please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
A pint of Harvey's, a gorgeous Victorian interior and a lovely backstreet location make this a real winner. The only slight problem is the inevitable trustafarian invasion and the fact that it's a lot busier than the oasis it used to be. The Island Queen remains one of Islington's best options.
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Retains much of its original Victorian interior and is worth visiting for that alone - but, based on yesterdays visit, this pub appears to attract the young upwardly mobile Islington types and there is not much in the way of real ale to attract the beer buff.
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Food very variable. However, the beer, staff and decor make the Island Queen an excellent pub which has a very nice local community feel about it.
It would be near perfect if they could sort the food out, i.e. serve a small range of quality bar snacks rather than the over ambitious current menu, or, get a new chef.
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This pub has a good atmosphere, traditional decor with a hint of modernity and an impressive range of ciders.
However, when we went in for drinks and food last night we were very disappointed.
My companions were not impressed with their food (half a roast chicken with three cold roast potatoes rolling around the plate and a beef burger which was unappetising) but at least their meals were edible.
I chose and ordered a seafood platter only to be told some time later that it was not available. I then ordered the "posh mushrooms". When they arrived, the some of the mushrooms were still raw (as was the garlic), there was no sign of any butter and the bread which accompanied it should have been baked before being dished up.
When I took my plate back to the bar, I was offered a refund and an apology. It seemed though that my complaint did not come as any surprise.
We will not be returning to the Island Queen for food.
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Good pub to go and have a sit down with your mates and a chat. Not far from Angel. The food is very good with some nice options for the veggies. Friendly staff. There was only one real ale (London Pride)and a cider on tap when I went, and also some European beers I think. Quiet area, not many tourists. Comfy. Big function room upstairs. Nice.
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just far enough from angel to avoid the cretinous masses but still be handy (if you can find it), attractive pub with a wide range of beers, mostly belgian but with 2 or 3 ales as well. the usual food bias for this kind of place but overall pretty good. I think it's run by the same people as the flask in highgate and the gate at hampstead heath station.
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Popped in last Thursday;a new pub for me. Deuchars was okay.No other real ales were one which was a shame.A mixed clientele, all seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Didn't stop but probably would have done had there been more ales on.
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beautiful place...friendly staff...nice beer...good quality food...quiet Angel side street
anonymous - 27 Mar 2007 23:47 |
Nice pub. Deuchars and Pride on tap, comfy seating, beautiful interior, quiet road. Worth seeking out.
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Open plan but interesting looking local. Beer OK. Tables set for Sunday lunch (very typical) but no-one eating. Better than I made it sound.
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The Island Queen is usually uncomfortably busy and it takes forever to get served on a Friday night. The upstairs no-smoking area is overwhelmed by the cooking fumes from the kitchen. We ditched this as a post-work boozer earlier this year and switched to the quieter Charles Lamb, which is now equally busy but they at least have a dog.
anonymous - 5 Dec 2006 01:24 |
Not eaten here. but what a nice classic boozer! had many a nice evening holed up in here.
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i suprised by a few of the comments below about the food as i've found it to be really good. i generally eat here more in the evenings though so haven't been in when its packed.
They do some great homemade food like the Cottage pie and Macaroni cheese and at £6.50 for that its not expensive.
I know its famous for its Ales but also does some other weird lagers that ive yet to try like Schneiderwiess etc.
Great pub.
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Visited here with a mate on Sunday afternoon. We'd already been here at the end of a Saturday night some months before and wanted to check it out at a quieter time. The decor and beer selection is great, as is the atmosphere, but our main reason for going on Sunday was for a roast. Sadly, we arrived around 2.00pm to be greeted with a sign saying that the roasts had sold out. Opted for standard menu options (bangers&mash and fishcakes). Despite the fact that the place was not that busy, it took an hour (and several prompts) for our food to arrive. When it did it was mediocre (altough the gravy on the bangers and mash got the thumbs up). To their credit, the staff were really friendly and we managed to get free desserts with no problems.
I'd come here again but only for a drink and only if I was in the area. Probably wouldn't make the trip down from NW3 otherwise.
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Its a good pub for beer. Rotating guest ales (often something very unusual, real stouts for example) plus Tim Taylor Landlord. More Belgians on tap and in bottle than you could get through in a session and a a general smattering of continental goodness in the fridge and on the pumps. The only major beer type I have NOT has the opportunity to enjoy here is mild - but that's hardly surprising. On this basis, and because this site is "BEERintheevening", I give the delightful Island Queen a high score. The last poster is right about the food, but if you are only in it for the food best stick to restaurants. So don't let him put you off discovering a real gem.
anonymous - 5 Jul 2006 15:01 |
Last autumn, having heard great reviews from friends, I visited this place in a group of 10 people for Sunday lunch. After well over an hour's wait, and a gentle reminder to the bar staff, we were informed that the lamb was finished. We were pretty peeved at this but chose other dishes, and, after visiting the kitchen to see what was going on, were given a free round. The food then came in dribs and drabs over the next hour so that some of us had long finished before some had started, and one person, in famished desperation, had to make do with the wrong order.
