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George IV, Kentish Town, NW5
NW5
NW5 3DL
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about George IV
The George 1V is a corner pub that is hidden away in the back streets of Kentish Town.
The lower half of the pub is almost covered in foliage.
Once inside there is a single room which is wrapped around the bar on three sides,it is carpeted throughout,there is a small raised area to the front,the seating is normal tables and chairs and small stools,there are small lit lamps on all tables which looked very strange on a Friday dinner.
There were no real ales on the bar,i had a drink of John Smiths Smooth Crap,which was a pretty poor drink,there was also keg Wm Youngers bitter on the bar.
The pub looked very plush and 80s like inside.
There were a few locals in on my Friday dinner visit.
Cheap food was also advertised which i would have tried if i had not had a load of sandwiches.
I am pleased i found this pub out as there are not many left like this in London anymore.
Pub visited 2/6/2017
On 6th August 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about George IV
Around 1988 I used to go to evening classes at the college next door and come the end of the evening, our class and tutor would pile in here; it was a decent no frills friendly locals' boozer. Although I pass past here as a short cut on occasion, I haven't been in for 27 years so decided to pop in on our way from The Bull & Gate to the Tapping the Admiral.
Indeed little if anything has changed - even the area is as depressing as before. What hit me on entering the pub was a stench I haven't encountered for aeons: the stink of a carpet infused with years of stale beer spillages. There's a reason why pubs started taking up their carpets; unlike carpets, bare boards can easily be cleaned. The interior is as described below and the drinks choice is John Smith's Extra Smooth, Kronenbourg, Strongbow or Foster's (there's probably a stout available too). The bar was being propped up by several knuckle draggers of the polo shirts, shorts, flip-flops and shaved heads brigade who look as though they've been carved from pure sausage meat. Also in attendance were about two women who looked as if they could arm wrestle for England. Naturally no-one could be bothered to create a gap for me to get to the bar but the friendly barmaid espied my plight and asked me what I was drinking. I settled on a half of Foster's which came in at £2.10. Really? £4.20 for a pint of Foster's in an estate pub on the edge of a trading estate in the arse-end of Kentish Town???
I took my seat and the language in here is terrible - enough to make a stevedore faint. I remember the women (and female tutor) in my group and I can assure you there's no way they'd have drunk in here with this kind of language; the pub is certainly a lot worse than I remember. I've heard stories about the awful state of the lavatories, but didn't investigate. I downed my drink and we left; I won't be back for at least another 27 years.
On 11th July 2015
- rating: 1
[User has posted 1983 recommendations about 1949 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about George IV
This looks a very attractive pub from the outside with its mass of ivy climbing over it, together with hanging baskets providing a floral display at this time of the year. It’s pretty good inside as well. Nicely carpeted, it’s furnished with good quality (mainly round metal framed) tables and chairs, plus some little round stools, and the inevitable tall stools at the bar. The walls are crammed with all manner of prints, some are a bit arty, but not too many or too arty. There’s original cornicing on the ceilings, cast iron pillars and a bit of wood panelling on the wall by a raised area on the left. But otherwise there was nothing of heritage value that I noticed.
As I entered through the vestibule entrance I spotted a couple of handpumps on the bar around the other side of the central peninsular servery, both with clips reversed. Nonetheless worth asking about real ale I reckoned, but was told that they haven’t sold real ale for ages as there’s no call for it. Fair enough I suppose, but the two handpumps do raise the hopes of real ale drinkers. The best bet was keg Youngers Best Bitter at £1.60 a half.
The food was good value though. Sarnies were £2 - £2.45, and main courses weren’t much more – e.g. steak & kidney pie, mash and mushy peas rocked in at only £3.45.
With the introduction of a couple of decent real ales this would be a top notch pub.
On 5th June 2015
- rating: 5
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about George IV
The George IV is just a few minutes walk from Kentish Town tube but situated in an unattractive back street among boarded up shops and a far from inviting housing estate.
The first prominent feature is the jungle of plants, ivy, palms, blooms and creepers that cover the outside and would keep an horticulturalist happy for hours. Behind all this excess foliage lies a typical down to earth Victorian corner pub with quite a bit to offer but could offer so much more.
The careopted interior has a central bar that effectively divides the pub into front and rear bars. The front section has a slightly raised railed off section. The immediate attention is drawn to the numerous pictures and paintings of all sizes and subjects that plaster the walls from floor to high ceiling. Above the bar used to be a wine rack but this has now been replaced by a few blackboards that for some reason depict various seafood at pre-decimal prices. As one would expect, there is not a lot of natural light due the jungle outside and the draped curtains but the internal lighting is subdued and tasteful and the sun does somehow manage to creep into the front section of the bar. There are a couple of TV’s and fruit/games machines.
I have reviewed this place 2 or 3 times over the past 5 or 6 years and whilst the place hasn’t really changed much in its approach, the areas for improvement have never been suitably addressed. The biggest shortfall is the lack of even a token Real Ale or 2. There are 2 teasingly redundant hand pumps at the rear of the bar with reversed Courage Directors and Marston pedigree clips which are themselves quite old so I would guess it has been many years since the place has offered anything on the Real Ale front. Currently there is just a standard selection of kegs lagers etc and quite pricey (John Smiths Smooth £3.30 on my latest visit).
The food is equally basic but excellent value with nothing in the menu over £6 and several snacks priced between £3-4. The portions are huge (the menu even provides a “health warning”) and on my latest trip I finally decided to see whether that claim was valid. The Bookmaker Sandwich De-Luxe I had was a two tiered affair packed with beef and a side salad and chips, all for £3.60.
The gents toilets should probably also carry a health warning and have been in need some serious attention for many years.
It is clear that a lot of care and effort has gone into turning what would be a mundane ordinary back street boozer into something a bit special and it is worth making the detour to visit even though the locality is fairly run down. With a better selection of beers and an overhaul of the gents, the George IV would certainly have a pretty strong appeal.
On 12th May 2011
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about George IV
This place really is a picture, even when seen after dark under street lighting. The exterior all seems slightly implausible, somehow, but the inside is also very interesting. It retains a very traditional feel, but just enough money has been spent on the furniture, fittings and decorations to create a warm atmosphere despite the high ceiling. Staff and customers seemed friendly enough too, despite it being far enough off the beaten track that they probably don't get many casual visitors in. As others have noted, this pub would rate very highly, if only they made use of those two handpumps round the side of the bar...
On 5th December 2009
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8086 recommendations about 8086 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about George IV
This is one of those back street boozers that hundreds of people see everyday as they pass on the elevated North London line (Overground) but hardly anyone walks past unless they live on the same road or are maybe off to the industrial park. This is a shame as I think this is a great pub, even if though it doesn't serve any real ale.
The pub was fairly busy when I visited as the Arsenal v Chelsea kick-off was impending, but there was still plenty of room to sit away from the screens and I was served as soon as I got to the bar. I found the locals to be extremely friendly and I was involved in some light hearted banter with a couple of them before my Guinness had been poured.
I will make a point of returning here when I'm next in the area.
On 20th April 2009
- rating: 8
[User has posted 5233 recommendations about 5201 pubs]