The Queens, Crouch End, N8

This is an absolute showcase of a Victorian "gin palace". Now operated by the very small Food & Fuel chain, it was built (and allegedly also designed) by the developer John Cathles Hill in the golden age of Victorian pub building in the 1890s, along with the similar and equally spectacular Salisbury. It's Grade II* listed, and on CAMRA's National Inventory of pubs with unspoilt interiors. In here we have the trademark original dark wood panelling; Lincrusta style ceilings; etched/cut glass; leaded light glazing in he windows, and the now rarely seen ironwork signage above the entrances. Most of the original partitioning survives, creating several separate drinking areas. However, the large room at the back (or side - depends which way you're facing!) had all the tables laid for formal dining, with an open to view kitchen to one side. You don't normally find formal dining areas and pub grub in the same pub, but here they have somewhat surprisingly come together. The single-sheet daily menu on all the tables featured pub grub staples such as chicken/mushroom pie & mash (£11.50), pan-fried Cumberland sausages & mash, onion gravy (£11.00). I suppose it's necessary to specify that the sausages are pan-fried in case someone ever discovers another way to fry sausages. They also advertise a £5 lunch (12 - 3 Mon - Fri), the best of the three options being the "sausage and wholegrain mustard sandwich, hand cut chips". A fiver isn't bad by London standards, so I'll forgive them the excessive adjectivisation. The ales weren't bad either - ELB Foundation Bitter, Redemption Trinity, and London Fields Hackney Hopster, with a clip reversed on a fourth pump. This is a must visit pub solely for its place as a classic London Heritage pub, but some decent ales is also a big plus.