please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Yes it's the Grand Union now.
Aiming to sell food and not much of a pub nowadays. We ordered burgers (the staple offering) which were okay but took forever to arrive. Also ordered fries but these took so long to come we gave up and got a refund.
The drinks were dull and over priced.
The atmosphere was non-existent; we were about the only people in there all night. The worst bit was this is exactly how I thought the place would be but social pressure made me go in all the same. It's really not very good, try pretty much anywhere else along the road.
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Cocktails, Nice food & much better than average staff.
I believe it's one of the best places on Upper street.
No real ale, but that's not the point. It's all about the other stuff.
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Noe renamed as The Grand Union.
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Went in and straight out again as music was deafening.
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Went in and straight out again as music was deafening.
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Great place, and will be even better (along with the rest of London) from July 1 onwards with smoking ban!
We are calling this place the "New Florence" because we used to go to the Florence, but now we go here. Better selection of beers and wines, nice couches available, but still quiet enough for locals like me to have a chat with friends and not get stampeded by the Upper Street rush.
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Friday evenings visit was totally ruined by the volume of the music.
I had read the earlier comment about music volume levels but naively assumed that perhaps it referred to later in the evening.
Not likely. 6pm and conversation was totally drowned out.
We asked the staff to turn it down which they did but they turned it up again immediately after.
We left after 2 drinks as one of the party was beginning to lose their voice as we had to shout so load to make ourselves heard.
A total downer to start the evening which has totally reversed my previous high opinion of this place.
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Really friendly pub with laid-back atmosphere - and the photos from Markus MacGill really lift the place.
anonymous - 14 May 2007 16:20 |
Nice but tendency to play really annoying loud music .. of cours eI might just have hit it on a bad night. Hope they have fixed the door so it doesn't stick open everytime someone comes in.
anonymous - 7 Mar 2007 17:51 |
There is a very, very well stacked blonde barmaid in here who is extremely friendly. Lovely.
Big and open, surprisingly big, no exciting beer but most people don't seem to care about that I suppose.
I enjoyed a pint in here after dinner at the decent little thai a couple of doors down, and might well return if passing. Considering its location this is a good bet.
anonymous - 20 Apr 2006 21:30 |
Yeah, you're spot on PieFace, this is one normal boozer that is taking a stand and refusing to "bend over and take it" from the Trendy crew! Pub booze, pub decor and pub clientele in here,.....like it!..I actually spent part of NY eve in here last year and it really hit the spot!
That phrase worked quite well didn't it "Spot on PieFace...."
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One of the last proper pubs on Upper street. A great place to get away from all the new-Islington trendies that have got their own way in destroying most of the other local tippling houses.
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I like this pub - especially on weekday evenings. The bar staff are pretty quick with orders and friendly. The place is spacious and lively but not packed and loud. The decor is interesting without being over the top. The toilets could be better (well the men's anyway), but overall it's a great pub to be in if you like being able to chat to your mates.
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Pleasant. Spacious. Great for a long, relaxed drink of an afternoon.
Unfortunately I can't arrange to meet anyone there because I don't know how to pronounce it. Joreen? Yoreen? Yorayneh?
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Overall I was impressed, a cavernous interior was a welcome relief once we got inside and the fact that I ran into an old friend here out of the blue always helps. Found it a little on the pricey side but given we were on rounds of doubles at this point perhaps I was just the unlucky one!
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Ace pub, totally under-rated. Friendly bar staff, good beer and chilled out music / sofas... Be warned they don't take cards or do food, but you can get take away from La Porchetta down the road!
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Unusually decked out, with huge space put to good use, and paintings galore adorning the walls. This is an excellently chilled venue with massive sofas, antique tables and chairs, plenty of room to move around, especially if you're with a group of friends. This place used to be 'The Royal Mail' (a postman's pub), and it was great then. It's probably the only pub that's undergone a transformation that I like. It definately has improved. Apart from the name that is. If you look at the pub sign outside, the face does indeed have an uncanny resemblance to that odd-bod Boy George. It's a welcoming place for a quiet drink on your own, or with a group.
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This Place is one of my favourites. Particularly good to chill out in. Plenty of Sofas and a 1920s Art Deco look and feel. Mirrors, Palms, Some good Art, and a skylight that adds even more room to the place. I used to come here a lot to chill out and chat with a couple of friends and have been occaisionally at busier times.
The entrertainment is variable, but mostly I liked it
The staff were great for a time until a particular moody northern barmaid arrived on the scene. Good beer and some interesting Spirits.
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Lovely pub with excellent atmosphere. My only criticism is that there is sometimes some rather overbearing live "entertainment" (bloke with keyboard).
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Lovely place. Very attractive, spacious pub/wine bar with comfortable leather sofas, relaxed atmosphere, great music and genuinely friendly staff. Well-kept Abbot Ale and IPA.
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Good pub, chilled music and realxing decor, get a sofa at the back if you can and settle in for the evening-Perfect!!!
matthew - 28 Jul 2004 12:19 |
I'm a local and I never call it the "Boy George", neither have I ever heard it referred to as such. And Islington has loads of pubs without bouncers.
c - 30 Mar 2004 09:26 |
Hard to beat this very refined juicer. For once a makeover (more of a refit in this case) that vastly improves on the original. Just as likely to pop in here with the missus as the mother or the rugby blokes and feel the place is equally convivial for all of them.
Christopher - 25 Mar 2004 15:48 |
I love this pub. The atmosphere is just right. The staff are always friendly and efficient. There's an impressive selection of fine single malts behind the bar. But best of all is the delicious and very reasonably priced food.
Easily my favourite London pub.
R - 24 Mar 2004 12:57 |
Commonly known as 'The Boy George' to us locals, because of the pub sign that bears the image of a very camp-looking Jorene Celeste (who she?) in a pink feather boa. One of the few Issy pubs not swarming with bouncers talking into their lapels, the JC is among the nicest pubs in Islington, and certainly head and shoulders above anything else on Upper Street. It used to be called The Royal Mail, or the Royal Post, if that helps.
Squiz - 17 Mar 2004 17:10 |
Have only been in here very late on a Saturday night. It is narrow and when packed it is a bit claustrophobic and smokey, but it is fun all the same and probably excellent at less busy times.
Paladino - 23 Jan 2004 20:51 |
Not bad, better than most on Upper Street. Impressive decor and very comfortable but the IPA was a bit ropey when I visited. It is effortlessly cool compared with the ear splitting scrum going on at the Old Pa's Head over the road. The cosy area near the door in front of the window is much coveted.
kelly - 18 Dec 2003 13:21 |
