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Detail Pages
The Narrowboat, Islington, N1
N1
N1 8PZ
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about The Narrowboat
A nice little pub making the most of its location with windows and balconies overlooking the canal, and a downstairs room by the towpath. The interior is fairly modern and without much character but it is nice enough and was a pleasant place to sit on a sunny afternoon. On handpump were Young's Original and St Austell Proper Job.
On 16th September 2021
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3352 recommendations about 3289 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Narrowboat
Compact Young's pub in a fine spot on the sunnier north side of the Regent's Canal. Narrow but elongated bar / restaurant at street level, with the unreserved tables all busy and two small balconies overlooking the water packed on a pleasant evening. Thoroughly refurbished in a light, semi-modern style with wooden dining tables in a variety of sizes. Also has another bar downstairs at towpath level (not visited). Three of six handpumps on the main counter in use, offering Ordinary, Special and Twickenham Naked Ladies (£5.10), with Wandle, Five Points Pale and Redemption Rock the Kazbek "back soon".
On 20th May 2018
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Narrow Boat
Owned by Youngs pubco. this is quite a small building sitting alongside the Regents Canal.The street level room has the main bar ,is long and thin with some small outside balconies reached by sliding doors giving great views of all the boats.There is a seperate bar down some internal steps which is a lot calmer and is more of a dining area,although not exclusively.There is a sliding door which gives direct access to the towpath down here.A small bar at this level has two handpumps,and will simply repeat the selection from the 6 handpumps upstairs,so go there to order your beer.
On my trip the selection was Youngs Bitter (doubled up),Special,Redemption Pale Ale,Sambrooks Junction and Red (in decent shape).
Food will sometime dominate here,and it feels like a popular tourist haunt but the presence of three guest ales goes someway to making this worth a visit,with the canal the real star.
On 25th February 2018
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2737 recommendations about 2737 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
custodian 42 left this review about The Narrow Boat
Halfway decent craft ale but the place was full of diners so this wasn't my thing.
On 19th January 2017
- rating: 4
[User has posted 1693 recommendations about 1691 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
hondo . left this review about The Narrow Boat
A Young's pub that lives up to it's name. A long narrow interior with 5 real ales and food served. A bit foodie for me.
On 20th November 2016
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2883 recommendations about 2820 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Narrow Boat
I did enjoy a good pint of Young's on this particular visit, patience was needed at the bar, as a lot of the city crowd were paying via plastic, which held up proceedings. We made it here around the 7.30 mark on a Friday eve and there wasn't a seat to be had, so we shared a table with an older group of drinkers, who had brought their elderly Mother out for a Birthday drink. We enjoyed a good chat with these locals, who had lived around here all their lives and the conversation consisted of how much the pub and the general area had changed. I explained that I worked around here many moons ago for a small company off Noel Rd.
I also found it quite funny to see a group of people stuffed onto a small balcony overlooking the canal, near to where we were sitting. Six handpumps with the usual Young's line up and two guest.
On 15th August 2016
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Narrow Boat
A first time in here the other day and you'd never guess that this is a Victorian pub, once called The Star. I've never seen such a gastro makeover. It looks like some corporate bar that you'd find in an office development. A little bare brick hints at something older but at best it looks like a warehouse conversion, with plate glass windows and wooden slats behind the bar. Food is big here - most people seemed to be eating and we couldn't get a seat, not that we wanted to stay long. There's muted mood music, a couple of TVs - off - some old school furniture and a boarded floor which looks modern. Downstairs is a canal-side bar, but it leads nowhere other than a narrow towpath, beyond which is the rather stagnant canal.
Three Young's ales were on, but with clips reversed. Thereafter it was London Beer Factory's Beyond The Pale and Chelsea Blonde which was good, and so it should be at £2.35 a half.
This is a really a corporate restaurant/bar and not what I'd call a pub. Suffice to say, I won't be returning, not least because there are far better pubs in the area.
On 21st April 2016
- rating: 4
[User has posted 1995 recommendations about 1961 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Narrow Boat
Had this one on the ‘to-do’ list for a long time. It is situated in the hinterland where Islington peters out and turns into the Old Street area, sitting on the Islington side of the Grand Union canal. The pub has clearly had a massive refurbishment and is aimed squarely at the upmarket N1 brigade. Tidy and whitewashed on the outside, the interior within is (as expected) long and narrow with the bar to the left and a set of large glass doors that open out to a small balcony to the left that overlooks the canal. The décor is clean and linear; the wood blocking behind the bar works well and the Kath Kidston-style bunting above the bar seemed oddly in tune with the atmosphere. The large glass windows also allow in a lot of light which is pleasant. Beer-wise there were six ales at the bar (three Redemptions, two Youngs and an ELB). The two Redemption beers we picked were drinkable enough if not quite the grade I’d apply to a ‘good’ pint. Also of note was a pretty decent looking wine list and Camden beers on keg. Service behind the bar was from the young staff was friendly. Food is a big thing here and almost all the tables had a little nest of condiments on them but there were no restrictions to just plopping yourself down and having a pint; bar snacks were on offer and I was almost tempted by a scotch egg though I think the cakes could be left to the tea and coffee brigade (also well-catered for judging by the size of the hissing machine). The toilets were impeccably clean and rather impressive. We sat on a table adjacent to the long full-length glass windows that allowed a view of the canal, towpath and the nasty-looking new builds on the opposite bank. Overall this was a pleasant little place to stop-off and is worth taking in if you are crawling the area or fancy a change from the nearby Wenlock Arms.
On 6th May 2013
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5108 recommendations about 5091 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
I L left this review about The Narrow Boat
Definitely a modernised street corner trendy N1 canal side pub but at least the tables weren't all reserved and the range of ales is good with 3 sharps ales on plus Fullers London Pride. Very pleasant place to look out over the canal and with the ales well kept well worth visiting. didn't try the food but plenty of people eating in here.
On 6th October 2010
- rating: 7
[User has posted 287 recommendations about 284 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Narrowboat
I was surprised to read that this place has been recently extended as it is still very small and one of the narrowest places I've been to - Hence the name I suppose. There are a couple of small balconies overlooking the canal, but one was out of bounds and the other was rammed so I didn't get to check out the vista.
Wandle, Pride, Black Sheep and TEA were all available alongside a selection of premium and standard lagers.
There is a plasma screen and Sky is shown, but I thought that there was a leaning towards food so I wouldn't plan to go here to watch a match.
The barmaid was very friendly and the other patrons seemed decent enough making a nice atmosphere for a pub with a professional crowd.
Based on my early evening visit I would return here again.
On 4th September 2009
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5268 recommendations about 5236 pubs]