The Grafton, Kentish Town, NW5

Great pub - loads of room, loads of beer choice and the landlord was wonderfully kept. Recommended. Photos at my walking blog - http://bit.ly/21Jz75P

A fine Victorian building,the open plan interior winds around a huge island bar.The high ceiling,wooden floor and loud muzak means that noise reverberates around but the lighting and use of tea lights did create a decent pub atmosphere with a few original features dotted about.There was a mixed crowd in afterwork on my Friday visit,with quite a bit of bar blocking but the 8 handpumps were offering a real cider,Hammertons N1 (in good nick),West Berkshire Good Old Boy alongside regulars TT Landlord,Purity Mad Goose and Sambrooks Wandle with two pumps unused. The tables around the interior were traditional wooden oblong or square and food is served.Looking at the dinner menu ,the median main was around £11 for what appeared standard pub grub and £4.50 for a scotch egg was taking the mick.There were small plate options but generally around £7,this may reflect the gentrification of the area. Upstairs is signed to another bar,a roof terrace and a board room but I didnt investigate that far.Monday night is Pie Night at £12 for two while there is a quiz on Tuesday . It's in the 2016 GBG and is worth a visit if in the area with the ale probably better value than the food.

First time to visit since the makeover and like other I have to say I like what they have done with the place. The beer choice has certainly improved from my last visit many moons ago and the same TT Landlord, Sambrook Wandel and Purity Mad Goose on for my visit and the one each from Hackney and ELB and the couple of halves I tried were in good nick. Well worth a visit and glad I dropped in here because I initially was going to walk straight past heading for the Camden Town Brewery

There was an impressive range of real ales on in here – Timothy Taylor Landlord; Purity Mad Goose; Sambrook Wandle; Hackney Best Bitter; and By The Horns Stiff Upper Lip. A good selection indeed. All of the pump clips bear tasting notes and ABVs - but not prices for some reason. I was given the choice of a mug or straight glass. There were single sheet menus on all the tables - sandwiches are 6.8 to 8.9 (no unnecessary £s here); The Grafton Burger is 8.5, with chips an extra 2.5. Not cheap, but par for the course in this area I suppose. This old Victorian pub is now completely opened up, but somehow has retained a vestibule in the corner with some nice etched and cut glass, as well as a complete large window at the back on the right with green banding (ex-Charrington perhaps) and some delicate stained glass panels in the upper sections. It's got a bit of the gastropub about it, with wine racks in the bar back, and no TVs or fruit machines that I could see. Furnishings are essentially normal tables and chairs, and the floor's bare boarded with what look like the original boards. There are a few benches at the front on the pavement, and in addition there's a a roof terrace (not investigated). I saw a quiz night and live entertainment both advertised which to some extent gives the lie to the gastropub. Anyway, I reckon there's nothing wrong with a pub appealing to different kinds of customers. It certainly appeals to a real ale drinker. This pub has certainly improved a lot since since its refurbishment two or three years ago, and I would be happy to visit again.

This is a single high-ceilinged boarded room with a central horseshoe bar. Although knocked through, the previous multi-roomed layout is still distinguishable and there is still a feel of separate areas. Part of the bar front has green tiling with the pub name in lettering, cast iron columns have gold painted fluted tops, ceiling fans whirr away. Most of the front windows are now clear glass replacements however some attractive leaded versions remain elsewhere and the entrance lobby retains some nice etched glazing. Lighting is low key, candles on the mostly regular height small scrubbed tables, a side area had a piano. It was very busy on Saturday evening with some music competing and losing against the babble of chatter which is magnified by the high ceiling and hard surfaces. I liked the atmosphere though, a mostly mature clientele enjoying a Saturday evening out in this vibrant area. This is an Enterprise pub, not Antic, and on looking at the pub website has recently picked up an award. The beer range was certainly decent, Hogs Back TEA, Timothy Taylor Landlord, Twickenham Naked Ladies, Vale Brewery VPA, Windsor and Eton Knight of the Garter and a cider, Rosie's Pig. One pump was reversed and one unclipped. A busy Saturday evening isn't always the best time to appreciate a pub but I liked it anyway and would be interested to visit again during the day to compare.

I love the look and feel of the place since it was renovated so it's my go-to local nowadays. I'm quite happy to go by myself for a drink and to read the paper, which is usually my benchmark for a good pub. Always a good atmosphere, pretty lively at the weekend but more casual during the week. The Merlot is delicious and the new bar upstairs does a great cocktail. I'm not much of a beer drinker but they do have Camden Hells which I love and I've noticed that the ales on the pumps change often. Couple of inaccuracies in the below review. I've met the owners and it's definitely an independent pub, not a chain. Also it mentions tables formally set for diners but I've never seen this (I go there often). I enquired about booking a table for a friend's birthday dinner recently but apparently they don't allow it, which I suppose is fair enough as it gets very busy in the evening, particularly on weekends. The food is very good though.

Just down the road from Kentish Town West station, this is a compact, single room pub from the reliable Antic chain. It’s a typical corner pub, with a bare boarded interior opened out from a previous multiple room layout, now wrapped around a central servery. You enter through double doors with small, decorative glass panes and a terrazzo floored porch bearing the pub’s name. Most of the room has been filled with standard and low stool seating running around all four sides of the bar. The servery has a glazed brick bar back with a bottled beer display on shelves and a collection of pump clips. The front of the bar counter is tiled and also bears the pub’s name. Large floral displays in the front windows stand out and add a bit of colour to what was a rather dark and gloomy room on my early evening visit, whilst the walls have been decorated with a few old paintings, although the pub has been spared from Antic’s usual quirky excesses. Lots of people were eating on my Thursday evening visit, and most of the slightly raised rear half of the pub had tables formally set for diners. I noticed a sign for ‘Craft Beer and Cocktails’ pointing to an upstairs bar, but I didn’t get around to venturing that far. A few picnic benches are available outside the front of the pub, although dog owners need not worry about being left outside, as there were a couple of well behaved pooches dotted around the pub. The usual decent selection of music accompanied my visit and the barman that served me was very friendly and chatty. Five hand pumps were in operation, dispensing Taylor Landlord, East London Brewery Pale Ale (£3.95), Hogs Back TEA, By the Horns Mayor of Garrett and London Fields Black Path Porter. I opted for the Pale Ale, which was in pretty good shape, but not really worth the best part of £4. This is a solid, if slightly unspectacular pub by Antic’s high standards. I thought there was a nice buzz about the place, but came away thinking that it’s probably best visited if you’re after a bit to eat. Still, it does at least provide a good ale option if you’re making your way between Camden and Kentish Town.