iron (?) pillar in front of the bar; some original looking roses round the chandeliers plus decorated cornices. The leaded light windows look the real deal as a well. Like other posters before me, I would say that the food doesn�t appear cheap, but as I didn�t eat there I can�t comment on the quality and therefore can�t say if it is good value or not. I think I�m in the same camp as Planner_21 � I quite like it, but would welcome a better choice of ales. But you either like GK ales or you don�t. For me, in this case it�s the lack of decent ale choice that puts this pub in the �OK� category, rather than the �good� category.
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I guess I'm in the 'like' category for this one.
There's a relaxed feeling to the place. I'd like it even more if (a) the beer selection was better and (b) the lighting was less harsh.
Saying that, I've never eaten in here - it was always above what I'd happily pay in a pub, even if prices have remained roughtly same while othes have caught up in the last three or four years.
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It's interesting to read the conflicting reviews here. I cannot understand how anyone can have a good word to say about this place. It's dreadful. The garden is nice, but that is the only positive thing I can muster about this place. The food and service is terrible - the staff are always rude and slow and I can cook better myself (which is really saying something) the interior is also pretty offensive which wouldn't ordinarily bother me - but I don't mind mentioning it in this case as the pub is so completely rubbish.
For others to have had such a good experience really completely baffles me. I can't help but wonder if the landlord has been spending some time writing glowing reviews...
Skip this place and head for The Engineer or The Queens. Much nicer. And you might see Sacha Baron Cohen in there too.
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I really like this pub. I had dinner tonight and the seabream was great. The garden was fantastic and the staff were really friendly. Will def come back, if nothing else to see the landlords cute dog!
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Unfortuante experience obviously had by the previous people but on reading it I must say it's prompted me to comment myself . I've been a customer for the last 3 or 4 years and enjoyed many pleasant afternoons and evenings enjoying good service and great food. More recently I would say that the food is back to it's good ole standards and is particularly enjoyable! Don't let one person's experience put you off... it's a fab location round the corner from primrose hill, off the beaten track enough that you're not crammed in all the time, and certainly not the level of price you would pay at the pub at the other end of the road. I will continue to frequent this quaint little pub.
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Interesting previous posts...I was in this pub over the weekend and saw other customers complain about the food as well to no satisfactory resolution....not sure if it was the posters above. This pub is fine for its proximity to Regents Park and Primrose Hill but the very average food is priced at science fiction prices - particularly ironic with financial apocalypse looming. So typical of the cowboy greed that has turned our once great capital into the seedy clip-joint it has become.
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What a horrible pub full of horrible bar staff who don't have a clue how to treat customers and a manager who seems to care less - during this time when there is less money floating around you'd think they'd be a bit concerned about keeping customers rather than making them promise to never never step through the door ever again.
After paying over the so obviously advertised below �10 per head cost for a Sunday roast we over and hour later received a plate full of cold hard veg, stringy meat and burnt Yorkshire puddings - we were all starving so really tried to give the food a chance - oh more fool us. When we very politely said we were unhappy daggers may have been thrown in our direction by the barmaid who seemed to instantly take the whole thing like we were personally attacking her and get on her high horse. Her first reaction was to state "I can re-heat it" mmmm a few mins in the microwave doesn't fix a roast where half the food hasn't been cooked correctly in the first place....Then when we asked if we could just have our money back because the food really wasn't edible we were told we'd eaten too much to justify a refund. Huh? way to go folks on not encouraging a return visit. Then when we asked to speak to the manager they basically couldn't be asked to show their face - obviously they must be getting complaints all the time because they couldn't even show their face - must be bored hearing about how awful the staff are to their customers.
Oh and it wasn't just the roast... my friend got the Greek platter - they couldn't even toast a pitta bread correctly and they mistook the deep fry for a grill...
We ended up here because the lovely pub down the road was fully booked... I hope this doesn't happen to anyone else.... no way is the food phenomenal quite the opposite - it was gross!!
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Myself and my friends ordered lunch here and having waited well over half an hour for our order and having politely asked if we would have to wait much longer, were presented with three platefuls of unappealing looking mess. Despite everything on the plate being cold, the Yorkshire puddings were burnt, the roast potatoes were uncooked and the vegetables raw. The beef was grey and impossible to cut - the entire meal was utterly inedible.
We told a member of staff that we were unable to eat what we had been served and were told that as she had only been working there for two days that she would get someone to come over. Several minutes later a stroppy Australian barmaid arrived at the table asking 'What's the problem' at which point we (very politely) explained that we were very disappointed with the food and that everything was cold. She responded with 'Shall I have it reheated for you?' as the majority of the food wasn't actually cooked we didn't think this would resolve our issues and replied with 'I think we'd rather a refund' Tutting and taking my plate away she said 'Ok YOU haven't eaten it' she turned to my friends and snapped 'But YOU have eaten half of yours' (they had barely touched their food) she then returned a while later and slammed my �12.50 on the table in front of me, took the other two full plates of food away telling my friends that the have a policy not to refund customers unless they don't actually get their food at all. One of my friends then asked if it would be possible to see the manager and after disappearing for a while the barmaid then called out across the bar to us that the Manager wouldn't be coming down to see us because 'She trusts me to deal with this with my own discretion so, even though I don't think you've been very nice to me - I'll refund YOU but not YOU because you ate some of yours' she then came over to the table and slammed another �12.50 down on the table before saying 'I suggest you split that between you' before storming off.
