Tucked away on an Islington back street near Angel tube station, this attractive pub is far from the madding crowd of Essex Road and Upper Street. With a picturesque setting, friendly bar staff and a great food and drink offering, it has an old gin house feel accentuated by its classic original decor. Its distinctive character is both fitting and appealing.

The Venue
Built in 1851, the Island Queen sits on a quiet residential street with beautiful architecture typical of this area of North London. Somewhat unloved in years gone by, it has undergone a transformation and discovered a new identity under the current management.

Inside, the pub’s original features and decor have been maintained with a central original bar taking pride of place. Etched glass, dark wooden panelling, chandeliers and colonial-style mirrors painted with vast green plants recall the pub’s history, while huge floor-to-ceiling windows allow in plenty of light. With candles in Champagne bottles and contemporary light fittings, the venue is traditional with a modern touch.

Seating is varied, ranging from small wooden tables and chairs to huge curved striped sofas suitable for big groups. Whilst the decor is slightly tired in places, this only serves to add personality. A huge statue of ‘the Island Queen’ – supposedly Queen Victoria – is situated in one of the back rooms. Move upstairs, and you enter a big room with mismatched wooden benches and tables, comfortable leather sofas and chairs, old-fashioned lampshades, an original fireplace, decorative wallpaper and curtains cordoning off different areas. With big windows looking across the residential street. It’s a good place to relax with a newspaper.

The Atmosphere
The pub is fairly traditional with a focus on creating a cordial, down to earth atmosphere that isn’t stuffy or pretentious. Attracting a mix of young professionals, locals and city workers, this is the type of place where people drop in for a drink and end up staying for the night, and this longevity is a testament not only to the bar’s competitive offerings but also to the quality of the service. There’s very much a local community feel, with a wine club on Mondays and the extremely popular quiz night on Tuesdays. By night, the lights dim and the music turns up for a more upbeat atmosphere.

The Food
Unlike many other pubs in the Angel area, the Island Queen doesn’t try to be a gastro pub. The focus is on good pub grub at decent prices, with a few modern twists. A regularly changing menu includes a range of light dishes, main courses and burgers, whilst roast pork, beef, chicken and nut roast are served on Sundays. Light dishes include tasters like calamari with lime mayo dip, baked Camembert with red onion chutney, and hummus with crudities and Moroccan flatbread. Prices are between £4.20-£5.

Main courses include pub staples such as Toulouse sausages with homemade spring onion mash and red onion gravy, and freshly battered haddock with skin-on chips, mushy peas and tartar sauce. Prices range from £6.95 to around £11. Burgers are handmade and carefully seasoned, accompanied by a toasted sesame bap, skin-on chips and Bloody Mary ketchup. Choose from the handmade 8oz Casterbridge beer burger with a range of toppings, lamb burger seasoned with Moroccan spices, garlic, mint and coriander with tzatziki, or the lentil and spinach burger – all are priced between £6.50 and £8.50.

Of the mains, the not so traditional fish and chips comes highly recommended. Monkfish tails are soft and succulent, covered in a light, fluffy fresh ale and herb batter, served with crunchy flavoursome skin-on chips, tartar sauce and freshly made mushy peas that aren’t too sweet. The matured 8oz steak is cooked to order and comes out medium rare as requested, served with skin-on chips, a grilled beef tomato, flat mushroom and a moderate peppercorn sauce. For those with a sweet tooth, there are a couple of options for £3.50 such as chocolate brownie and vanilla pod ice cream.

The Drink
The drink menu is extensive. The Island Queen sells an interesting selection of spirits, including three bourbons (Makers Mark, Jack Daniels, and Bullet), and a great choice of whiskey, gin and rum. Pitchers of Pimms and jugs of Cosmopolitans cost around £10.

Beer drinkers are also spoilt for choice. Rather than just stock run of the mill brands, the bar sells a selection of more unusual beers such as Kuppers Kolsch, a light and refreshing lager from Munich. You can also buy Carling, Staropramen, Guinness, Pilsner Urquell, Peroni, Hoegaarden, Fruli, Paulaner, Sierra Nevada and Leffe on tap for £2.80-£4 a pint. If cider is more your thing then Addlestones, Aspall’s Suffolk Cider and Westons are also available (£3.20-£3.60 a pint). What’s more, the Island Queen is a CAMRA pub and stocks London Pride at £2.80 a pint, along with two guest ales for £3.05 a pint. If bottled beers are more your thing, the selection includes Brothers, Budvar, Becks, Asahi, Birra Moretti, Tsingtao and Vedett along with bottled conditioned beers such as Chimay Blue, Red and White.

Wine drinkers are not forgotten, with house wines starting at £11 a bottle. The focus is on new world wines, which include an Argentinean Malbec at £13.50 a bottle and a Pinot Grigio Blush at £15.50 a bottle. They also stock Ciao organic wine, which comes in an unusual tetra pack for £15.50.

The Last Word
A genuinely friendly local pub with distinctive appeal, plenty of character and competitive prices, this is definitely worth seeking out.

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