Duchess of Kent, De Beauvoir Town, N1

This is a good sized L-shaped pub with a long bar that was being run by two extremely friendly barmaids that were having plenty of banter with the twenty or so locals that were having a boisterous Thursday evening drink. There were two hand pumps that had Pride and Tetleys Cask clips, but these were both off leaving a selection of standard draught. I’d had a couple of quick pints before entering here so I opted for a small Guinness and after a little leg pulling by one of the barmaids about me being allowed to use the toilet without buying a drink I received a decent half. There are a couple of plasma screens for showing Sky Sports, but these were both off and the jukebox was playing random songs. There is a stage at the far end of the bar that is used for a DJ and Karaoke on Friday and Saturday nights when there is an extended license until midnight. There is also a dartboard that had a table and chairs on the oche, but this is the sort of pub where you just move them out of the way without any hassle. There were a few signs advertising that private parties and functions are catered for and any enquires should be made to the staff. There are three picnic tables on the path outside which were being used by smokers during my visit. I liked the atmosphere in here and although I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit again this is a good pub that I would use if I lived locally.