If you’ve ever looked at The New Rose’s website, don’t let the "just another f*cking pub" strapline put you off! This is a good all-rounder – it’s good looking, offers good food and has a good location.

The Venue
Situated on Essex Road, The New Rose is one of a myriad of pubs and eateries around Upper Street and is possibly the most attractive looking pub in the area. The New Rose’s entire outside is comprised of darkish green tiling, complemented by brightly-coloured flowers hanging baskets. The effect is great – it stands out nicely and instantly suggests this is a pub for young people, with comfy brown leather sofas and cool bar staff who are often more fashionable than the punters.

Inside the pub is comprised of two halves – the left-hand side has a few tables and a couple of nooks and crannies with armchairs and fireplaces, while the right-hand has more sofas and a curved bar that dominates the middle. The exposed brick walls are bedecked with pictures and photos (nothing overly original here – ‘My Goodness My Guinness’ prints etc), and there are some impressive chandelier-type light features. Even the menu and wine list looks cool, like it’s been created using a scrap piece of notebook and a typewriter.

The Atmosphere
There are certain elements of The New Rose that suggest it is trying a little too hard to be cool, such as its website which is says nothing except “just another f*king pub”, as well as the photos over the walls of young trendy types having a crazy time. However, partly because The New Rose doesn’t really take itself too seriously, and possibly because Upper Street really can’t pull that kind of feel off, it is a welcoming, relaxing pub.

As such, it is a very popular spot for after-work drinks and even more so at weekends when it gets rammed. The music is always good and the general clientele are mostly around mid-to-late-twenties.

The Food
The menu is fairly small but quite reasonably priced. The starters range from guilty-pleasure food like Scotch eggs (£5.75) to more sophisticated dishes such as salmon gravadiax, pickled cucumber and soda bread (£6).

Mains are fairly standard pub grub dishes, including rib-eye steak, chips and peppercorn sauce at £12.50, and linguini with pesto, pine nuts and cherry tomatoes for £7.25. Nothing particularly inventive is on offer, although you can find an American diner theme in a couple of the dishes – southern fried chicken with coleslaw for £8 and macaroni cheese as a side for £3.

Don’t miss the extensive stone-baked pizza menu on the blackboard. These are all around £8-£9, they’re really well cooked - not greasy - and have more out-of-the ordinary toppings like artichoke and butternut squash than you tend to find. On Monday nights these are 2-for-1, which is a great deal and they’ve garnered a cult following.

The Drink
The drink is where The New Rose probably gets a little more expensive than some, with a pint of Becks costing £3.40, Red Stripe, Grolsch and Stowford Press Cider at £3.90 and Budvar at £4.40. Bottled beer ranges from £3.40 for a Corona to £4.40 for a Leffe, and shots are £3.30-£3.90. House wine (Marques de Calado Macabeo for white and Marques de Calado Tempranillo for red) comes in at £3.10-£3.20 for a small glass, and £13.75-£14 for a bottle.

The Last Word
At lot of effort has gone into The New Rose, and it shows. The venue has a huge amount of character, a good atmosphere, and it is a great setting for a few pints (and pizzas).

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