I'm not sure if the staff have been reading these reviews but I went in this Tuesday with a friend and they were very attentive. When we walked in we were told to just get a table and they would bring over menus which they did promptly and took our food and drinks orders at the table, the food came quickly and was very tasty (we went for the Thai Red Curry). Now admittedly it was very empty on a Tuesday night but they do seem to have got their act together a bit compared to previous reviews. It is not an exciting pub and if I was trying to impress someone I probably wouldn't take them there, but it if you live near by I would say it is a nice place for quiet food and drinks with friends.

The North Star has everything going for it, but just can't seem to get it right.I live locally. I like the venue. I want to eat there and support it as a local commercial endeavour... but IT IS NOT MANAGED and as a result, consistantly fails to meet expectation or deliver the basics of a catering operation.The staff frankly are unguided, inexperienced or simply inept. They behave like teenagers, hanging about, uninformed about the product and wholly lacking in any proactivity in terms of greeting, getting menus, knowing what is/isn't available on the menu, remembering what has been ordered so that they can deliver it to the right table. The basics! It's shocking.The food menu is not expensive (or especially complicated). The bar offers a good selection of wines, beers and spirits. But the delivery of those two fundamental things to the customer is terrible. The staff spend a lot of time talking to eachother, but don't actually communicate - and certainly not about the operation.You walk in, everything seems great. Nice atmosphere (when they have customers), there's a screen transmitting sporting fixtures, the tables are well spaced. And yet, your impression is tarnished from the outset by the fact that no-one approaches you, and you stand around wondering if you are supposed to sit, if you're allowed to sit, if you've stumbled upon a private function where everyone knows what's expected to happen except you! You ask the bar staff about food, and they talk to you as though that's not their remit. If you are brave enough to just take a seat, you will wait until hell freezes over to get a menu and it is usually after waving frantically at some 16 year old who has been skulking at the bar for 20minutes and hasn't ventured anywhere near a customer. In the two months after reopening, I took friends on 4 occasions. Every single time, the service was confused; the food inconsistent. Smoke alarms, swearing chefs, uninterested staff. So sad.

I visited the North Star today for lunch with my partner & received such abysmal service that I felt compelled to write a review! As we live within walking distance & pass by on a daily basis we were both curious to visit & did so today for the first (& last!) time.
On arrival we walked in headed towards the seating area & paused waiting to be greeted by the staff, when they continued to walk around us seemingly oblivious to our presence I approached the waitress & asked if we should sit where we liked. After a couple of minutes of awkwardly standing in the middle of the restaurant we were finally offered a table directly in front of the kitchen. To say the staff here are miserable would be understatement, a particular mention has to go to the waiter who shuffled around with his head hanging like a sulky teenager, rolling his eyes whilst taking our order. It wasn’t exactly encouraging when we heard the chef telling him “I know you don’t want to be here, I don’t want to be here either but we just have to get on with it”, not the most positive conversation to have in front of customers. The food itself was ok but the depressing atmosphere & appalling customer service was enough to stop us ever returning, we couldn’t get out of there quick enough!
I am truly astounded by the reviews below that talk about the ‘friendly’ & ‘helpful’ staff & can only assume that these have been written by the management themselves.

The North Star has been closed for a while now, upon walking past on my way home from work yesterday I noticed that it had reopened. My friend and I were curious and popped in for a quick drink. The place looks great (amazing what a lick of paint can do) and the staff were welcoming and very helpful. There was a nice range of drinks (wines, cocktails, spirits, lagers and ales). After ordering our drinks we took advantage of the sunny evening by sitting outside on the back terrace. The atmosphere was so much better than I remember and we ended up staying a lot longer than we had planned. As the sun set we headed inside and found a table towards the front of the pub. My friend and I both ordered from the menu and we were pleasantly surprised with the food. It is a step up from traditional pub grub but wasn't as pretentious as the food served in many 'gastro-pubs' in the area. The staff were very attentive all evening without being intrusive. It was obvious that the pub still has a few things that need doing (the walls looked very bare and although cocktails were listed on the menu not all of the ingredients had been delivered, and they were still waiting on some stock but it was opening night after-all so I am more than happy to give the place the benefit of the doubt) None of this detracted from what was an enjoyable evening. I will definitely be returning this weekend with some friends and I highly recommend people in the local area go check it out.

