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Chat about:
Beer of the Week (w/e 15th June 2025) with Tris39
on the Pub Forum
Image posted by Moby Duck
Submitted on Thursday, 13th March 2025
With picture contributions to 1197 other pubs
View all this pub's pictures (26 more images)
Detail Pages
The Stags Head, Hoxton, N1
N1
N1 5RA
Served areas
Reviews of The Stags Head (Average Rating: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Tris C left this review about The Stags Head
On 10th June 2016:
Situated right off the beaten track in the desert hinterland hybrid that has an N1 postcode, yet is in Hackney, is The Stags Head, established in 1856 but rebuilt by Truman, Hanbury & Buxton's golden boy A. E. Sewell in 1936. The pub's website states that it has proudly restored its details such as wonderful Truman's wood panelling, integrated Truman's mirrors and Truman's illuminated bar back parapet, yet has ruined the exterior biscuit glaze tiles by entombing them in burgundy paint. The pub also boasts the reinstatement of two working fireplaces which have wonderful ceramic stag motifs above the surrounds, and the vinyl floor, which dates back to the 1930s - ahem...no it doesn't. If it dates from the 1930s then it's linoleum.
There's a small central bar and off to the left is a small live music and dance room. The main bar features an upright piano and conventional furniture. Playing on the night of our visit, was some subdued acoustic folk music which didn't intrude. However, if the Marshall stacks and DJs featured on the website were in evidence, we'd probably have passed on by. Aside from the audience in the music zone, the pub was decidedly quiet.
Sadly, there was only one ale on with - I think - a blank pump. The barmaid was off-hand and served me a decent pint of Upham Brewery's Punter which was a decent enough and unheard-of find, which at £3.85 a pint is really quite good for the area.
This really is a very unusual pub and I would make a special point of visiting, just to experience the largely unspoilt 1930s' interior. A couple of extra real ales could turn this place into a minor destination pub.
Rated 6.
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On 10th March 2023:
A return the other night and the pub is unchanged, though perhaps with the addition of Kray memorabilia, though I don’t know if they ever visited. What is true though, is that the depiction of a scene from Legend is accurate, as both the interior and exterior feature in the film.
Where the place has gone downhill though, is on the ale front with just the awful Doom Bar and worse still, the arrival of something called Doom Bar ‘Extra Chilled’, which can only be worse still, so once again it was a half of Neck Oil at an obscene £3.45, served in an equally awful Camden brewery ‘tumbler’ by a vapid barman.
This is a lovely pub, but the undrinkable Hobson’s choice of cask beer means that I’m unlikely to return.
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Grade II-listed and with a CAMRA ** interior, I made a return about a week ago based on Moby’s recommendation and nothing seems changed apart from the attitude.
With an ugly illuminated advertisement board, the place now seems to have been taken over by students, with all the accompanying shrieking that entails. I arrived to be told that there was a private party, taking place in the rear function room. However, I wasn’t allowed into the empty left-hand bar, meaning that I was unable to see the pumps clips. The clueless and utterly incomprehensible young barmaids couldn’t understand my request to know what cask offering were on, so I pointed to a random clip across the bar, which turned out to be Purity Mad Goose at an unpardonable £3.45 a half; it was ok though.
The cask offerings may be an improvement, but this place offers a pretty dispiriting experience so the score remains unchanged. If you want to see a really stunning Truman’s interior by A. E. Sewell, visit the Rose & Crown, N16; better beer and service too.
On 7th May 2025
- rating: 4
[User has posted 2243 recommendations about 2200 pubs]
Moby Duck left this review about The Stags Head
An excellent looking Ex Truman's pub with a superbly unspoilt interior from the inter war era featuring wood panelling and partitions with mirrors, the bar itself is a thing of beauty.
Ale wise there was just Purity Mad Goose available with an UBU clip turned on the adjacent handpump leaving a third handle bare,keg wise was a normal selection with a couple of decent craft options.
Despite the restrained beer selection this is a pub that should be seen.
On 13th March 2025
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2183 recommendations about 2150 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Stags Head
Tucked away on a side street near the Regents Canal,there is a magnificent Truman's interior which has been discovered and restored by the pub owners.The exterior is also traditional apart from the colour scheme and it sits on a street corner in a downmarket locale.The apex entrance gives way to a very basic tap room,worn wooden floor,cellar hatch, an old upright piano and a few benches and stools.There is a keg gantry offering 7 options,most mainstream but two from Beavertown.Locals gather in here and there is an exit to the beer garden.The island bar gives views into the impressive back lounge where all the features exist and you can see the back of 4 handpumps.I enquired about real ale but was told there is none so a pint of keg Beavertown Gamma Ray at £6.70 was purchased before setting off to explore.
Through an arch is the former Jug & Bottle with it's own door,kept locked these days.Then the back lounge with the exposed original 30's lino,wood panelling,gently curved bar,settles and stools and Truman beer names picked out in gold paint.Two real brick fireplaces stuffed with logs still exist either side of the entrance to a rear room with a small stage at one end,lit by fairy lights.Around the bar original light fittings still exist,it's a calm area steeped in pre war character but strangely unused by the regulars.
No real ale is a great shame,and the keg pricing would deter session drinkers.The welcome was cursory and the marks are solely for the terrific interior which is worthy of inspection.
On 11th August 2021
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2971 recommendations about 2971 pubs]
View more reviews of The Stags Head (5)
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- Official site of The Stags Head - stagsheadhoxton.com
- Facebook - Stag's Head Hoxton
- Twitter - The Stag's Head
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Stags Head - whatpub.com
- Historic Pub Interiors - pubheritage.camra.org.uk
Hoxton, 0.56 miles, 10 min walk (show)
Dalston Junction, 0.91 miles, 17 min walk (show)
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : No last updated 07 May 2025 by Tris C
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 07 May 2025 by Tris C
- Beer Festivals : No last updated 07 May 2025 by Tris C
- Beer Garden : Yes last updated 07 May 2025 by Tris C
- CAMRA Discount : No last updated 07 May 2025 by Tris C
- Car Park : No last updated 07 May 2025 by Tris C
- Child Friendly : No last updated 07 May 2025 by Tris C
- Darts : No last updated 07 May 2025 by Tris C
- Function Room : Yes last updated 07 May 2025 by Tris C
- Hot Food : Yes - Pizza orientated. - last updated 07 May 2025 by Tris C
- Jukebox : No last updated 07 May 2025 by Tris C
- Karaoke : No last updated 07 May 2025 by Tris C
- Live Music : Yes - Wednesdays, 19.30 open mic. - last updated 07 May 2025 by Tris C
- Live TV Sports : No last updated 07 May 2025 by Tris C
- Micropub : No last updated 07 May 2025 by Tris C
- Pinball : No last updated 07 May 2025 by Tris C
- Pool Table : No last updated 07 May 2025 by Tris C
- Quiz Night : Yes - Tuesdays, 19.30. - last updated 07 May 2025 by Tris C
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 07 May 2025 by Tris C
- Real Cider : No last updated 07 May 2025 by Tris C
- Wheelchair Access : No last updated 07 May 2025 by Tris C
- WiFi : Yes last updated 07 May 2025 by Tris C
