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 The Grafton, London NW5 London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
North London: Kentish Town and Tufnell Park
Contemporary pub (Enterprise)
20 Prince of Wales Road NW5 3LG
w thegraftonnw5.co.uk f thegraftonnw5 tw thegraftonnw5
Open 1200-2300 (0030 Fri-Sat). Children welcome until 1900.
Cask beer 6 (Hogs Back, Timothy Taylor, 4 usually local guests), Other beer 1 keg, 5 bottles.
Food Gastroish pub lunches, Outdoor Tables on street, Wifi. No disabled toilet but flat access.
Fortnightly pub quiz and open mic nights, monthly comedy and clothing exchange.
When they reopened this handsome Victorian pub in the little neighbourhood centre around Kentish Town West Overground in September 2012, the new leaseholders wisely opted to take advantage of landlord Enterprise’s local guest beer delivery scheme. So besides the regular favourites TEA and Landlord, you can expect to find beers from East London, Hackney, Ha’penny (a rarity this far into inner London) and London Fields on the handpumps, alongside the occasional quality interloper from Adnams and the like. Even more local is Camden Town, just a few steps away, whose beers might be found on keg alongside Staropramen. A handful of interesting bottles include BrewDog, Brooklyn and Goose Island.
This is a well refurbished, attractive and friendly place that’s rejected the gastro route in favour of a contemporary twist on a decidedly community focused boozer. Green and white tiling, original pillars and a reclaimed fireplace add pleasing detail to a comfortable single space wrapped around an island bar, background music is restrained and an inventive lunch menu makes use of ingredients from local allotments. The pub is also close to the impressively restored St Pancras Baths.
National Rail Kentish Town Overground Kentish Town West Underground Camden Town, Kentish Town Cycling LCN+ 6A
 Jacks Off License, London N4 London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
North London: Other locations – Crouch Hill
Shop (Independent)
178A Stroud Green Road N4 3RS
T 020 7272 2431
Open 1400-2300 (2400 Fri-Sat).
Cask beer None, Other beer Around 250 bottles, Also Wines, specialist spirits including tequila, rum, whisky.
The slightly shabby Heineken branding on this humble looking street corner off license seriously undersells the contents, as indoors turns out to be an unexpected treasure trove for the beer hunter. Jack’s has been selling specialist beers since the mid-1980s, beginning with a few Belgian beers, and while there are still a few good Belgians in the range – Boon oude geuze, Orval, Westmalle – they’ve since been overtaken by British and US options. Of the former, you’ll find craft favourites like BrewDog, Bristol, Dark Star, Harbour, Ikley, Kernel, Magic Rock, Marble, Meantime and Thornbridge present and correct. Of the latter, there are lesser seen names like Left Hand and Kona besides Brooklyn, Goose Island, Sam Adams and Sierra Nevada. Good German options include unusual beers from Faust besides classic wheats from Franziskaner and Schneider. An unsung local secret that happens to have a bus stop right outside the door.
National Rail Underground Finsbury Park Overground Crouch Hill Bus Albert Road (various Finsbury Park) Cycling Links to LCN+ 7 14 82 Walking Link to Capital Ring
 The Earl of Essex, London N1 London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
Central London: Islington (Angel)
Contemporary pub, specialist (Barworks)
25 Danbury Street N1 8LE
T 020 7424 5828 w www.earlofessex.net tw theearlofessex1
Open 1200 (1500 Mon-Wed)-2330 (0030 Fri-Sat, 2230 Sun). Children welcome.
Cask beer 5 (Earl’s, changing unusual often local guests), Other beer 13 keg, 30+ bottles, Also Real cider, a few specialist spirits.
Food Interesting good value gastroish menu, Wifi. Disabled toilet.
The area around the Angel was badly in need of a serious craft beer pub, and got one with a vengeance when the Earl of Essex reopened in July 2012 after its second refurbishment in a year. Tucked away in the pleasantly terraced back streets east of Upper Street and north of the canal, the pub recalls its past as a neighbourhood local with a vintage bar back topped with a Watney’s lightbox behind an island bar set in a clean and modern grey-green painted space. A further attraction is what feels like a secret walled garden at the back, delightfully verdant, surprisingly large and unsurprisingly popular.
