The Marquess Tavern

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 20 reviews

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32 Canonbury Street,
Islington,
London,
N1 2TB

0872 148 1196
Note: Calls cost 10p per min plus network extras.

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The Marquess Tavern
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Reviewer BeckyHu
11/11/2010
I have just read the review below and now am determined to go back and try the bangers and mash!!

I just wanted to thank the Marquess staff for a really lovely evening. I was taken there by my boyfriend for a quiet 30th birthday to find a surprise party of 10 friends sitting in the beautiful conservatory dinning room surrounded by balloons, with fairy lights on the ceiling - it was stunning and made me feel 25 again!!

More importantly the food was perfect, from the lamb to the fish and chips we were all very happy. The waiter was friendly and recommended a beautiful malbec red wine. I am very happy to go back on a more regular basis!

Thanks again.

Becky
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Reviewer Jane_London
14/10/2010
I had not know about The Marquess Tavern for long before finding out the disappointing news about the prix fixe menu coming to an end!! Finally I found the bargain of a life-time and then it's gone! Despite being a bit gutted I still go in with friends to take part in the weekly pub-quiz which is a great place to get to know some locals in the area! Just the other night I tried the new menu, which is now much bigger. I had the bangers and mash - But these are no normal bangers and mash, the sausages and venison not pork, the mash is really creamy and the gravy is delicious. I know bangers and mash is not a complex meal but The Marquess Tavern really have perfected this British favourite - I very strongly recommend it to anyone in the area with a rumble in their belly!!
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Reviewer Essex_Ben
15/09/2010
The Marquess Tavern is lovely, a sheer delight to find it! It's not 'a 'Gordon Ramsay or Jamie Oliver' restaurant it is quite simply a cosy, local's pub with a small restaurant for dinning at the back. The two things that matter to me when eating out are the food (obviously!) and the service. I have paid double the price for food of half the quality in London so to find The Marquess really is a gold mine. For example I paid £20 for a rump steak in Shoreditch last month - The Marquess offers a rump steak (which was also cooked better) in the set menu - 2 courses for £12. The waiter was very friendly and it is obvious the bar staff have a good relationship with the regulars. It really is a super place for fantastic and affordable food!
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Reviewer Rach87
11/08/2010
I work and live in the Angel/ Highbury area and had never heard of the Marquess Tavern until recently. It is off Upper Street, on Canonbury Street and if you don't walk that way you probably don't know about it either!!

After 45 minutes of disappointing service at The Canonbury we wondered down to Marquess and were immediately greeted by friendly bar-staff. The drinks were great and more importantly the staff were happy to serve us! The food looked amazing - we will definitely be taking out work nights our to The Marquess from now on!
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02/07/2010
Sorry but this place is going down the pan fast. The most miserable, rude (French?) manager of a pub I've experienced in 30 years of visiting pubs across the UK. In contrast the rest of the staff seem very pleasant and chatty, God knows how they work with the guy. I drink in there from time to time and his face gets longer by the week. I took a party of people in there a few weeks ago to eat - all commented on the slack service (servers seemed inexperienced) and half the wine list, both reds and whites, was unavailable. In fairness the food is good, but it wants to be at those prices. I've stopped drinking in there now and taken my custom to the Canonbury Tavern round the corner. The service is pretty slow but at least the manager can raise a smile...
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Reviewer Essex_Ben
02/07/2010
The Marquess is a deceiving venue - The appearance from outside suggests it is just a pub. Until you go in you wouldn't believe there is a chandelier conservatory dinning room at the back! And you definitely wouldn't believe that the food is better than 80% of what is on offer on Upper Street and at good value. I ordered the steak which was cooked to perfection and served with homemade chips - even the mayonnaise is home-made!
As I said it is deceiving and definitely worth a try!
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Reviewer wadoandy79
20/05/2010
This cosy, tucked away gastro-pub is an absolute gem for the likes of the locals. It is away from the traffic and the constant stampede of people found on Upper Street. It has a small beer garden on a beautiful and quiet street and a dining room to the rear of the building with white walls, a chandelier and a large glass roof top window. The rest of the pub is humble and traditional with leather studded sofas and old wooden tables - The perfect scenery to try every beer and whiskey under the sun!!

The food is fantastic - again - traditional British cuisine at it's best! I had the vegetable soup which came with hot, crusty rustic bread and for a main course I had the duck, which was cooked perfectly; 'melt in your mouth meat'!

All in all - a lovely treat away from the Upper Street rabble, good food and service - much better than the place around the corner!

