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Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat on the Pub Forum

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Submitted on Friday, 21^st March 2025
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The Pocket, N1

25 Canonbury Lane
N1
N1 2AS

Correct details

Served areas

Islington, Canonbury

Reviews of The Pocket (Average Rating: 7½ of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

Moby Duck left this review about The Pocket

A splendid Alehouse and sister pub to The Southampton Arms In Gospel Oak, as mentioned the similarities internally are quite noticeable, the dark wood contrasts with the white butchers style tiling behind the bar. the room is long and narrow but pushes on beyond the main bar area into an open but slightly separate area.
There are eight handpumps for beer on the bar counter and reminiscent of the aforementioned Southampton Arms, six mounted at the back of the bar for Cider and Perry. Ten taps for craft beer on the counter and five in the back wall serving various wines. On my second visit to this pub yesterday there was also a wooden cask barrel mounted on the bar serving a barrel aged Imperial Stout from Howling Hops priced at £5 something a half, normal cask prices are a decent £4.97 for beers up to 4.6% , stronger beers rise quite steeply at a further £1.08 per 1% rise.
Both my visits have been lunchtime/early afternoon without encountering any problems such as loud chatter or folded bikes, just the one dog, a Jack Russel that wasn't in anyone's way.
This pub is top and I intend many more visits.

On 6^th April 2025 - rating: 9
[User has posted 2151 recommendations about 2118 pubs]

Tris C left this review about The Pocket

This is an interesting place that has been in operation – COVID aside – since 1984, when it was a Courage place called the Four Sisters, on account of being run by a group of sisters, though how many I know not. It later became a wine bar called 25 Canonbury Lane before the original name was reinstated around 2011, only to close due to the pandemic. It reopened last night by the team behind the Southampton Arms (and Cock?) with their legend Ale Cider Meat to the pub sign.
The narrow, deep interior certainly has a Southamptonesque aesthetic (see photos), with a boarded floor, white tiled bar back, cream walls above three-quarter height baronial dark wood field panelling, then a gloss black Anaglypta ceiling from which Cockesque fans are suspended; there’s an upright piano too along with a lovely marble fireplace. Furniture is simple and quite limited, décor just a few odd prints, then old brewery ashtrays balanced above the panelling’s parapet; like the Southampton, there’s a vinyl-only soundtrack via huge period speakers that wouldn’t look out of place at Stone’enge, powered by an old-school Quad pre- and power amp. Customers were hipsterish local types in good spirits at the time of my near 9.30pm visit.
Beverages amount to 10 indie taps, six cider pumps and eight cask pumps dispensing: Shadow Boxing Brown Ale, Fyne Ales Jarl, Small Batch Special Dark Mild, Arbor Mosaic, Five Points Best, Single Hop Strata, Thornbridge Jaipur £3.19 a half and fantastic then Plum Porter from Titanic, £5.29 a pint which went down faster than the eponymous ship – absolutely gorgeous.
This place has by far the best cask selection in the whole borough and is a no-brainer when in N1, though my only complaints are that the background chatter is deafening, the dog and folded bikes a tripping hazard.

On 21^st March 2025 - rating: 8
[User has posted 2207 recommendations about 2164 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Strongers . left this review about 25 Canonbury Lane

This place is a small bar just off Upper Street that has an extensive wine and cocktail list along with five standard draught products and Hoegarden. There is a plasma screen that was off during my visit and some lounge type music was playing in the background. At the rear of the bar there is a glass ceilinged room that is full of sofas and there is another sofa in the bar area along with some small tables. The staff were friendly enough and the clientele seemed well heeled and a few looked like they were in the midst of a family function.

I’ve never been a fan of these small bars as I like a traditional pub, but this place ok for what it is.

On 9^th October 2010 - rating: 5
[User has posted 5965 recommendations about 5931 pubs]

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