Enterprising and beer friendly London pubco Barworks has a hand in this latest incarnation of the Essex but the beer offer ventures even deeper into specialist territory than the group’s other venues, with a selection that demonstrates manager Bryn has his finger on the pulse, enthusiastically promoted through online Beer of the Day listings. The plan is to install a house brewery making beers with unusual and local ingredients, but in the meantime small and keenly contemporary brewers like Bristol, Devilfish, Gadd’s, Harbour, Moor and Pinup supply the cask, alongside local names like East London and Redemption.
The extensive range of keg taps also regularly changes: Camden Town Hells and Ink are regulars, but otherwise expect to see British craft kegs from Brew Star, Ilkley or Moor, US imports from Left Hand, Odell, Rogue, Sierra Nevada or Stone, international geekery from De Molen or Nøgne-Ø, and the occasional Belgian or German classic. Some of the same names appear on the bottle labels, alongside Clown Shoes, Crate, Dogfish Head, Drake, Element and Mikkeller, including some rarities in big bottles.
An interesting seasonal menu comes complete with beer matching suggestions to dishes like duck leg sandwich, carrot gnocchi with peas and poached egg, or onglet steaks. Another place that will keep enthusiasts happy while also providing an inviting environment for a more general audience, this is definitely one to watch.
Underground Angel Cycling LCN+ 8 16, Regents Canal towpath Walking Jubilee Walkway, New River Path
 The Lamb Beer and Liquor, London N7 London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
North London: Canonbury and Barnsbury
Contemporary pub (Independent)
54 Holloway Road N7 8JL
T 020 7619 9187 w thelambn7.co.uk f thelambn7 tw thelambpub
Open 1600-2400 (0100 Fri-Sat). Children welcome until early evening.
Cask beer 1 (often local, may expand), Other beer 7 keg, 10 bottles, Also Bottled ciders, some wines and specialist spirits.
Food None, but local gourmet pizzas delivered, Outdoor Small rear yard, Wifi.
Tue/Sun Irish music, Wed acoustic music, occasional DJs, big screen Arsenal home games, functions.
On the south end of Holloway Road just a few steps from Highbury Corner and the Garage music venue, the Lamb used to be an ordinary Irish pub of a sort once common in the area until relaunching itself as an unusually characterful contemporary bar in March 2012. Since then owner Michael has been pursuing a personal interest by ramping up the beer offering, declaring its priorities with the strapline “beer and liquor” and running festivals in collaboration with craft beer appreciation group the Campaign for Really Good Beer (CAMRGB).
Currently there’s only one cask pump, usually dispensing a local like Hackney or London Fields, although this may expand. A range of British “craft keg” beers from Black Isle, BrewDog, Camden Town and the like is served alongside good Czech lager, and Camden Town, London Fields and Meantime crop up in the bottle fridge alongside Anchor Steam and Little Creatures.
It’s an atmospheric place with dark wood panelling, a few tucked away booths and a slightly studenty feel. This perhaps isn’t surprising as it’s just down the road from London Metropolitan University, but it’s also close to Arsenal FC’s Emirates Stadium and the legacy of its former incarnation lives on with laid back Irish music sessions.
Pub trivia. The new branding on the handsome tiled exterior draws on Catholic kitsch – perhaps more appropriately than intended as the Lamb as a pub name and sign has its origins in religious symbolism, representing the Lamb of God. Then again, Holloway Road is a former drove route, so there’s a link to more earthly lambs too.
National Rail Highbury & Islington Cycling LCN+ 7, Hornsey and Camden links
 Drinkers Paradise, Castlehaven Road, London NW1 London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
North London: Kentish Town and Tufnell Park
Shop (Independent)
129 Castlehaven Road NW1 8SJ
T 020 7482 6140 w drinkersparadise.co.uk f DrinkersParadise
Open 1100-2300 (2230 Sun)
Cask beer None, Other beer 200-250 bottles, Also Wines, specialist spirits.
A few pleasant surprises for the London beer hunter hide behind unassuming shopfronts on certain local streets, where proprietors of corner off licenses and convenience stores have found they can attract customers far beyond the usual trade in canned industrial lager, branded wine and Rizla papers by building up a bit of specialisation. One example is Drinkers Paradise at Kentish Town West, handy for St Pancras Public Baths, Camden Town brewery and nice new community pub the Grafton. It’s the sort of name applied with epic hubris to many a late night booze and fags outlet, but this modestly sized corner shop lives up to it more than most.
