Che, Holloway, N7

This was originally The Lord Palmerston until around the mid-2000s when it was renamed El Comandante, with Alberto Korda’s world-famous 1960 photo of Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara - Guerrillero Heroica - occupying the former Taylor Walker sign frame. Since 2016 it has been known simply as ‘Che’, Latin American for ‘friend’. The pub’s Facebook page indicates that local MP Jeremy Corbyn has visited at least once, which would come as no surprise. A short walk from the Emirates, this bar is situated in a sleepy backstreet, an attractive corner pub with some glazed brown tiles (possibly once Meux’s) and further brewery mementos in the form of the sign frame topped with the Taylor Walker cannon and their former lanterns, glazing replaced with clear glass, again depicting El Comandante. There’s also some faded Double Diamond lettering to a window. Indeed, the windows’ lower portions have frosted or etched glass, meaning that you can’t see out when seated. Inside it’s quite small and rather plain - a bare boarded floor and grooved panelling to nearly full height, painted burgundy below the dado rail and custard coloured thereon up. Furniture is wooden, simple and quite traditional, along with some pews. In the main, décor comes from the multitude of posters of Guevara and a few of Fidel Castro. The bar is central and two TVs showing football were on which were muted on our arrival and replaced with Latino music on the stereo. A pool table sits relegated to an alcove - I can’t see how it could be played in such a small pub. Apparently the landlord is, like Guevara, Bolivian. He certainly looked suitably revolutionary and probably knows his Cohibas - he was friendly though perhaps was lonely as we were the only customers at around 6.30 on a lovely sunny evening. Ales: unsurprisingly, none that were real though there was Hammerton’s N7 on keg at £2.50 a half - not too bad once it had warmed up a bit, though expensive. This is obviously a niche pub and probably does sterling service for London’s Latino community, wherever they may live. However, Che doesn’t offer much for the real ale drinker or the pub traditionalist, so I’ll bid it adiós, as not living anywhere near here, I don’t envisage a return visit. Note: cash only and reportedly closed on Sundays.

This place has gone all Cuban with Che Guevara posters everywhere and upbeat Latino music playing through the speakers. With the staff all speaking Spanish it felt fairly authentic, it's just a shame that the small group of art students playing pool brought home the reality that I was in fact still in Holloway. Fosters, San Miguel, Strongbow and Guinness were available on draught alongside various bottled lagers falling into the South American theme. The bar area is small, but there are two little old TVs and also a projector screen which was rolled up. There were no signs for any sport, but then there were no signs for the toilets or the fact that there is a reasonably sized beer garden out the back with some extra seating. The pub sign is the picture of Che Guevara that you see plastered on lots of T-shirts if you wander through Camden at the weekend. This place is ok if you like your bars friendly, basic and with a hint of half-arsedness.