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Earl of Essex, N1
N1
N1 8LE
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Earl Of Essex
The Earl of Essex has recently reopened after another reinvention, this time as a brew-pub (although the planned Earls Brewery doesn't seem to be in production just yet). Mind you, that doesn't matter too much since there are currently six handpumps plus 14 keg taps in operation, with all the beers and ciders listed on a large board to one side of the semi-island bar. Prices range from £3.80 for the hoppy Buxton Target (3.8%) up to £7.50 for Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale (7.2%). The fridges behind the bar is also full of bottled goodies. Dark interior in a gastro-pub type style, with plain furniture and decor and a few patio tables out front. Overall, it gave a very good first impression and is a welcome addition to the area.
On 14th October 2012
- rating: 8
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about The Earl Of Essex
The Earl of Essex himself lost his head in 1601and the change to the pub that bears his name is almost as drastic. My previous memory was of a tatty and tired looking local’s pub with fading Arsenal memorabelia, karaoke machine, big screen, pool table and no ales. It certainly wasn’t a place that I would hurry back to. Press the fast forward button and we now find a pub that has been completely overhauled and transformed into the kind of place that sits quite comfortably among the Islington demography.
The basic layout is still the same, an island bar with a few stools and seating around the edges. The décor is much fresher as one would expect and given that the pub has only been re-opened for less than 2 months, it still has that whiff of fresh paint about it. The floors are bare and the walls quite plain with a few pictures and musical instruments but it does look a bit bare in places. The rear bar has an upright piano on top of which is an old wind up gramophone and the walled beer garden is quite small but quite attractive given that there probably isn’t much scope to do much with it.
There are just 2 ales, Deuchars and Courage Directors (the latter being off on my visit) along with a few standard lagers and a keg cider (I think it was Symonds). The pub is a lot more geared for food with pizzas (around £10) seemingly the main attraction, cooked in a modern open kiln oven at the end of the rear bar. Other dishes are available (around £10-£13) but with the better known Duke of Cambridge just down the road, it faces some stiff competition at that end of the market.
Some may lament the passing of an old “traditional” local’s pub for yet another gastro style place but for me this is a big improvement on the old and is now a place I would comfortably re-visit. I do get the impression that this is still a work in progress and it will take time to find its feet. At the present time it doesn’t compete with it neighbours enough on the ale front which is the main issue for me and time will tell whether the selection is expanded. Unless you plan to eat here it is probably best looked at as part of a crawl with some of the other lesser visited Islington pubs in these back streets.
On 18th November 2011
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Darren Smith left this review about The Earl Of Essex
http://questforasundayroast.com/2011/10/30/earl-of-essex-islington/ we went there, the pub has just been refurbished from that old ugly red and white Arsenal pub. It is now more of a wannabe gastro effort and the owners are trying hard to make things right.
On 30th October 2011
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1 recommendations about 1 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Earl Of Essex
This pub has now re-opened, and has clearly been given a thorough makeover since I was last around this neck of the woods. It’s now bare-boarded with light coloured replica boarding, with some sofas, tall tables/stools, and some normal tables and chairs. They have retained the old Watney’s bar back though. As it’s been completely opened up, a central island bar remains. There was some interesting decor on the walls, dominated by an enormous gilt-framed mirror, plus an assortment of musical instruments. The predominant colour (walls and ceiling) was duck egg green, which is one of the typical pastel shades favoured by madeover pubs. The pop music was being played too loudly (in my opinion) which seemed at odds with the laid back feel that the management seemed to be trying to create. But there were what appeared to be a number of regulars in, and if they like the loud music then fair play to them.
They do food at lunchtime, but I guess I was in too late at around 5.00 PM to see a menu. There were two real ales on – Courage Directors and Deuchars IPA. The Deuchars was £3.30 a pint as I recall, which is the going rate in many London pubs these days. I doubt that I’ll go out of my way to visit again, but the Deuchars was quite good.
On 18th September 2011
- rating: 5
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Earl Of Essex
Whilst most of the pubs in this area were busy this pub only had four people in attendance who were all sitting together at the bar and one of them was the landlord. I felt a little uneasy as I first walked in, but it was unwarranted as I was welcomed by the friendly barmaid and made to feel welcome.
There is a very small pool table at the rear of the pub and also a plasma and projector screen, but I saw no sport advertised. The music was at a decent volume, but the song choice was aimed at the over sixties.
The decor is pretty basic as is the drinks selection as only a standard draught range is available alongside San Miguel.
This place is like another world to the Duke of Cambridge which is an organic gastro pub found over the road, but I preferred it in here even though it is nothing special.
On 4th September 2009
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5254 recommendations about 5222 pubs]