The shop claims to have specialised in beers for more than 20 years, but the range has expanded still further recently in response to demand, sourced through their own research and customer suggestions. Besides comprehensive ranges from lots of well known British names – Adnams, Batemans, Fuller’s, Hogs Back, Marston’s, Shepherd Neame, St Peter’s – you’ll find craft brews from Green Jack and local producer Little Brew, unusual imports like France’s Le Brewery, Italy’s Elav and Sweden’s Nils Oscar, and some good Germans like Allgäuer, Andechs, Hellers Kölsch and Tegernsee, all at reasonable prices. The modestly sized space also crams in hundreds of wines and spirits, with a particular strength in unusual gin and sambuca.
National Rail Kentish Town Overground Kentish Town West Underground Camden Town, Kentish Town Cycling LCN+ 6A
 The Assembly House, London NW5. Pic: Wikimedia Commons. London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
North London: Kentish Town and Tufnell Park
Contemporary pub (Greene King) Regional Heritage Pub
292 Kentish Town Road NW5 2TG
T 020 7485 2031 w www.assemblyhouse.co.uk f AssemblyHouseKentishTown tw assemblyhouse2
Open 1200-2300 (2400 Fri-Sat, 2230 Sun). Children welcome until early evening.
Cask beer 5 (Greene King, up to 4 sometimes unusual guests) Cask Marque, Other beer 2 keg, 2 bottles, Also 1 real cider, some single malts, cocktails.
Food Extensive enhanced pub grub menu, Outdoor 1 table on street, Wifi. Disabled toilet.
Sun jazz, Barcraft, occasional big screen sport, functions.
New national brewery Greene King must have noticed it faces something of a credibility gap with younger and more adventurous drinkers, and is attempting to deal with it in corners of its pub estate by soft pedalling on its core brands. For example the brewer has been careful to retain the separate identities and guest beer policies of the Capital and Realpubs chains since it took them over. The Assembly House is a pub in GK’s mainstream estate, but since reopening after a lavish refurbishment in June 2011, it’s been curiously coy about displaying the branding on site or online, and seems to have phased out the beers other than a sole handpump dedicated to Greene King IPA.
The other pumps are occupied by beers from established independents like Brain’s and Everards and more unusual visitors like Celt Experience or Mordue from distributors including Beer Rocks, with up to 20 different beers served each month. GK’s own “craft” lager is on keg alongside Staropramen and Blue Moon, and Budvar and Leffe are in the fridge. They’re served up by youthful, enthusiastic and relatively knowledgeable staff under the direction of manager John, who confirms he enjoys one of the least restrictive ordering policies of all GK managed pubs.
This is good news as there have long been other reasons to visit this bulky old landmark pub, not least its proximity to Kentish Town Tube and the Forum music venue. Built in 1898 in Flemish Renaissance style with an imposing corner tourelle commanding the view of Kentish Town Road, it was palatial in its day, and still retains a number of heritage features, most impressively a whole wall full of sumptuous engraved mirrored panels illuminated by a huge skylight in the back bar, a former billiard room. There’s also an original bar back and textured ceiling, set off well by the recent refurb which adds reclaimed furniture and a front bar with a more contemporary feel. The lengthy menu has a few individual touches – parmesan crumbled chicken, tempting salads – along with the usual GK beef and Abbot Ale pie-style fare.
Insider tip. Don’t be surprised to encounter one of the intermittent Barcraft nights, when fans cheer and cry over fantasy video gaming tournaments – a sort of big screen sport for computer geeks. Check the website for more details.
National Rail Underground Kentish Town Cycling Links to LCN+ 6 6A
 The Bull and Last, London NW5 London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
North London: Kentish Town and Tufnell Park
Gastropub (Independent)
168 Highgate Road NW5 1QS
T 020 7267 3641 w www.thebullandlast.co.uk tw thebullandlast
Open 1200 (0900 Fri-Sun)-2300 (2400 Fri-Sat, 2230 Sun). Children welcome.
Cask beer 4 (changing usually local guests), Other beer 4 keg, 5 bottles, Also 35 wines.
Food Daily changing gastro menu, Outdoor Tables on street, Wifi. Disabled toilet.
Sun quiz, wine and beer evenings.
“We’re proud of the care we put into our food and wine, and we realised our beer simply wasn’t standing up,” says Bull and Last staff member Adam, explaining why this renowned gastropub has evolved its beer range over the past few years from the handpumps of Doom Bar and Taylor Landlord sadly typical of the genre.
