One of a growing number of Pitcher and Piano bars in London, the Islington branch fits the formula of this popular chain perfectly - and that's not necessarily a good thing.

The Venue
Right in the middle of Upper Street, Pitcher and Piano Angel is in a great location to draw in the crowds. Inside is spacious, nicely decorated and has a stereotypical chain bar feel. It's modern with clean lines, simplistic and inoffensive. Well laid out, there are areas for small groups and bigger sofas and tables for larger groups.

The Atmosphere
Regardless of its proximity to the square mile, the Pitcher and Piano chain attracts city workers and the Upper Street branch is no exception. This bar seems to have fallen foul of the unfortunate predicament that plagues many a chain bar – a fair amount of style but no substance, with boys in suits making up the majority of the clientele.

Weekends are very busy with queues to get in, queues for the bar and queues for the toilet. The music is too loud to talk and without a dancefloor it seems an unnecessary attempt to add a bit of life to the bar. That said, if you're coming for a few drinks after work then Pitcher and Piano Angel will tick a few boxes: decently priced drinks, a good selection of cocktails, and a nice looking, contemporary bar to drink in.

The Food
You can expect a mixture of salads, steaks, burgers and an average selection of desserts here. There’s enough choice should you get a bout of the mid-drink munchies but nothing to get excited about.

The Drink
There's a good selection of wine and cocktails. Happy Hours and various drink offers keep the prices down.

The Last Word
Pitcher and Piano Angel suffers from the nice but unremarkable syndrome that affects chain bars up and down London. A nice bar with nice drinks - that’s it.

venue information venue map view london review user reviews (2) image gallery (1)