• Added: 6th of July 2007
• Area: Islington
• Category: Bars and Pubs

London N1 8DE
020 7837 5040

Unpremeditated said

I really don't want to write this glowing review because The Charles Lamb is not that big a pub and I want it all to myself. It is by far the best pub I know in London.

The pub is extremely well-maintained and decorated in an understated yet eclectic manner, complete with the odd, aged map and signs asking patrons not to feed Mascha - the well-behaved pub dog.

A free house, the Charles Lamb serves a wide range of beers, including fruit beers, white beers and organic beers, plus cider and perry. All are very well kept. As a jaded lager drinker I'm usually not too worried about these things but this pub must have some of the best cleaned pipes around. There is also a good selection of intelligently priced wines.

Food is excellent. Bar snacks include homemade sausage rolls, pasties and Scotch eggs. More substantial fare is offered on the daily-changing menu which offers a good selection of clean-tasting and hearty modern-British/European dishes. The prices are reasonable for Islington too.

As others have said, this is a truly great pub ... now leave me to it and try and find a great pub of your own.

• Added: 6th of July 2007
• Area: Barnsbury
• Category: Bars and Pubs

London N1 8JT
020 7359 3066

Unpremeditated said

A good, if pricey gastropub with a friendly atmosphere. The food is organic and usually piled high on your plate but doesn't come cheap. It also varies between the very good and the extremely uninteresting. Puddings have been a particular weakness in the past - I'm not wild about oversweet desserts but I do think you should add enough sugar to avoid bitterness (that goes both for the pudding and the customer).
Wines and beers are good. To the reviewer who complained about the after-effects of Freedom I would point out that it's quite a bit stronger than Carlsberg - it also tastes much nicer.

The place fills up very quickly at weekend lunchtimes and is usually filled with a mix of trendy Islingtonites and baby-buggies. Get in before 1 if you want to bag a table.