Quinns, NW1

This long, narrow Irish pub is fairly easy to reach from both Kentish Town and Camden tube stations. The bar runs down the mid-part of the right hand wall, with seating areas either side of it. At the front there is a fairly open area with some partitioned booths, lit in part by red fairy lights, which sounds ghastly, but actually worked fairly well. Opposite the bar, a number of silhouettes of Edwardian scenes fill the windows, which is an unusual and somewhat quirky feature. There are a few high tables and stools here as well as a drinking ledge, before the room opens out once again at the rear, where a curved banquette provides a good deal of seating along with some regular tables and chairs. The servery has some interesting backlit stained glass at the top and there are more examples of this on the staircase leading down to the toilets. The walls have their fair share of clichéd Irish themed pictures, but the pub, which was showing the Real Madrid vs. Barcelona cup tie, could very well have been a Spanish bar, given that all of the clientele except for me were there to cheer on their team. I’m not sure if the pub has a garden, but there was a sizeable space on the pavement fenced off with a number of seats available. The pub has a reputation for providing a wide range of bottled beers, but I completely forgot to look at the fridges, so I can only point out that there were three hand pumps in operation offering Greene King IPA and Abbot Ale as well as Belhaven Grand Slam (£3.80). I tried the latter which was in good shape, if not a particularly memorable pint. As Irish pubs go, I thought this was a pretty good one, perhaps reaping the benefits of being run by the same family for the last 20+ years. I’m not sure I’d specifically make a return trip to this pub, but it’s a good option to have and I’m sure it will have been rocking last night for St Patrick’s Day.

This one stands out amongst the generally gauche establishments in Camden due to the interesting stock of foreign (mainly Belgian) bottles in the fridges, the prices of which prices are relatively reasonable given the area. The inside is odd – long and narrow most of the way down, though by juxtaposition the ‘beer garden’ is a small concrete patio thronged with smokers. The interior has a crass Irish theme going on in places, but thankfully not too in-your-face and can be ignored. There’s usually a decent/eclectic selection of music on the landlord’s ipod. Ale-wise, they seem to have started stocking Greene King beers, usually three of them. The clientèle in here are a bit less tacky than the average Camden pub, though the toilets aren't - they are often in pretty poor condition. Overall, recommended for a decent pre-gig beer in Camden.

Randomness Guide to London - Quinns entry

Randomness Guide to London - Quinns entry

I have been using this place on occasions over the last couple of years and always thought it a bit overrated. That said, I am not a big fan of Irish styled pubs anyway although, despite the bright façade, Quinns doesn't actually feel like your stereotypical Irish bar. The interior has a contrived and plastic feel about it and lacks any intrinsic warmth or charm. It would however make a terrific bowling alley given its long, narrow layout and low ceiling. There are a few Dublin photos, portraits and bits of illuminated coloured glass dotted around but the cheap posters of Irish “humour” are embarrassingly tacky. Of course what most people rate it for is the beers. Until recently they only had a mundane selection of Green King Ales but in recent months they have introduced some unusual guest beers to complement the extensive selection of continental bottled beers of which so much has already been written. Not being a bottled beer fan I can't comment on the choice but the prices do seem a bit steep. I have never had any real problems with the staff although I have witnessed others on the receiving end of their rudeness. One of the major reasons I come here is because you can generally get a seat and doesn't seem to attract the less desirable of Camden's populace. There is also a small patio at the rear when the weather allows. Overall I am quite happy to while away time here but if the guest beers disappeared, I would probably disappear with them.