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Detail Pages
The Bill Murray, Islington, N1
N1
N1 8NQ
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 4½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Bill Murray
This was originally a pub called The Ram & Teasel before being renamed and rebranded around 2003 as Britain's most dog-friendly pub, The Mucky Pup. This should have been a good idea as it would have kept dogs out of the other local pubs, but the best intentions...
Rebranded last year as a comedy club-cum-pub, split roughly 50:50 with the main corner bar now the club with the remainder being the pub. A first in here the other night, not knowing what to expect. The exterior is painted black with airbrushed portraits of famous comedians past and present such as Victoria Wood, Rowan Atkinson and what appears to be Hitler but is probably a somewhat satanic-looking Charlie Chaplin.
The venue seems to be shared with the Camden Head nearby, playing host to the likes of Tony Law, Simon Amstel, Bridget Christie and Kerry Godliman.
The bar area is stark, quite small and looks a little distressed with peeling paintwork, some bare brick a modern boarded floor and the like, but I suspect that this is deliberate. What little décor there is, seems to revolve around comedy flyers from past events; furniture is simple and basic and muted music played.
Ales: just one, Marston's 61 Deep which I'd recently had in Oxford and found to be fine. This however was not - it tasted stale and musty, a bit like the contents of a Hoover bag. And for the pleasure of this, I was charged £4.80 a pint.
This may be a great comedy club but as a place to drink it's no laughing matter; I won't be returning.
On 4th September 2017
- rating: 2
[User has posted 1985 recommendations about 1951 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about Mucky Pup
This small, two room Victorian corner pub takes a bit of searching out situated as it is in the back street terraced housing between Essex road and the Angel.
As Roger mentions below it had a makeover and renamed a few years ago to appeal to the dog walking fraternity. I’ve never seen any dogs (of the hairy four legged kind) in, and the people who have been here on the odd occasions I’ve dropped in tend to make use of the good pool table in the back room and the excellent free Juke box which has quite an eclectic rock collection.
The decor is a bit dark with excessive use of red and black paint but the seats are comfortable if a bit worn. TT Landlord and Black Sheep Bitter were on the two hand pumps for my visit this week and the Landlord was a decent pint.
On 31st October 2010
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2110 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about Mucky Pup
This dog friendly Victorian corner pub seems to have been given a new lease of life thanks to a few bright innovative ideas. True, the Real Ale selection is a little limited (Greene King IPA and Eden Ale) and the 16 specialist bottled beers come at a price – between £3.50 and £4.90 a bottle. The Hot Rocks food is served on a preheated granite plate that continues to cook the food as you eat it and prices look quite reasonable for something a bit novel. Unfortunately no-one was eating while I was there so I cannot comment too much but I personally would like to give it a go. I too did not see any dogs but it was early in the evening and rather lacked any atmosphere at that time. The main bar is a bit of a mix with bare floors, heavily overpainted wood paneling, a mixture of seating styles, an unused fireplace, juke box, TV and a rather strange sculpture in the corner. The food banners are a bit "in your face". There is a separate pool/darts room and also an outside courtyard. Quiz nights on Wednesday. The pub may not be to everyone's taste but credit must given for trying something a bit different and it is well worth seeking out or popping in whilst taking the dog for a walk.
On 5th April 2006
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]