Last weekend myself and three others from that party found ourselves in Islington, and, after finding the Narrowboat pub packed, thought it reasonableto give this one another try. After all, we had been in a large group before. Forty five minutes after ordering we enquired after our food with the surly barman, who suggested that we had only just ordered (we ordered with him!) and that we were at the back of the queue. After three more visits to the bar over the next half hour we finally got our food. A couple of mouthfuls of roast meat, plonked on top of a pile of mash to make it look more plentiful, was worth neither the money, wait or general stress levels of eating in this place. There are loads of great pubs in this area, i'll be staying away from this one.
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I like it - ok - full of the usual 'Islington meeja' types, but then this is Islington. You gets what you pays for. Good range of beer. Nice pub. Slow staff, and on the night I was there they also kicked out early - so obviously can't be bothered with their late license - I was there on a wednesday and they weren't open till 12 for sure.
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breeeeliant place jawohl
anonymous - 14 Mar 2006 16:20 |
As Grinerine points out, this is something that comes down to 'personal experience and opinion'. As I said in my post, I've had lots of great times in the Island Queen and there are (or have been) some great staff working there. My personal experience on the evening of Sat 4th March was a very very poor one, for the reasons I explained. I certainly saw no evidence of the two male staff who were on being 'into providing good and polite service'. They weren't slow, just sloppy and morose. Maybe it was a one-off, but it certainly happened.
And if the pub does have a late license (to be honest, I didn't see the times posted outside), until 1.00pm on a Sat, then all the punters were thrown out 1 hour 40 minutes early, as we were out the door (in precisely the way described) by 11.20pm. This was annoying at the time - and is even more so now that Grinerine has pointed out the existence of a late license. My suspicion at the time was that the two staff were off out somewhere else after work (and perhaps wanted to be there earlier in the evening, and resented working, hence their manner) - the fact that they evidently closed the pub over an hour and a half earlier than it should have been closed on a Sat evening does nothing to shake that suspicion.
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I have to take issue with the last post. First of all I think the staff in here are very good - the only problem is they are so into providing good and polite service they can be a tad slow. But that is all down to personal experience and opinion, on which pgw and I clearly differ.
What I do object to is the assertion that the pub doesn't have a late license because it does, and the opening times are clearly indicated on the sandwich board outside. They are open til midnight Sunday-Thursday and 1am on Friday and Saturday night. Pretty good really, for a pub in a residential street.
anonymous - 6 Mar 2006 11:45 |
Been to this pub loads of times in the past and always had a good time. Architecturally it's fantastic - windows and fittings etc. Range of beers are good. It's pretty expensive though. And the last time I went, the service was amateurish and morose (how many pubs these days have people working behind the bar who actually know what they are doing?) There's been some great staff here in the past, but the two guys who were working there the other night looked miserable as sin, and consistently pulled pints that settled well below a full glass and then had to be asked to top it up (and at these prices, you want a full goddamn pint). There is a sign saying 'Ask us to top up . . . ', but you shouldn't have to ask. The other thing was kicking out time - the pub clearly doesn't have any kind of extended licence (fair enough), but I think it's a pain in the arse that people who are *obviously* ready to leave and are *equally obviously* waiting for someone to come back from the toilets before leaving (saying so to the staff on more than one occasion), should be constantly harried to 'COME ON NOW!!', as if we were still sat supping full pints and ignoring them. These two jokers may have had somewhere to be after work, but people who have spent around £13 per 4-person round all evening deserve a bit more consideration. This seems to be the way these days - great pubs, great beers, inadequate staff and a we've-got-your-money-now-get-lost attitude. I'll go somewhere else from now on
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Good sunday roast. Surprisingly quiet at 1pm on a Sunday. This is truly a great pub.
anonymous - 19 Feb 2006 15:44 |
Expensive, but a great place to go if you want to taste a range of well-kept beers, rather than get bladdered. German wheat beers, and a choice thereof; Belgian fruit beer; and several tasty ales. Well worth a visit.
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A great pub, and I'm glad it hasn't been over-run by the Upper Street masses, who are typically too lazy to stray from the main drag. It has a no smoking upstairs room if downstairs looks too busy for you. Bar service was very poor last time I was there (about a fortnight ago), so I hope the licensees can get their act together on this.
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Saturday 7th Jan 2006
Hello,
Went to the Island Queen on saturday night. Great beer: not very good food and student type service. Messed up the order and then had to reheat the food. Not good. This is not a gastro pub: half way between pub food and gastro. Then went to the Duke of Cambridge. Islington - trendy and probably intimidating for real ale types. But the beer is real and organic: several flavours. Brilliant. The food is fantastic but more expensive then the Island Queen: you get what you pay for.
