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Zodiac, Regents Park, NW1

119 Hampstead Road
NW1
NW1 3EE
Phone: 02073875474

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Pub Type

Punch Taverns

Reviews (Current Rating Average: of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Tris C left this review about Shaker & Company

I've passed this pub my whole life - it's quite possible I was driven past here on the way home from the maternity unit as I was born around the corner - but have never been into what was originally the Prince of Wales which had become the Japanese Art Deco-influenced(?) Positively Fourth Street by 2010. This was originally a Meux's house around the time of the London Beer Flood of 1814 just south of here in Tottenham Court Road when the Meux's beer vat collapsed, spilling over 250,000 gallons of ale and drowning eight people. As a result, I expect that this pub would not have had any ale to sell and it would appear that over 200 years later, the same situation persists without the loss of life.
Situated in a rather godforsaken part of Camden and now Shaker & Company, the building is propped up by a flying buttress to the north though this may provide little in the way of support as the place will probably be demolished to make way for HS2. An attractive building from the exterior, the original name can be seen and to the parapet, the Prince of Wales' feathers' motif and motto 'Ich Dien', German for 'I Serve', or in this case 'I [don't] Serve [real ale]'.
Inside it's a bit dark, resulting in a near death trap as you come close to falling headlong down the stairs by the entrance - health and safety gone bad. The bar runs along most of the left wall of what is quit a narrow room with banquette-style seating to most of the right side; there are some fairly conventional items of furniture to the front. Above, is an octagonal lantern - I've only ever seen two of these and both this week! The bar back may be a mix of new and old with some modern wood panelling and claret coloured tiles as infill. What little décor seemed to amount to some framed old vinyl LPs fixed to a wall, beyond which are the lavs, but be warned: they are cubicle-only and unisex with wide gaps at top and bottom so you can hear your partner as they do their business. Music is a little on the loud side and the crowd is very young and seems to be having a lot of fun.
The staff are a bit too cool for school, making cocktails - seemingly the mainstay of this operation. I couldn't see any pumps whatsoever so plumped for a bottle of Corona which came in at a shocking £4.20. Still, the bottleneck had a lime pig in it which must justify the price - I haven't seen this kind of thing since the 1980s.
I'm glad I came here after all these years and it's a shame that the reasons for doing so exist. Obviously the young crowd gets a lot out this bar, but will probably have to go elsewhere in the near future.

On 10th February 2018 - rating: 3
[User has posted 1956 recommendations about 1923 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Shaker & Company

Trendy "New Orleans inspired cocktail saloon", housed in a narrow rectangular space. Inconveniently small tables. Large windows, and fairly light decor so reasonably well lit. Table service unless sat at the long bar itself. Belle & Co 'bohemian drinking den' downstairs (not visited). The six handpumps are not immediately obvious since they sit along the back wall rather than being mounted on the counter. However, only two were on so the choice was disappointingly just Hobgoblin and Ghost Ship (£4.30). Both better and worse than one might expect at first glance.

On 14th October 2013 - rating: 6
[User has posted 8061 recommendations about 8061 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Quinno _ left this review about Shaker & Company

July 20102 - reviewed as Positively Fourth Street incarnation
Marketing itself as Prohibition-themed New York Bar in London (note that it fails to specify *which* part of New York…) there isn’t really much of NY in evidence beyond some Americana tat nailed to the walls. The interior is a long, narrow room with a long bar on the left and burgundy seating to the right. There’s not much light as the shutters are closed, which is probably quite useful as it hides the grottiness of certain parts of the bar and toilets.

When I visited for a friends birthday half the keg products (no ale here) had run out. I ordered a Leffe which came out tasting like Toilet Duck; they must not clean their pipes in here. There’s a fair selection of spirits at the back of the bar, so I’d advise to you stick to them. They seem to live off functions and parties being held in the downstairs room, the joy being that if you bring your own music you can own the aural experience for the night. To be honest that’s the only reason I’d come back here again in its current state.

On 16th May 2012 - rating: 2
[User has posted 5043 recommendations about 5026 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Steve C left this review about Positively 4th Street

There is no real ale available here, but there are some standard and premium lagers and I found the barman to be nice enough.

The bar itself is long and thin, but it has seen better days and could do with a lick of paint and a general clean out. There are some decks on the bar at the far end and there was a reasonably chilled atmosphere.

I had to pass two girls sitting near the entrance that were eating some sort of calamari dish that had a stench that hit the back of my throat with such power that I thought I was going to hurl up my liver. Above them were some small motorised palm leaves that were dispersing the foul odour around the bar so I plotted myself near the sweeter smelling toilets.

This place is unexceptional and I wouldn't plan to go here again.

On 29th May 2009 - rating: 3
[User has posted 5179 recommendations about 5148 pubs]