The Easton is one of those magical, little known treasures that makes you wish you lived nearby. Just off unspoilt Exmouth Market, this is the perfect Sunday boozer with an incredible menu and great atmosphere only let down by the rather unsavoury bar staff.

The Atmosphere
Exmouth Market is a little retreat from Angel and Farringdon nearby and, apart from the presence of Strada, is still largely occupied by independent eateries and bars. During the day, stalls appear selling everything from Ethiopian delights to hotdogs, and a little further afield is The Easton; tucked away on a corner of a street dominated by ex local authority flats. Walking up to the entrance, it looks like it hasn’t succumbed to this gastropub-filled London we are getting used to; wrapped around the outside are long scruffy benches and huge, intricately detailed windows.

Venturing into the pub, you'll encounter red squashy benches with long oak tables pushed up against the walls. Gorgeous vintage wallpaper is evident throughout the building and the long bar is covered in old fashioned draught pumps. Behind the bar is a chalk board and long mirror surrounded with guild.

The Atmosphere
This is the kind of pub to venture into with a gaggle of friends to settle down for the evening and soak up the relaxed ambience, but expect to share the pub with gangs of lucrative local business types and fantastically stylish regulars.

You can tell from the eccentrically dressed and painfully cool bar staff this is a great little find; however, they are preoccupied with themselves and each other rather than paying their customers any attention. In fact, there is almost the slight whiff of resentment if, God forbid, you ask them for a drink, and they are known to start stacking away the chairs and clearing down the tables as early as 9.45pm. This has been the way at The Easton for quite some time now, and seems to be the hiring policy of the place: ‘Moody with attitude? You’ve got the job!’

The Food
The food here is just incredible. A regularly changing seasonal menu and the best Sunday Roast in town make it one of London’s unsung heroes – even if the service doesn’t come with a smile. Booking on a Sunday is highly recommended as they sell out fast, but once settled in for the afternoon expect a feast of tender beef, buttery and crisp roast potatoes, gorgeous colourful seasonal vegetables and thick rich gravy for around £13. The rest of the menu doesn’t disappoint either – scallops with chorizo, thick creamy asparagus risotto, steak with new potatoes and pancetta all gracing the chalk board.

The starters and desserts are also amazing – chunky homemade soup, tomato and mozzarella salad, and a slab of chocolate or cheesecake should finish you off; it's indulgence at its finest. There are also good choices for the pescetarians and vegetarians, but under no circumstances ask for a bowl of chips to have with a pint as you will get the steely glare - this isn’t that kind of place.

The Drink
You can wash down your gastronomic feast with a selection of beer on draught including Hoegaarden, Staropramen and Red Stripe, or one of the very reasonably priced wine options from a small but perfectly formed cellar. Be sure to try the lovely Cabernet Sauvignon and tasty house varieties. If it’s a hangover cure you need, on a Sunday morning there are Bloody Marys aplenty, alongside a bar full of bottles of spirits. There’s plenty of choice.

The Last Word
If you can withstand the abrupt nature of the bar staff and avoid the gaggle of business types at lunchtime, The Easton is a wonderful find. The food singlehandedly makes it one of the best pubs in the area and lazy Sunday afternoons were born here.

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