Missing The Hawley Arms? Don’t fret, the Wilmington Arms is here to help you get through the loss of Camden’s popular music bar.

The Venue
Located equidistant between Angel and Farringdon tube stations is the Wilmington Arms. From the outside it looks like an old-fashioned drinking hole with a pleasingly familiar look. Inside, the wooden fixtures and features make it feel like someone’s living room. By the windows towards the front are modern booths, whereas the rest of the seating consists of worn, rickety wooden tables, looking almost like they could tell a story. The balance of old and new compliments each other very well. At the back there's a collection of signed photographs and memorabilia that survived The Hawley Arms fire on the wall.

There are some especially unusual touches to the decor here with fairy lights draped across the bar and a Mr Potato head version of Optimus Prime standing proudly within the collection of spirits. As this is the sister pub of The Hawley Arms, it wouldn’t be right if it wasn’t selling classic sweets and kiddies crisps out of large glass jars. They have hula hoops, refreshers, chocolate mice and many more treats for you to chow down on. Attached to the pub is a small but perfectly formed music venue that holds nights such as Red Eyed and Blue, Club Fandango and a selection of gigs. At the bar there’s a sign that says ‘Booze – it’s big and it’s clever’ that clearly goes down a treat with the punters.

The Atmosphere
As there’s a blend of City workers and dedicated music types here, the vibe can be quite varied but both groups just want to have a chilled out, low fuss experience. What everyone can definitely agree on is how great the jukebox is. There’s a mix of today’s indie and alternative music with some old classic albums to make you reminisce about your youth. Weekdays don’t get too crowded but typically, come Friday night it’s quickly rammed. What is brilliant about The Wilmington Arms are the happy-go-lucky bar staff who are here to have a laugh and bring fun to your evening. If you’re lucky, they may even give you a few sneaky chocolate mice.

The Food
Expect typical British pub grub, only done much better than some of the more traditional boozers around. For nibbles and sharers they have pints of chips (£2.50), cheesy nachos (£5) and Welsh rarebit (£4.50). The mains are what you would expect with Pieminster pies with mashed potato, chips or salad (£8), homemade beef burger (£6) and bangers and mash (£7.50). The fish and chips (£8) is definitely worth a try as the fish has a light, crisp beer batter with soft, flaky haddock on the inside. For those of you who prefer a salad then try the grilled mackerel salad (£8) or Greek salad (£6).

The Drink
A small wine list makes it easy to choose your tipple for the evening. With the house wine costing just £12.50 a bottle (£3.50 a glass) it’s easy to stick with as they’re excellent quality. If you do have a few extra pennies to spare then try the La Grille Pinot Noir 2005 at £16 a bottle with its smooth, subtle flavour. For the whites the 2005 Sancerre at £22 is always a good choice. If you prefer adding a touch of sparkle to your life then the Lindauer Special Select at £20 is an absolute steal. Also the Paul Langier Brut for £28 is a great buy. The beer selection is nothing too fancy with Guinness, Hoegaarden, Strongbow, Amstel, Heineken, Budvar, Abbot Ale and Gem starting at just over £3 a pint.

The Last Word
Giving you the choice of listening to classic tunes in the main bar or going through to the music venue to discover new bands, the unpretentious, warm and friendly atmosphere of The Wilmington Arms makes for good drinking and pleasant eating.

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