This is a terrible terrible place! Went to The North Star just before Xmas on a wednesday evening to have a nice meal with my girlfriend. Walking past the kitchen to use the toilets, I noticed the chef and could see that he did not seem too keen to be there. I mentioned to my g/f what I thought, half joking. But as it turned out. I was so right. Upon ordering the £18 rib eye dish which was suppossed to come with salad and a nice sounding sauce. What I actually got was. A very average sized steak with shredded iceberg lettuce and no sauce. Upon mentioning this to the waitress, I was promptly told that there was actually sauce on there as she had seen the chef put it on. It turned out what she saw was him tipping the steak juice onto it and not actual sauce. £18? Joke! My g/f ordered a lamb and Harissa burger. It came out as a tiny sized burger inside a huge bun. Tasted very plain. When we asked about the Harissa, eyes were rolled by the waitress and off back to the kitchen she went again. Returned with a ramekin of Harissa paste straight from the jar! Wow! Amazing service and amazing food? Definately not! Overall, we tend to eat out quite regularly and we are almost always happy with what we receive, as we are both quite easy going and non fussy eaters. But after this experience, there is absolutely no chance that I will ever even think off returning to The North Star. So I would just like to say to anyone thinking of trying here, to think again, as you will most probably leave very disappointed.

A really lovely pub, great service and fantastic food. The only drawback is it specialises more in wine without even a hat tip towards serving a decent ale (ok, London pride, but that's almost too easy).

The best Pub in London! What a find -cannot recommend it enough. Great food, great atmosphere, great service.

I found this gem of a pub on another review site and have to say, what a find!I have spent many evenings in The North star and find the pub caters perefctly to those searching for a good modern european cuisine done well, a great atmosphere, a chilled drink with friends,outside space and first class staff.

The owners of the North star, Sean and Mark really make an effort to welcome you and remembered my girlfriend and I after only a few visits. The layout of the pub really lends itself to small private functions where you can easliy mix with the many friendly locals at the bar or stick to a sectioned off space as you choose.

Also in the summer they have quite a few barbeque functions in the garden which again is an excellent space and a really relaxing and enjoyable experience.Its a ten minute walk from Old Street or Angel or two mintues in a cab, but believe me well worth the effort whatever evening you are looking to have- and for those of you that way inclined (my girlfriend!) there's quite often a few celebs knocking about for a quick pint and sneaky cigarette.

Sadly for me I cannot give this place zero stars! We went for a birthday teat for my best frend who was literally reduced to tears by the fact taht they had "run out" of champagne and most white wines we chose. The evening was a damp squib and the manager just seemed glad to take our money.

This really is the best gastro pub in London. I am blessed to be within ten minutes walk of The Duke of Cambridge, Marquess Tavern and The House, all of whom have won awards and seem to feature everywhere. I can honestly say the North Star is soooo much better than all of them.

I think the owners are either happy being low profile or don't have the PR machine of the others (I guess the latter). Anyway, if you don't believe me check it out!

We discovered The North Star recently and it has become a bit of a favourite since. Great food and friendly service, and very reasonably priced. Highly recommended!

I've found the North Star to be a lovely pub with fantastic staff. They always recognise and chat to regulars which is really a nice touch. Food can be good when they don't put too much effort into it, Steak Sandwich is the best. The North Star also has a patio area which is great for wasting away the few sunny days that we are treated to.

I have never been a "regular" of a pub before but since moving to this much overlooked part of Islington, I have found my fist true local. The North Star really does have everything; fantastic food, comfy sofas, cheap cocktails, funky music and some of the friendliest staff I've ever met. In the six months I've been here it's gone from strength to strength and I am sure it will continue to do so as the area grows around it. Worth travelling to, from wherever!