The Bill Murray, Islington, N1

This small, two room Victorian corner pub takes a bit of searching out situated as it is in the back street terraced housing between Essex road and the Angel. As Roger mentions below it had a makeover and renamed a few years ago to appeal to the dog walking fraternity. I’ve never seen any dogs (of the hairy four legged kind) in, and the people who have been here on the odd occasions I’ve dropped in tend to make use of the good pool table in the back room and the excellent free Juke box which has quite an eclectic rock collection. The decor is a bit dark with excessive use of red and black paint but the seats are comfortable if a bit worn. TT Landlord and Black Sheep Bitter were on the two hand pumps for my visit this week and the Landlord was a decent pint.

This dog friendly Victorian corner pub seems to have been given a new lease of life thanks to a few bright innovative ideas. True, the Real Ale selection is a little limited (Greene King IPA and Eden Ale) and the 16 specialist bottled beers come at a price – between £3.50 and £4.90 a bottle. The Hot Rocks food is served on a preheated granite plate that continues to cook the food as you eat it and prices look quite reasonable for something a bit novel. Unfortunately no-one was eating while I was there so I cannot comment too much but I personally would like to give it a go. I too did not see any dogs but it was early in the evening and rather lacked any atmosphere at that time. The main bar is a bit of a mix with bare floors, heavily overpainted wood paneling, a mixture of seating styles, an unused fireplace, juke box, TV and a rather strange sculpture in the corner. The food banners are a bit "in your face". There is a separate pool/darts room and also an outside courtyard. Quiz nights on Wednesday. The pub may not be to everyone's taste but credit must given for trying something a bit different and it is well worth seeking out or popping in whilst taking the dog for a walk.