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Reviewer iheartldn
01/03/2010
Popped by the Marquess for an impromptu Sunday lunch with my boyfriend and was blown away by the effortless sophistication the staff and menu projected. The dining room was quite bustling, but not uncomfortably busy and we were able to walk in and be sat immediately. We ordered the rack of lamb for 2 and chatted over a bottle of Malbec while we waited. The food was perfectly cooked and great value. The staff were very anticipatory of our needs and offered great suggestions.

We'll definitely be back to check our the prix fixe menu during the week or just to hang out in the bar area.
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Reviewer damienlarrey
30/11/2009
A real old pub, the staff was very friendly. a bit pricey but lovely food.
Nice selection of world beer and wine. We will comeback..
Sam
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Reviewer JW79
30/04/2009
I hadn't eaten at the Marquess for about a year when I visited last week, and the food was of the same impeccable standard.

We enjoyed artichoke soup, great pate, the BEST chicken and mushroom pie I think I've ever had [stuffed full of wild mushrooms] and pork with amazing crackling.

It was all finished of with some local cheese and a well-priced bottle of red.

This is wholesome, happy food, done very, very well.
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Reviewer Wibbles Walsh
13/01/2009
I popped down one evening last week and tucked into a couple of courses from the prix fixe. Outstanding value if you ask me. Would normally happily part with £15 course for a main here and instead scooped up a delicious rabbit and venison terrine followed by a roast haunch of venison with creamed cabbage and smoked bacon (brought the menu home to show my friends!) all for £12! I've paid the same for a couple of bigmac meals on a trip up the M1!!
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Reviewer Little piggy
14/01/2009
I thought I would check ou the Marquess Tavern having seen this review about the £12 fixed price menu and I now also feel compelled to write about it. The staff were warm and friendly, the pub is a great combination of traditional pub for drinks and wonderful restaurant area with high ceilings for indulging in their very top end but no very reasonable traditional British fare. I oted for the poted crayfish followed by the braised ox cheeks... with all the trimmings all for, you guessed it, £12. Thoroughly recommend this as an excellent choice for excellent quality and excellent value.
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Reviewer nkvd
09/09/2008
Disappointing lunch on Saturday. First of all no beef on offer, is the main selling point of this restaurant. Starter of artichoke and mayonnaise a bit lazy but companions had excellent starters. Main course of duck confit turned out to be a rather measly duck leg salad!. Most irritating of all was the selection of cheeses. For £8 this consisted of 4 tiny slivers of similar looking hard cheese with a selection of crackers and a huge slab of quince jelly.

Fellow companions had better luck as regards the main courses it has to be said.


Sorry but not good enough for the prices charged.
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Reviewer Anonymous
07/10/2006
The Marquess Taverb has been turned into a quintessentially British pub, all be it a very nice one! The food is straight out of the 1940's with down to earth service and a stunning environment.


It's not cheap but it is good value. With over 50 single malts, a strong wine selection and more than 40 bottled beers you would be hard pushed to find a better venue, than the Marquess Tavern.
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28/09/2006
Marquess Tavern does the best roast dinner and the biggest. As good as my Mum's in fact, and that takes a special effort. The staff were smiling, makes a nice change from most pubs in London so you can't say better than that. I will be back at Marquess Tavern again on Sunday for my weekly fix of great food, beer and people. Thanks!
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Reviewer Anonymous
18/09/2006
Marquess Tavern is really bad with terrible service. No atmosphere at Marquess Tavern either. Awful food.
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Reviewer Anonymous
13/09/2006
Marquess Tavern is a beautiful looking gastropub from the outside - seventh pit of culinary hell on the inside. Poor food and bad service marked our experience, topped off with a manager who tried to make us feel the fault was ours. Go to The House or any of the other local gastropubs instead of Marquess Tavern.
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Reviewer Anonymous
25/08/2006
Marquess Tavern is my perfect pub - tasty simple food and lots of great beer. I'm yet to test out the enormous whisky range Marquess Tavern is famous for, but I'm looking forward to starting.
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Reviewer Anonymous
19/07/2006
The Marquess Tavern does a good pint and the food's not bad either. I took my mum to The Marquess Tavern for her birthday and we had a very nice, civilised time, which is not always possible in some London pubs, especially in Islington.
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Reviewer Anonymous
19/07/2006
The Marquess Tavern does good quality British food that is most definitely a return to the standards of previous years in this country. I was most well fed at the Marquess Tavern and will be returning with some friends in the not too distant future.
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Reviewer Anonymous
02/04/2005
The Marquess Tavern is the best kept secret in North London. Great food, in fact outstanding food, and great staff and service have definitely made me feel like coming back - the Marquess Tavern certainly seems to have all the ingredients right!
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