The Abbey Tavern, Kentish Town, NW1

The interior has been stripped out ,the lettering on the outside mentions cask ale but there was none,just some very mainstream kegs.There maybe a roof terrace but I can see no reason to return,it's just very dull .Much better pubs very close by.

The Abbey Tavern is a large and decent looking pub that is situated at what i would say the bottom end of Kentishh Towns High street. There is a corner entrance which takes you into an oblong shaped room which runs the the rear,the bar is on the mid left side and the floor is bare boarded,the seating is bench type and chairs and tables with small stools. There was one real ale on the bar which was Sambrooks Pump House,this was a decent drink. Background music was playing. I thought this was a decent pub to have a drink in. Not sure why there are so many negative reviews of this pub,try going in some of the rougher pubs i have been in. Pub visited 2/6/2017

Two of the three handpumps had clips reversed, with the third offering Doom Bar, so I opted for a half of the rarely seen Lagunitas IPA (£2.80 a half) which is a 6.2% American hop bomb. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but for me it went down very well on a warm afternoon. A chalkboard on one of the walls detailed the "craft" beers available, with prices and ABVs. The emphasis here seems to be on so-called craft beers at the expense of real ale. I didn't see a menu, but a couple of blackboards had food offers on display - such as buy a burger and get a second one for £1, and two fish and chips for £16. I hate these sort of deals as they are of no use to someone visiting on their own. The good thing about this pub is that furnishings are traditional - banquettes, small round stools, and normal tables and chairs. Most of the tables were optimistically laid with cutlery and knapkins, with the only couple eating sitting at the bar counter. On the minus side all the walls were exposed brickwork, the black-painted ceiling was obscured by ducting, for heating and/or airconditioning I suppose, and the bar counter front looked like polished brass. I saw a sign pointing to the garden and roof terrace, but I didn't go exploring. All in all this is a very basic and ordinary pub that looks as if it's trying to be something more posh, but is failing at that. It fits into the "OK" category, but not having a decent ale on when I visited didn't do it any favours for me and I doubt whether I'll visit again.

Attractive of brickwork and name about the parapet, I can't really amplify on Quinno's review below, except that most tables seemed to be laid for dining (this isn't a gastro pub). There's some wood panelling but mostly bare brick walls. Ambient music was muted though live music was in the process of being set up. I know from countless passes that this place is heaving on Friday and Saturday nights. Ales: one pump reversed, Sharp's Doom Bar and Sambrooks's Pump House at a very reasonable £2.00 a half but it wasn't great. I don't envisage a return visit, not least because the Grafton or Tapping the Admiral are a short walk from here.

A grand corner building with some nice brickwork. Inside is a scruffy high-ceilinged single roomer that had all life and soul yanked out years ago - stripped wood floor, exposed brick, exposed aircon ducts. Two extra-long red wine coloured leather banquettes added some much-needed comfort and style. Large windows let in plenty of light. Raised area to left with a ceiling lighting rig for gigs and a large screen showing tennis to no-one. Hipster of course, two right-on signs above a glass at the bar asking for donations for a particular staff member to punch Donald Trump in the face (found this a bit odd post Jo Cox) and to convert the pub to a spaceship to escape Brexit – I could almost smell Rik from the Young Ones doing a session of his People’s Poet back catalogue. Unexplored upstairs beer terrace. Three pumps and impressively not a single one was operational (turned clips for Doom Bar and Wandle). Had to go for a Four Points keg beer which came in at £2.40 half (ouch). Some craft-style cans and bottles in the fridge. Pretty ropey, overall.

Nice high ceilinged pub with exposed brickwork. Furniture and paintwork is a bit tatty. Food looked and smelled good but I don't go in a pub to eat. Two beers on handpump and both crackers Darkstar-Art of Darkness and Five Points -pale ale.How can you not like a pub with beers like this.