We had no apology at any point and the manager was clearly so unconcerned that she had dissatisfied customers in her pub that she couldn't even be arsed to deal with it herself - preferring to let a barmaid with an attitude problem be rude to paying customers.
An awful, awful place with appalling food, service and staff. Give it a massive swerve.
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Avoid this pub at all cost... we ordered sunday lunch after a 40min wait it finally arrived cold, under cooked and horrible. When we politely complained the waitress was so rude we asked to speak to the manager. We never got to because he/she couldn't be asked to come down and speak to us. Instead they then accused us of "eating" too much to get our money back and trying to take advantage. Honestly it was quite shocking.... bad enough for me to register on this site to warn people not to ever go to this pub.... I don't know what that girls problem was but she seriously should consider getting out of the customer service industry - not a way to run a pub or keep people wanting to go back.
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I really liked this pub and it would be my pub of choice in the area if the only ale available wasn�t Greene King IPA and Abbot. Standard and premium lagers are also available from the very nice bar staff.
There is a conservatory at the rear that overlooks the garden and there are also three picnic tables on the path outside the front of the pub.
I liked the crowd in here and it certainly wasn�t as stuffy or stuck up as some other nearby pubs.
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This is a strangely a really great pub - I did the pub quiz last Tuesday
The decor is a little tired but the staff are great, having the locals bring their dogs into a central london pub is really cool and the food is unbelievable
A group of us ate before the quiz and the food was phenomenomal - all the dishes were under a tenner and some of the best food I have had anywhere
For great food, a friendly atmosphere (and a slightly dated decor) then rock up
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Wasn't that impressed. Liked the exterior and the stained glass window but the fairly minimalist interior I found boring. It has a nice beer garden out the back which was quite full on the warm weekend evening I visited. Ale-wise, IPA, Abbot and Bombardier, so nothing very exciting - the IPA was on reasonable form.
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A refreshingly traditional and friendly alternative to the otherwise identikit North West London gastropub experience. The occasional prescence of a council estate habitue - avec chien - adding a delightful ingredient of authenticity.
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I went here a few weeks ago on a Wednesday night. very chilled atmosphere, not that busy. Staff were really friendly. Food was excellent and very reasonably priced. Nice unpretentious boozer.
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Lovely boozer; mellow pub-ish decor, pleasant staff, food smelt lovely and the cat is gorgeous.
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Quite smartly done out place, bigger than it first appears as it continues through the back into a medium-sized beer garden, complete with attractive tree and gas heater. On my visit, ales on offer were the ubiquitous GK IPA and Bombardier, which seemed in reasonable nick. Mostly a late twenties-early thirties crowd.
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This pub is my local. Many friends come and visit me because they like the pub.
But have to agree it's a bit pricey and the quality of food fluctuates as mentioned in other reviews. Sunday roasts can be a bit stingy on the meat and roast pots and overdone with mixed veg.
Garden and pub cat add nice relaxed atmosphere.
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Very nice pub, looks good and the garden is great in summer. Agree about the the food and the staff being hit and miss. My main gripe is how long the food can take it can take. Good beer though.
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lovely atmosphere - real mix of people - food very good although chips a bit pricey! bar staff occasionally lovely occasionally surly - perhaps severe PMT?!!
anonymous - 20 Sep 2006 14:52 |
Nice pub for a quiet evening. Great beer garden and good no-smoking area. We've given up eating there as the food is very 'hit and miss' but they serve IPA.
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Super pub! Enjoyable times casn be spent at all times of the year in this pub. In summer you can relax in the beer garden or on the strretside tables and in winter in front of the fire with a glass of mulled wine. Food good, howver a little costly
anonymous - 31 Dec 2005 15:31 |
The Albert has been our local for the past 10 years, but we stopped patronising it earlier this year as the food became very dodgy!. But, pleased to say that things have picked up markedly in the last two months, so we are happy to return!
anonymous - 22 Oct 2005 20:44 |
Yes, the garden is a great place to drink. Found the food to be very good. Location near the park makes it a convenient place for a weekend lunch.
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The summer brings out the best in this beautiful little pub, as the garden is surprisingly large and very pleasant. The beers are good but the food is restaurant priced and moderate pub standard.
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Probably the best pub in Primrose Hill, IMHO. Green King Ales and the standard largers. Wouldn't bother with the food though. Excellent beer garden and nice friendly staff.
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For five years this was my local pub and I loved it. Cosy and welcoming in the winter, delightful beeer garden in the summer (sit under the apple tree for a game of apple Russian Roulette - whos head will the next one fall on?).
Food quite nice but pretty expensive.
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A really nice traditional pub with an open fire in the winter and a big garden for the summer. Good selection of beers and really nice home made food. In the winter, they run a quiz night every Tuesday which is always good fun. There is also a non-smoking section.
Libby - 4 Oct 2004 16:05 |
a traditional-looking pub interior where people who are very much pup pub people, and people who are more trendy-bar hoxton, shoreditch, islingtonian types can both feel happy being in . couple of beers on hand-pump, not especially expensive for the area . you may or may not choose to return, but you won't leave thinking ' i wish that i'd gone elsewhere '.
dan - 19 Aug 2004 12:47 |
