Barrio North has managed to create a venue that, despite its Latino flavour, fits into the Islington location perfectly with quirky decor, outstanding cocktails and service with a personal touch.

The Venue
Barrio North is located on busy Essex Road, an area not lacking in funky bars and pubs. It’s easily reached from Angel tube station, and the outside gives up a few clues as to what to expect once you get in. Bright blue signage and a splash of different colours make it easy to locate.

Once inside, the decor is taken from the Spanish areas of cities such as Havana, Miami, New York and Rio. Decorative tiled surfaces, bright colours and battered brown leather sofas make this place feel fresh, fun and clean. There are three focal points at Barrio – the long formica bar, the DJ booth in the middle of the room, and (best of all) La Caravana, a 1976 touring caravan stripped out, customised and brought into the bar for groups and parties to sit in.

The Atmosphere
The crowd at Barrio North is a pretty eclectic bunch, with everyone from Islington’s suited and booted bankers to the Upper Street fashionistas stopping by for a well-made cocktail, served up by staff who want to chat to you and make your visit unique and enjoyable. Even the bouncers greet you warmly and wish you a good evening on the way in.

The Food
There’s a decent choice of bar snacks available such as vegetable crudites with hummous, nachos with salsa and guacamole, and a few platters to share. Prices range from £2.50-£10 for the sharing options. Although the food is well-executed, it’s fair to comment that some of the after work drinkers would linger longer if there were more sizeable food offerings available.

The Drink
Where the choice in food is lacking, it’s more than made up for with the brilliant cocktail and wine list. Wine costs around £3.50-£5 a glass or from £12 a bottle. It would be a sin to come here and not try the original and inspired cocktails though – all your favourite mojitos, caipirinhas and caipiroskas are on the menu as you’d expect, but go for something more exotic like the fizzy and fruity Antartic Cherry (cachaca, morello cherries, and Brazilian energy drink Guarana Antartica) or the Girl from Ipanema (a vanilla-infused caipirinha). Even more unusual is El Grinch (a heady blend of Gran Centenario Anejo with avocado and black pepper). The cocktails are well priced, at around £6.50 on average, and come in typically Latin measures.

The Last Word
It would be great to see Barrio North match its fantastic drinks with food of equal quality, but that’s a small complaint next to the notable welcoming service, decor that really gets you talking, and those mouth-watering cocktails. A must visit.

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