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Submitted on Tuesday, 15^th April 2025
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The Island, Kensal Rise, NW10

123 College Road
NW10
NW10 5HA

Phone: 02089600693

Correct details

Pub Type

Metropolitan Pub Co (Greene King)

Served areas

Kensal Rise

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Reviews of The Island (Average Rating: 4½ of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

Tris C left this review about The Island

Despite the ominous NW10 postcode, this place is in the increasingly gentrified enclave that is Kensal Rise/Green, a far cry from Willesden – let alone Harlesden – to the west.
This place probably dates from the area’s development in what must have been the 1930s, though CAMRA claims this is a pub development or conversion dating from the ‘70s.
The interior is ludicrously plush and must have cost a fortune: dark wood boards with some kilims, white tiled bar back, cream of mushroom soup colour scheme, dark baronial field panelling, conventional furniture, varied trendy light fittings, mixed artwork from Romance scenery in gilded rococo frames to small, trendy mounted prints; the most eye-catching element of the interior is the multiple levels (see photos); it must all have cost a fortune.
At the time of my late Friday visit, cask amounted to two reversed pumps, then just Pride, so it was more Neck Oil, price forgotten, served by professional staff.
Pending the reopening – if ever – of the Masons, this is about the best drinkery in NW10, but I’d be hard pushed to call it an actual pub.

On 16^th August 2025 - rating: 4
[User has posted 2277 recommendations about 2227 pubs]

David Walton left this review about The Island

Visited 14/04/25

Three hand pumps, one not dispensing, the other two providing London Pride and Purity Max Goose. Large keg offering of Amstel, Asahi, Peroni, Jubel Peach , Lucky Saint, Hofmeister, Cornish Orchards, Guinness, Deya Steady Rolling Man, Brixton Low Voltage Session IPA, Neck Oil and the Yes session IPA from the Goodness Brewing Co.

Corner pub with sheltered seating on the two street facing sides. Inside it is bare boarded with the attractive bar counter with some intricate engravings on both venue facing sides in the right-side mid venue. To the right of the entrance is a small seating area with a leather studded banquette along the wall and regular tables and chairs. To the left of the entrance is a high-ceilinged area with some small tables along the window side and some nice leather seat booth tables with a wood panelling on the wall side. The upper windows are shuttered and there is a dark wood lattice covering on the ceiling with a large fan, not in use on my visit. Beyond the bar counter is another small seating area with regular tables and chairs and a, not used on this visit, log burner. Up a flight of steps just inside the entrance is a mezzanine seating area, also bare boarded with regular tables and chairs and an open kitchen in the corner. There is a lot of small photos and paintings above the wood panelling and up another couple of steps in the back left corner is a regular table that sits 6-8 that provides a nice aspect over the pub. Lighting is nice and the music relaxing. All told a decent neighbourhood pub that gains some marks for a cask offering in a post code area where cask offering venues are few and far between!

On 15^th July 2025 - rating: 5
[User has posted 816 recommendations about 811 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Rex Rattus left this review about The Island

There were three handpumps here – when I arrived one was clipped for the ubiquitous GK IPA (£2.05 a half – not cheap); one unclipped; and a third with a clip reversed. However, once I got got my half of IPA and sat down, the barmaid pulled through one of the other pumps which she then clipped for Portobello VPA. More bad timing on my part. Among the usual lagers I spotted Camden Helles, and Goose Island IPA with its distinctive goose head tap. There were single sheet (seemingly printed on brown wrapping paper) menus, as well as a little tin containing cutlery, on all the tables. Sandwiches are £6.50 or £7 containing such things as “fish finger, tartare sauce, and pea puree”. The main courses seem reasonably priced (£6.50 - £8) and contained many things that I had heard of – the Angus beef cottage pie and greens is £7.50.

The pub itself is nothing special. It looks a relatively new build – 60s perhaps? Inside in the main bar there are a couple of tall tables/tall stools, one or two armchairs, and some normal tables and chairs and small stools. A few stairs on the left take you up to a mezzanine floor which looked as if it might be for diners. I saw a sign to a snug downstairs (not investigated), and there’s also a fair bit of seating outside at the front in a patio area surrounding the pub. A large flatscreen TV and some unnecessarily loud pop music completes the scene.

This is a straightforward modernish pub. It’s not worth going out of your way to find, but is nice enough at the front if it’s warm enough to sit outside, and if you’re lucky enough to visit when they’ve got something other than GK IPA on.

On 16^th April 2015 - rating: 5
[User has posted 2608 recommendations about 2522 pubs]

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