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The Queens, Crouch End, N8
N8
N8 9DE
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Steve of N21 left this review about The Queens
Cannot really add anything to the excellent review below, as far as the superb interior of this large Victorian pub is concerned, just to say if you do find yourself in the area of Crouch end, it’s highly recommended to come and see it for yourself.
On the first real sunny afternoon we’ve had this wet August. The pub was advertising its secluded courtyard garden on a chalkboard on the pavement outfront, so it was no surprise when I entered to find that this was where most of the action was. As described below, they only serve from one section of the expansive bar area, but at least on my visit there were signs clearly indicating the sections that were closed and arrows pointing to where you needed to go.
Three hand pumps adorn this section and for my visit theses were Adnams Mosaic, Sharps Doombar and the Brunning and Price house bitter brewed by St Austell. So not a stunning line up by B&P standards, but I forgave them as the Mosaic was very good and the secluded courtyard garden was indeed an excellent spot catching the afternoon sun but with enough tables under shade for those that required it.
On 10th August 2023
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2122 recommendations about 2001 pubs]
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Queens
A magnificent Three Star listed CAMRA pub of national significance,this used to be the Queens Hotel and now operated by Brunning & Price.It looks similar to the Salisbury on Green Lanes ,same architect although the upper floors from the exterior look somewhat unloved.The interior is terrific with four quite seperate sections,some of the room dividers still have their original doors.The island bar serves all four rooms and has it's own mirrored bar back,but the mid building room to the right does not offer bar service and there seem a lot of unused handpumps.Go to the room to the left beyond the main front room to find the working handpumps which on my Sunday trip were drawing Adnams Lighthouse,Sharps Doom Bar and Vale Orca (tired ,NBSS 2).
The rear room has an open kitchen and is used as a dining area and has a large alcove where dining tables have been shoved in.The wood panelling here is attractive and throughout the moulded ceiling and walls are most impressive.The other rooms are used by the young people of the area as a drinking venue ,so this pub is not dominated by food unlike a lot of Brunning & Price outlets.
The features are many and varied and the stained glass art noveau windows around the exterior are noteworthy.There is a good victorian fireplace but I was surprised to see a lot of high tables as seating ,taking away any feeling of oppulance.It's a workaday pub.The muzak was not too loud but mindless and thankfully the screens were off,but probably only used for terrestrial broadcasts.There is a tidy beer garden out the back.
A must visit if in the area,higher marks would have been awarded if a better ale range was available and a little more care has been taken by B&P to celebrate the outstanding features with appropriate furniture.
On 24th July 2023
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2730 recommendations about 2730 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Queens
Visited a few times over a decade ago, I was looking forward to my visit to this place, an absolutely fantastic National Inventory pub and listed nationally as Grade II*, though it’s positively modest compared to the Salisbury, its sister pub about a mile due east of here. I read below, that the pub may have been visited by Laurel & Hardie. I can’t verify this, but in the film Stan & Ollie, the duo is seen visiting the even more extravagant Warrington.
Well-described below and on CAMRA’s site, though as usual, their pictures look washed out, failing to capture the richness, colour and texture of the interior; other interior pics are on this website. There are photos on the pub’s website, but as usual, they fixate on showing unnaturally attractive apparent customers and burgers, which rather misses the point. A slight oddity is that some of the furniture comprises modern stools clad in vinyl of contemporary colours which jar with the period interior; I’m also sure that when I last came here there were banquettes upholstered with genuine black leather? There's little decor here - it hardly needs it - other than dried flowers in bottles to tables along with candles.
There were just three pumps available with only one on, dispensing Ghost Ship, served by a very friendly barman, hankering after a Yorkie Bar. It was in good shape and at a very reasonable £4.60.
From an architectural perspective, this is an absolutely must-visit London pub, but an increase in ale range would make for a more immersive pub experience. It also makes for a great triple with the Great Northern and Railway Tavern. An added bonus is that pickled onion flavour Monster Munch is available as a bar snack.
On 15th September 2021
- rating: 9
[User has posted 1993 recommendations about 1959 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john gray left this review about The Queens Hotel
Superb looking pub with a smashing interior.Great to sit in a pub like this and imagine the glory days of yesteryear.Good pint of Thornbridge -lord marples and Doombar also on.
On 10th November 2018
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about The Queens Hotel
The Queens is a grand looking pub situated in the middle of Crouch End.
Once inside the main drinking room is L shaped with the bar facing,there is an oblong shaped room to the left which is set aside for diners and there is a small room to the rear left,all rooms are bare boarded and have normal tables and chairs,the real ale pumps are in the rear room.
There were three real ales on the bar,i had a drink of By the Horns Mayor of Garrat which went down well,the other beers were Sharps Atlantic and Doom Bar.
There was quiet background music playing and food was being served.
A very pleasant pub to have a drink in.