In truth there’s some way to go to match the impressive fine wine list, but it’s great to see a well chosen lineup of local beers from the likes of Camden Town, East London, London Fields, Hackney and Redemption on both handpump and keg, including darker options, and a slowly increasing bottled ranged that includes Dark Star and Kernel.
The pub sits beside the old North Road just before it begins its steep ascent of Highgate Hill, a shortish walk from Gospel Oak Overground and top beer pub the Southampton Arms (p157). Downstairs is a suitably rustic and very attractive small wood panelled single bar, dog friendly as befits a place handy for the east side of Hampstead Heath, and there’s an extra dining room upstairs.
You’re welcome to call in for a pint – seating at the bar and a couple of tables nearby is kept unreserved for non-dining drinkers – but food is the main focus, with dishes like roast venison, handmade pumpkin ravioli and aged côte de bœuf from sustainable sources. Much is home made, even the ice cream and oat cakes, and enjoyed by a generally well heeled clientele who often book in advance. Prices are good value for the quality on offer but certainly not cheap, while service can occasionally be a little trendier-than-thou.
National Rail Underground Kentish Town Overground Gospel Oak Bus William Ellis School (214 C2 Kentish Town) Cycling LCN+ 6A, Hampstead Heath paths Walking Hampstead Heath paths, Belsize Walk
 Cock Tavern, London E8 Hackney
Traditional pub (Southampton Arms)
315 Mare Street E8 1EJ
T 020 8533 6369 w www.thecocktavern.co.uk tw TheCockTavernE8
Open 1200-2300 (0100 Fri-Sat). Children welcome until early evening.
Cask beer 8 (3+ Howling Hops, changing unusual often local guests), Other beer 8 keg, 12+ bottles, Also 8 real ciders/perries.
Food Baps, pies, charcuterie, Outdoor Tiny beer garden, Wifi.
Wed quiz, occasional beer themed events.
The reopening of this fine old pub in July 2012 brought a much needed source of great beer to Hackney town centre, a few steps from the famous Empire music hall and ‘cultural quarter’ around the Town Hall Square. Even more promisingly, it’s been created by the team behind the Southampton Arms NW5 (p157), one of the pioneers of the new wave of beer pubs in London and still one of the capital’s best pubs. But while the Southampton is often packed with drinkers, you’re much more likely to get a seat in the more capacious Cock, at least for the time being.
Even more interestingly, the Hackney venue is a brewpub, hosting Howling Hops brewery in its cellar and featuring at least three of HH’s contemporary styled ales on the bar. Other cask choices served by enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff come from local suppliers like Brodie’s, East London or Redemption, or quality brewers from elsewhere like Otley, Magic Rock, Redwillow, Titanic, Thornbridge or Willliams Brothers. Some of the same names are visible on the keg taps which are also devoted to beers from British small brewers – BrewDog, Harbour, Kernel and London Fields might be represented too. A small but well chosen bottled range continues the theme, including Kernel and Redchurch besides Bristol and Buxton.
The venue is a solid red brick corner pub that’s been beautifully scrubbed up, with a handsome panel of Truman’s relief signing still visible on one corner. Inside there’s an attractively old fashioned public bar feel with restored half height dark panelling, ceramic tiles and floorboards. As with the Southampton, food is limited to cheese and meat baps, pork pies, Scotch eggs, cold meat and bar snacks.
National Rail Hackney Downs Overground Hackney Central Cycling LCN+ 9, 2012 Hackney Parks route Walking 2012 Hackney Parks route, London Fields paths
 Crate Brewery and Pizzeria, London E9 London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
East London: Olympic Park
Brewpub, bar, specialist (Independent)
Queens Yard, White Post Lane E9 5EN
T 07834 275687 w cratebrewery.com f CrateBrewery tw CrateBrewery
Open 1200-2230 (may be extended). Children welcome until early evening.
Cask beer 4 (2+ Crate, local guests), Other beer 4 keg, 25+ bottles.
Food Gourmet pizzas, Outdoor Canalside terrace, Wifi. Disabled toilet.
Occasional DJs, tastings, art events in adjoining building.
