The George & Monkey, EC1

This is a backstreet pub with a modest location about 5 minutes walk from Angel station, but in the opposite direction to the majority of Islington’s pubs and bars. It’s a pleasant enough two room pub and its inconspicuous location didn’t seem to be a problem, as the place was absolutely packed when I visited on a midweek evening. The front room has distressed floorboards, low wood panelled wall and neutral shaded upper sections, making it all feel a little plain and generic. The bar is down the left-hand wall and has a basic wood panel counter front and simple bar back with some brick-print wallpaper and modern shelving units topped with a stuffed vervet monkey in a bow tie, plus an impressive amount of potted plants, with a grandly framed, oval mirror over to one side. Tables and chairs fill a modest sized open space to the right - the only seating options in this room apart from a few bar stools along the servery. The rear room was unbelievably busy - easily the busiest of any pub I’ve been to since the start of the pandemic - which made it very difficult to even enter the room, never mind exploring it. From what I could see, it’s a similarly decorated space with a good amount of chair and banquette seating, again mainly over to the right. I couldn’t work out if the room was being used for a private function or if it just happens to be a very popular pub, but I didn’t get a chance to nose around as a result. A good 70’s soundtrack was playing in the background and unsurprisingly, with such a full house, there was a decent atmosphere. The bar houses three handpulls, but none of them were in action on this visit, leaving me to choose from their extensive craft keg range instead. Annoyingly, there is no beer boards, and with the pub so busy, bar blockers prevented me from seeing what exactly was on tap, so I plumped for one of the two I could actually make out - Kenal Pale at £5.90 a pint. This was a tasty drop and as time wore on. I was able to discern other options including beers from Beavertown, Wild Beer, Deya, Northern Monk and many more across a total of 14 taps. This was a slightly underwhelming visit, partly due to not being able to move around the pub, partly due to not being able to figure out the beer range and partly because it’s a pretty bland identikit pub with no stand-out features. I’d say this might be of interest to those looking for a wide selection of craft beers in this part of town, but there wasn’t too much that suggested I’d be rewarded by a repeat visit.

Originally called the Fountain, and more latterly the Amwell Arms and Filthy McNasty's. I've no idea why it should be called the George and Monkey, but there it is. Harvey's Best was the only ale on, with a second pump unclipped. There were masses of keg fonts as well, with most advertising "craft" beers of which I've never heard. They obviously do food as we saw another group tucking into some grub, but I didn't see a menu. The bar counter's in the front room (with monkey nuts available of course), and through an arch there's another room at the back. Furnishings favour recycled church chairs, and large tables. In fact all but two or three tables were for large parties of six or more, or possibly they envisage communal dining such as I've seen in some clubs. It's all quite minimalist and the most interesting decor was to be found in the gents toilet which featured several prints of Regency pornography. Not seen that in a pub before; wonder what they featured in the ladies? I didn't like to ask a lady coming out of there as my interest could easily have been misconstrued. I found this pub to be a bit cold and impersonal. But my Harvey's Best was in good shape though.

Block-like corner pub with striped awnings on both facades that would otherwise be quite austere. The interior is quite plain too, with just two tables (and one of those rather long and thus unsuited to smaller groups) in the bar and dark green / cream paintwork which helps give a gloomy look. The side dining room is more fully furnished but shares the same colour scheme. Further seating is available outside on wooden benches along both frontages. It's also worth noting that the etchings in the gents toilets are rather more raunchy than one might expect from an otherwise staid establishment... Just one of the three handpumps was in use, although this thankfully produced a fine pint of Harvey's (£4.80), and there is a reasonable selection of craft and standard keg beers from up to 14 taps. So a mixed bag, but the atmosphere seemed friendly and relaxed.