Adrian Scott
adrianscott@fsmail.net
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Made the trip here for the first time tonight after hearing good things. Very pleased I did.
This pub applies the same formula as The Crown Tavern on Clerkenwell Green, the Castle at Farringdon and the Crown and Sceptre in Fitzrovia - Victorian pub with a scruffy makeover, retaining original features beneath a muted paint job. Great, great beer selection.
The differences between this pub and the others above seem to be wonderful service (ever smiling barmaid twice came to our table to ask if we wanted a new drink) and the fact that they do properly kept real ales (Pride, Deuchars IPA and Landlord).
First impressions - a great pub. I will be going back on Sunday to try out the roast.
anonymous - 4 Jan 2006 23:23 |
A bit hidden away, but worth seeking out.Good selection of beers from home and abroad.Wonderful inerior.Toilets let it down though.
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A really good mixture of modern approach - draught continental beer as well as English, unusual menu - but in a traditional setting beaurifully decorated.
Service friendly and unhurried rather than slow and lots of room for big parties and spaces for the more private to sit.
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A pub with many historic details. A pity with the dull, modern windows facing the street. Nice interior.
Found Inveralmond Thrappeldouser and Küppers Kölsch here in Sept. 05
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The decor etc in this pub's ok but I won't be back. Halfway through serving me the phone rang and the barmaid said "Back in a minute" and went and answered it.
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My favorite pub in islington , come on guys this should be rated much higher than 6.6 get them votes in
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Agree with previous comments about the odd, lush but quite wonderful interior. Very laid-back, gentle pub thats not easy to find but well worth the effort.
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If you're in Islington, give this place a visit - it's stunning, idiosyncratic and has a nice vibe to it.
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Really nice place good selection of beers and the Angus steak burger was superb.
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Having lived in Islington for 5 years and now living in Stoke Newington I cant help but feel disappointed with myself for not venturing around the corner to one of the most stunning pubs I have been to in London in the 10 years I have been living here. Coming from Nottingham, a place well known for its historic pubs I'm used to fantastic pubs filled with history , charm and atmosphere. That was until recently when I finally went to visit The Island Queen, Noel Rd Islington. You cant help but be impressed by the magnificent Victorian windows that go as high as the enormous ceilings. The horseshoe bar seems dwarfed by the grand mirrored walls which you cant help but sit and stare at. It was a Sunday and indeed a sunny day and at first we were reluctant to sit inside a bar even though we were really relishing a Sunday lunch to nurse our hangover from the previous night. But once we entered the pub we were smitten. Serving a varied selection of Sunday Roasts, Bar snacks, a great selection of wine and not to mention the fantastic beers on offer (im hoping to try the raspberry leemans on our next visit) The bar staff were friendly and all smiles and who wouldn’t be working in such a beautifully decadent environment. Instead of s Sunday roast I opted for the fish fingers on ciabatta with lime mayo and a round glass of rioja and sat back reading the Sunday papers. The furniture all very inviting and comfortable with the added bonus of the music being subtle and understated. I could have spent the whole afternoon there if the sun wasn’t calling me. If ever you are in Islington please divert yourself from the trappings of upper street and head south to the tiny back streets. Noel rd is where you 'll find this Victorian treasure, im seriously considering moving back to Islington so that I can be closer to this bar. If not within it! Enjoy
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Very handsome Victorian interior: high ceiling, lots of mirrors and windows, big wooden bar. Two real ales, comfortable, traditional, and slightly shabby. I liked it a lot.
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Splendidly ornate pub, a real back street gem.
Timothy Taylor's wasn't on on my visit, but did a good pint of Pride.
Not yuppified
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Very good pub near the canal and the buzz of Islington. Good food and 3 well-kept real ales (Tim Taylor's Landlord, Fuller's Jack Frost and Adnams' Bitter the last time I pooped in, but varies). Can get very busy at the weekend, but a great place for a meal and a couple of pints on a weekday evening.
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A true example of a traditional London pub. Its ornate features create a timewarp to the turn of the century, and the beer is absolutely excellent. The Timothy Taylor's Landlord was exquisite last night for example. Food is served but I didn't get the chance to try any.
This is a back street gem, and I recommend a visit as part of a good canal-basin crawl.
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Great place tucked away from the maddening crowds that now flock to Upper St. Beautifully original in features, outlay and atmosphere, let's hope that it is not overtaken by the masses.
Wanosh - 26 Apr 2004 17:51 |
Has got to be one of the most impressive looking pubs in London. Amazed it is not on this site already. Terrific London Pride too and it's nicely hidden away from the Upper Street scrum.
ck - 7 Nov 2003 13:17 |
