The Rose and Crown sits next to beautiful Clissold Park. It has been spruced up and features decent outdoor seating and a fantastic menu.

The Venue
The Rose and Crown is positioned right on the corner of trendy Stoke Newington Church Street. It’s the perfect place to relax with a pint at the weekend after you’ve exhausted the Farmers Market and the Vintage Boutiques that Church Street has to offer. With old slate floors and a rounded glass frontage, you could liken the Rose and Crown to the inside of a Seventeenth Century ship hull.

Traditional wooden beams, a log fire and the odd barrel carved out to make a seat, this is a home from home. A selection of board games on the bar keep you amused and it feels cool, calm and collected. Pub benches are positioned outside the front of the pub with around fifteen tables inside. The exterior has benefited from a facelift and looks bright and approachable. A nice feature is the blackboard on the exterior wall where staff regularly write a riddle or quote for you to ponder over.

The Atmosphere
The Rose and Crown is so laid back it’s almost horizontal - this is a pub with a light-hearted approach to life. It caters for the local demographic, so expect fashionable folk, Church Street baby boomers and born and bred East Londoners. There is always music playing in the pub - a bit of lazy country music here and there - but it is kept firmly in the background so you won’t leave with a hoarse throat from shouting over thumping tunes all night.

The bar staff are sprightly and fresh faced and a large bar coupled with a decent amount of staff means you won’t wait long to be served. They run a weekly pub quiz that takes place every Tuesday from 8pm. Make sure you get there early if you want a seat as it’s an extremely popular event and the standards are high.

The Food
Unusually, while the interior is traditional, it is clear the management are in touch with what tantalises the modern pub goers tastebuds and it isn’t a packet of dry roasted.

Tapas and snacks are available and include things like chorizo and chickpea stew for £3.50 or sardines on toast at £4. They also offer bread and oils for £2 so you can mix and match a mini feast. Wednesday-Saturday they serve traditional pub food: fish ‘n’ chips, Caesar salad and British beef burgers with salad and hand cut chips. The portions are generous and prices are all around the £8 mark.

On Sundays they offer a roast with all the trimmings and a good selection of desserts such as berry crumble and bread and butter pudding with homemade custard. The crumble is just £3.95 and combines sweet summer fruits and sharp English apples topped with decent crumble smothered in smooth vanilla custard.

The Drink
An articulate wine list, Guinness on tap and three draught ales - it does the job. The wine selection is better than average with eleven whites and ten reds to choose from. They squeeze in French, Spanish and Italian offerings. A bottle of Cuvee Le Bosq Blanc Vin de Pays du Comte Tolosan France is just £13.95 for the bottle.

If you are celebrating or are simply in denial that the recession is upon us, you can pick up a bottle of Italian Prosecco for £19.95 or, taking things to the extreme, a bottle of Dom Perignon 2000 is £140. If you prefer mulling over a jar of ale they have three to choose from including a different guest ale.

The Last Word
If you already live in or around Stoke Newington then this may already be your local. However, it’s definitely worth taking a trip out of Central London for a lazy afternoon at the Rose and Crown.

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