This far corner of Hackney wedged between the A12 and the River Lee Navigation was once the exclusive territory of light industry and dodgy looking car spraying yards. Over the past decade, however, an influx of artistic types has repurposed numerous buildings, and the Wick now supports a flourishing creative community, with several innovative galleries and a programme of art and performance events under the delightful name Hackney Wicked. It’s been boosted further recently by the London Overground upgrade and the arrival of the Olympic Park on the opposite side of the Lee. When the park opens to the public from August 2013, the White Post Lane bridge will become one of its main access points.
Launched in late July 2012 just days before the opening ceremony, the Crate brewpub and pizzeria is another sign of the area’s current vitality. It’s housed in a big white building that was once a printworks and sweet factory and makes the best of its postindustrial nature by decking out the generous interior space with furniture made from reclaimed pallets, offering a good view of the glass walled brewery from the bar. Outdoors there’s the further bonus of a lovely waterside terrace with a view of the Olympic stadium.
House brewed contemporary US-influenced beers are served from both cask and keg, joined by cask offerings from local connections like Hackney and Truman, or further afield from Oakham, Titanic or Williams Brothers, and a rotating guest keg (often Magic Rock) plus good German lager and wheat beer. Bottles include numerous US options – Bear Republic, Brooklyn, Left Hand, cult industrial lager Pabst Blue Ribbon – alongside a couple of Belgians (Duvel, Troubadour) , Kernel and Crate’s own, curated by bar manager Adrian, formerly of Mason & Taylor. The menu offers wood fired pizzas of considerable repute. This stylishly inviting place is so far quite unlike any other beer venue in London.
Pub trivia. A marshland inhabited only by grazing cows until it was industrialised in the mid-19th century, Hackney Wick was the place where the first ever synthetic plastic, Parkesine, was first commercially produced in 1866.
Overground Hackney Wick Cycling NCN 1, Lee Navigation and Hertford Union towpaths, link to 2012 Hackney Parks route Walking Capital Ring, Lea Valley Path, link to Jubilee Greenway, London 2012 Hackney Parks route and Victoria Park paths
 Belgique Wanstead, London E11 London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
East London: Other locations – Wanstead
Restaurant, bar (Belgique)
29 Cambridge Park E11 2PU
T 020 8532 2255 w belgique.co.uk/locations/wanstead f BelgiqueUK tw BelgiqueLondon
Open 0800-2200 (1700 Sun). Children welcome.
Cask beer None, Other beer 30+ bottles (Belgian), Also Belgian spirits and liqueurs, tea and coffee.
Food Belgian menu, breakfasts, cheese, charcuterie, patisserie, Outdoor Large front terrace overlooking green. Disabled toilet.
Fri fortnightly jazz, functions.
Leafy Wanstead may be an unexpected place to discover a decent place to drink Belgian beer, but it’s worth venturing along the Central Line to find this little outpost of Low Countries culture. A good and growing range of bottled beer (if a little weak in the lambic department) doesn’t just stick to the well distibuted likes of Leffe and Hoegaarden but runs to Belgoo, Brugse Zot, Ellezelloise, Rodenbach Grand Cru, Troubador, Van Honsebrouck Kasteelbier, Verhaege Duchess de Bourgogne and Trappists from Orval, Rochefort and Westmalle.
Though you’re welcome to call in just for a beer or three, this is also a food venue with a slightly transient diner feel to its comfortable orange and slate interior and extensive outdoor terrace. The extensive menu ranges from breakfasts, brunches, lunches and afternoon tea and cakes to burgers, mussels (of course) and Limousin beef; Belgian cheese, chocolate, patisserie, beers and other specialities are sold to take away from the shop section at the front. A bigger range of beer can be ordered online. Belgique is part of a small chain owned by a Belgian bakery company with several branches in outer east London and surrounding counties, but the Wanstead operation is so far the only licensed outlet.
Pub trivia. The extensive rectangle of grass outside is, like most green spaces round here, officially part of Epping Forest. Only a muffled roar of traffic reveals that it’s also a green lid over the busy A12, which runs below in a trench.
Underground Wanstead Cycling London 2012 Epping Forest route, LCN+ 158, link to 55 and Roding Valley Greenway Walking Links to London 2012 Epping Forest Route, Epping Forest Centenary Walk, Roding Valley Greenway
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Cask  This pioneering new book explains what makes cask beer so special, and explores its past, present and future. Order now from CAMRA Books. Read more here.
London’s Best Beer  The fully updated 3rd edition of my essential award-winning guide to London’s vibrant beer scene is available now from CAMRA Books. Read more here.
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