Pub visited 4/8/2016
On 25th September 2016
- rating: 8
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Queens Hotel
Featured in Camra's National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors. This pub is the sister pub to the Salisbury in Harringay, both were built and designed by John Cathles Hill. You can see the H in his surname, featured in the floor mosaics at the corner entrance.
Outstanding features for me was the curved entrance doors, the heavily embellished plaster ceilings and freizes. The pub had a relaxed atmosphere and the customers were a well mixed bunch across the board. There were three handpumps in operation on our visit. So we went for the ELB Jamboree and Siren Brewery Schnuckleputz, both beers were in good nick.
On 2nd March 2016
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Queens Hotel
This is an absolute showcase of a Victorian "gin palace". Now operated by the very small Food & Fuel chain, it was built (and allegedly also designed) by the developer John Cathles Hill in the golden age of Victorian pub building in the 1890s, along with the similar and equally spectacular Salisbury. It's Grade II* listed, and on CAMRA's National Inventory of pubs with unspoilt interiors. In here we have the trademark original dark wood panelling; Lincrusta style ceilings; etched/cut glass; leaded light glazing in he windows, and the now rarely seen ironwork signage above the entrances. Most of the original partitioning survives, creating several separate drinking areas. However, the large room at the back (or side - depends which way you're facing!) had all the tables laid for formal dining, with an open to view kitchen to one side.
You don't normally find formal dining areas and pub grub in the same pub, but here they have somewhat surprisingly come together. The single-sheet daily menu on all the tables featured pub grub staples such as chicken/mushroom pie & mash (£11.50), pan-fried Cumberland sausages & mash, onion gravy (£11.00). I suppose it's necessary to specify that the sausages are pan-fried in case someone ever discovers another way to fry sausages. They also advertise a £5 lunch (12 - 3 Mon - Fri), the best of the three options being the "sausage and wholegrain mustard sandwich, hand cut chips". A fiver isn't bad by London standards, so I'll forgive them the excessive adjectivisation. The ales weren't bad either - ELB Foundation Bitter, Redemption Trinity, and London Fields Hackney Hopster, with a clip reversed on a fourth pump.
This is a must visit pub solely for its place as a classic London Heritage pub, but some decent ales is also a big plus.
On 11th January 2014
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about The Queens Hotel
The Queens Hotel is the work of the architect John Cathles Hill who was prolific in the developmenmt of the area in the 19th Century. He also built the similar Salisbury in nearby Green Lanes and between them, they represent fine examples of late Victorian pub building. That they have survived virtually intact is in itself not much short of a miracle and both are featured on the CAMRA Inventory of Historic Interiors.
The Queens Hotel first opened in 1902 and it is rumoured that Laurel & Hardy were among the previous esteemed guests. Apart from a few minor alterations, everything is pretty much as it was when the doors first opened. The pub stands on a lrge corner plot and has an impressive façade with marble coverings and some classic ironwork. The interior has a large central island bar around which radiate a few screens that divide the drinking area into 3 sections. One side of the pub is the quite grand dining room. Points to note are the magnificent doorways, the mosaic flooring, the elaborate plasterwork in the ceilings and the attractive floral glazing.
There were 4 ales available, 2 from Adnams, Gunhill and Broadside, Bombardier and Purity Mad Goose. There was also a range of top end lagers and continental beers as well as the usual suspects. At £3, the Gunhill was very reasonably priced for such opulent surroundings. They are Cask Marque accredited and I certainly had no complaints about the quality. The menu was at the restaurant end of the market with a daily changing menu but reasonably priced for what it seemed to be (I didn’t eat here).
The pub has a bit of a reputation for attracting a few undesirables and for disinterested staff but I had no such issues on my early Friday evening visit and even the local hounds were very welcoming.
It is certainly a pub worth visiting for those interested in pub architecture and would certainly be on my short list for a return visit if I find myself in the vicinity.
On 13th April 2012
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Queens Hotel
Like many pubs with ‘hotel' tagged on the end of them this place is far too big for my liking, making it lack any sort of atmosphere. I thought that the staff were like robots showing no emotion and I had to wait longer than should have been required.
Wells Eagle and Bombardier were available alongside Doom Bar which was a good pint.
The pub consists of a huge island bar in the middle with three portioned drinking areas and a large restaurant with open kitchen to the side. There is also a small paved area out the handy for smoking, but I wouldn't want to sit out there all night.
It's a grand building, but unfortunately not the greatest pub so I won't be returning.
On 30th June 2009
- rating: 4
[User has posted 5268 recommendations about 5236 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john mcgraw left this review about The Queens Hotel
Large ornate pub with plenty of wood and stained glass, seperate dining area. on the CAMRA list of pubs with outstanding interiors. charles Wells beers on tap
On 17th May 2007
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2044 recommendations about 2025 pubs]