King Charles I, Kings Cross, N1

An excellent traditional and basic boozer in a side street, with a good range of ales and lots of old wood panelling. Quite amusing that they seem to have simulated an old nicotine-stained ceiling, which of course is not something you find nowadays! On handpump were Neptune Abyss and White Horses, Kent Maia, Siren Memento and Seacider. A good pub worth visiting.

Lovely little off the beaten track pub filled with interesting objects and tat.Busy on my quiz night visit..3 cask beers and not the usual suspects.I particularly liked the Elvis Presley leaded light.Toilets are minging .Great atmosphere on my two visits.

Dating from the mid-19th century, this looks like a 1930s’ rebuild, which for a brief period was known as the Craic House, before reverting to the original name; this would probably explain the high mounted Guinness sign and emerald green fascia. This is no longer an Irish pub, which has an interior listed by CAMRA as being of Some Regional Importance. It has been community-owned since 2015, is very LBGTQIA+ friendly and has a ‘…strict no-wankers policy’. I came here once before in May 2016 and didn’t fully appreciate the place. Well described below, the interior is mainly wood panelled, with a multitude of knickknacks and brewery regalia, all visible on the pub’s website. The crowd here is mixed, with some people perhaps waiting for a gig at the Scala, office workers and probably students, given the close proximity to the two, large student accommodation blocks nearby on Pentonville Road. There were two ales on: Southwark Brewing’s Routemaster Red and Twisted Wheel’s Technicolour Beat and forgetting that I really don’t like TW’s offerings, foolishly plumped for this horrible ‘juicy’ pale ale at £2.25 a half, served by a very friendly old-school landlady, who was assiduously watching out for short measures. This is a very nice pub, one of the best in close proximity to King’s Cross; however, it does get very busy later in the week, so time your visit wisely.

Official site of King Charles I - kingcharles1st.co.uk

Official site of King Charles I - kingcharles1st.co.uk

Haven’t been in this one for a fair few years, so thought I’d look it up again last Saturday evening and great to find it in rude health. Yes it’s only a small one roomed affair internally and it was Saturday evening, but still good to find all internal seating and the external benches being fully utilised. But we were fortunate to be blessed with an unseasonably warm evening so perfectly happy to stand outside with an excellent pint of Hophurst Brewery Sonnet Pale Ale. Hophurst Brewery APA and Hammerton N7 were on the other two ale pumps with the fourth pump double clipped with ciders (Ascension Mothership from the pump and Seacider Blood Orange from a Polypin in the fridge). Friendly pub with lots of conversation and amazingly (given the space available) a couple of local musicians were setting themselves inside at the far end up to provide a live music set. I’m a great fan of local musicians demonstrating their art in a pub on a Saturday night, but I do understand there are philistines who are not. Sadly we had another engagement to get to and couldn’t stay long enough to find out if they were any good.

The King Charles I is tucked away on a side street just off the Caledonian Road. Looking for a swift pint before taking a train from King's Cross, I noticed that I'd scored the pub a 7/10 on my last visit in 2011. So, I thought we should give it another try. Thinking back, I vaguely recall being here before and indeed, I will still score it a 7/10. It's a lovely traditional boozer which has a single bar with lots of wood panelling. A couple of customers were stood at the bar, but most others were sat outside the front. Three real ales were on - Greene King Abbot, Park Killcat & One Mile End Salvation. The cider was Pulp Apple Craft Cider. I catch trains often enough from King's Cross to come here more often. So, I must make more of an effort!