How times change. Was in the Island Queen the other night and the service has become to say the least a little angsty. You can't you not play your own music if you rent the room upstairs (which is lovely decor wise and a bit of a find), as the venue doesn't have a PRS license for anything but library music (!). (so if you having a party there you better like your music generic!)

Not only this but a member of staff helping out when off duty (and drunk) who then got abusive with a lady in our party and tried to start a fight with two different people and called a customer "a b**ch". Hardly inspiring customer service! I hear it's become a chain pub now so don't be fooled by the (admittedly lovely) Edwardian interior. Same jobsworth attitude you get in chain pubs too often. Avoid.

I agree with the previous review - Island Queen is a very average service. It used to be a brilliant local pub thriving with local spivs and residents from opening time till close, and now Island Queen is just another faceless cafe bar.

Went to the Island Queen on Saturday night. Great beer, not very good food and student type service. Messed up the order and then had to reheat the food. Not good.

Island Queen is not a gastro pub, it's half way between pub food and gastro. You get what you pay for at Island Queen.

When I went to Island Queen it was very busy but the atmosphere was fantastic. Everyone was intermingling with each other and I found it very easy to meet new people. A huge selection of speciality beers were available ranging from Kupper's Kulsh, Strawberry Frulli, Leffe, De Koninck, Hoegaarden, Paulaner and Staropramen. There were also three real ales on offer, Timothy Taylor's Landlord, London Pride and Everard's Sunchaser. CAMRA members and real ale afficionados would be in their element. The music at Island Queen is unobtrusive allowing you to hear the person you're talking to which makes a change. There is never live music as it is a residential area but there is a quiz night on Tuesdays and a fish and chip day on Friday. Island Queen also has an upstairs lounge which is super chilled and tends to take care of the overfill when it's not reserved for functions. The landlady was very knowledgeable about all her products and very helpful when recommending things to me and telling me everything about the pub's history and recent changes. Great staff too!I will definitely be back, probably on Friday to sample the fresh fish and chips.

Island Queen is a beautiful historic pub in Islington. I’ve lived in the area for years but only just discovered Island Queen, and I’m kicking myself I didn’t find it sooner.