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Submitted on Monday, 17^th May 2021
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The Army & Navy, N16

1 Matthias Road
N16
N16 8NN

Correct details

Served areas

Stoke Newington, Newington Green

Reviews of The Army & Navy (Average Rating: 5½ of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

Pub SignMan left this review about The Army & Navy

This is an impressive looking, V-shaped pub hidden away in the backstreets of Dalston, with a single room interior that was clearly once a number of separate bars. The pub has faded, unfashionable carpeting throughout with a bit of dark wood panelling, brick effect wallpaper, plain uppers and lots of dark wood beams which all combine to give it a very traditional feel. The bar runs at unconventional angles around most parts of the room, with a dark wood counter front lined with countless coat hooks, a metal filigree gantry and a slightly chopped out bar back with some old Trumans branding retained. Hard bench, chair and low stool seating skirts around the perimeter, broken only by a few blocked up fireplaces with TV screens above showing Olympics coverage. Perhaps the most unusual feature was what appeared to be a plastic panelled ceiling, although I'm fairly sure it couldn't have been plastic - perhaps some short-lived design trend that I've not previously encountered. There are some great leaded windows with stained glass banding and frosted lower panes around both sides of the V-shape. Lots of tables had been reserved for the pub's darts teams who had a fixture that evening, and some trophies were on display at one end of the room as a testament to their prowess. There is a garden out the back, but I didn't manage to explore it, and retro pop tunes were playing quite loudly throughout the course of my stay.
There's no cask here sadly, and the keg range wasnt all that great, with a couple from Beavertown plus Brixton Coldharbour Lager - all owned by major breweries these days, so I opted for a pint of Guinness for a change, which was served to me by a friendly barman.
This is a bit of a time-warp pub in terms of its dated decor and furnishings, but sadly it doesn't retain its traditional layout and has no cask ale either, which severely reduces its appeal. I quite liked sitting in here for a while, and feel it might be worth a short detour to check out some of the retained features, but there's no need for a return visit.

Date of visit - 7th August 2024

On 16^th December 2024 - rating: 5
[User has posted 3350 recommendations about 3350 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Bucking Fastard left this review about The Army & Navy

The exterior is all quite traditional but the Guiness signs outside indicate it's Irish orientation.The interior is worthy of inspection with a small right front section with a darts board and the route to the beer garden.The main body of the pub has a L shaped bar and throughout the flooring is laid to carpet.There is a stage in the corner apex,the ceiling has an interesting finish while the three flatscreens were on mute for the Test match,while the muzak was gentle.A fruit machine was evident but there are also some interesting original features in this 30's design.There is another dartsboard at the far end.
The welcome was friendly ,and the regulars greated each other as they arrived,it's a community boozer for the local Irish but that theme is not overdone and I didn't see a tricolour anywhere.
Of course there is no real ale,so the best option seemed to be Beavertown Neck Oil (£5.70) alongside Gamma Ray.
If you enjoy pub heritage this place will please you,sadly the lack of ale limits it's offering.

On 12^th June 2022 - rating: 6
[User has posted 2936 recommendations about 2936 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Tris C left this review about The Army & Navy

Visited by us for the first time last week and unchanged since the previous reviews, this is an A. E. Sewell hostelry built for Truman’s in 1936, featuring the brewer’s motifs to the exterior: the name and eagle logotype along with bow window looking like a florist’s display. Also featured are less attractive aftermarket signs advertising Moretti, Fosters, Heineken and Guinness, for this is an avowedly Irish pub.
The building is also Grade II-listed and features on CAMRA’s heritage list for having an Interior of Regional Importance, typical of Sewell’s other ‘modern’ or ‘improved’ pubs which feature his trademark white Vitrolite ceilings along with Truman’s mirrors and their beers advertised; some leaded stained-glass windows are still in place. The floor is carpeted and there’s a small, raised stage area to one end; furniture is traditional and low with velour upholstery. There are brick fireplaces, sadly blocked off but the interior features much brown lacquered wood with some bare brick. The bar back is original and features a scrollwork wrought iron pot shelf; it’s all very evocative of the 1930s. There are almost too many TVs to count, showing the football from multiple angles; a projector screen also seems to exist. Easy listening played over the gramophone. There’s a beer garden which is home to the young incomers, a far cry from the much older customers in the bar area, the two of us constituting the exception.
There’s a sea of illuminated chrome founts on the bar but there’s no real ale that I could see, so I plumped for a pint of Guinness at a very agreeable £4.10 and in decent nick, poured by a very friendly barman, delivered by an equally friendly barmaid.
This pub is worth a look on the heritage trail, but there’s a better example of Sewell’s work just up the road from here – the Rose & Crown – which sells a selection of real ales, none of which are bathed in a green glow from the TVs.

On 2^nd June 2021 - rating: 5
[User has posted 2207 recommendations about 2164 pubs]

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