The Londesborough, Stoke Newington

Went to the revamped pub last night, having seen mixed reviews here.

Firstly, this pub wasn't very good before. It was overpriced, and the food was ok, but highly overpriced and didn't use good enough ingredients to justify cost. It was the weakest link in the Newington Green / Albion Road pub sprawl, though a couple on Church Street gave it a run for its money.

I thought the refurb was ok. They made it less dingy out the back (it was never cool enough to pull off the Camden skank thing anyway), and seperating the restaurant area from the drinking one isn't a bad move.

The beer was superb. The barman was an expert on ales and their storage sesitivities. A big plus in an area where that's not always the case (the Alma and the Snooty Fox have appaling beer).

I didn't eat the food, but the menu looked good and the prices were lower than before and closer to acceptable for what is still a pub, not a restaurant.

Main problem was that there were only four of us there between 7 and 9pm, so it was freakishly quiet.

The Shakespeare is the best pub in Stokey, for sure, and the Prince is probably better than the Londesborough, but it's close, and with more people to fill its cavernous walls this place could go far.

21 Jan 2010 09:33