Woodbine

There is a nice warm feeling to this place. It would probably be a even more pleasant experience sans the quiz that was going on.

There were 3 beers available, including Redemption Pale Ale and the unusually nice Caledonian Trick or Treat.

I am fairly new to Highbury and have to say I was pretty disappointed with the local pubs. The Woodbine is an oasis in the dessert! It’s not the biggest pub but serves better beer than most with some interesting spirits. It seems to always have people in it and there is a good atmosphere. They have a Thai Kitchen which is clean and tasty whilst being extremely good value. They do Sunday roasts too! By far the best pub in Highbury.

Love this place.

It's got nice decor and a good atmosphere, although I'm not keen on the graffiti above the bar. The outside smoking area is nice and sheltered, meaning it's not too cold even though there are no heaters.

The pub quiz on a Tuesday is nice and lively, but it's certainly not dead other nights.

Not that fussed on real ale so nothing to say about that, but the beer is fine, vodka, fine, wine, fine. Thai food very good and good value.

All in all, my favourite pub in Highbury and a million times better than most of the old man boozers.

I haven't tried the food here, but it is a nice upscale pub for socialising. Probably my favorite pub in the immediate vicinity--it feels like an old pub rather than an ultra modern bar, there wasnt a strong sports/TV presence, the music was decent, and it didn't feel like an old-man pub.

Update: the place is really dark inside. So dark that I had a real problem reading the thai menu. I finally got to eat here and had a very reasonable pad thai for not too much money. It's still a nice place to meet friends for a pint, but I wish they would turn up the lights a bit more so that you are not bumping into furniture on the way in. They also cram the tables a bit too tightly together.

I visited recently with a friend for some food, and the Thai served here came recommended. The interior is long and relatively narrow, with dark painted walls and a dark stripped wood floor. The effect is to look very gloomy as you walk in, until your eyes adjust. There are, as others have said, lots of tables.

The food was fine, although there was no real ale on our visit. Bar staff were OK too, but my main gripes were that the music was a bit intrusive and the tables had obviously not been wiped for a while, and I don't like surfaces with gloopy blobs on them if I'm about to eat.

All in all, it's OK, but I don't feel like I want to rush back.

If I’m not at the Swimmers at Grafton Arms on a Friday night, then I’m here. The Woodbine is a great little pub, with a good selection of beer, wines and spirits.

A good jukebox, which they have here, is actually quite hard to find, so I always make sure I put on a few tracks when I pop in for a pint.

As the previous poster stated, there are a lot of tables, but I don’t think it’s necessarily because they’re focusing on food. After all, a pub needs tables, right? I’d be peeved if it was half empty and I’d have to stand! Plus, the layout of the place (it’s fairly narrow with pillars) means that big comfy sofas, apart from the ones at the fron, are out of the question.

However, the food is good here. A lot of pubs have jumped on the Thai bandwagon, but the grub here is much the same as any other good Thai establishment. I don’t understand why anyone would be “warned off it”. Maybe that person just doesn’t particularly like Thai - but it’s certainly not an accurate reflection of what’s on offer here.

Now this is a very pleasing establishment, a pleasent atmosphere and good music. There is a good selection of drinks and this includes some real ale, a fine pint of Timothy Taylor’s Landlord. A lovely heated and covered garden is a fine addition for smokers, with plenty of seats for hangers-on.

The Woodbine also serves Thai food, I’ve not tried it and indeed, been warned off it, but the patrons eating when I was there appeared more than happy.

The staff are quick if a little surly.

The real problem with the Woodbine is possibly a personal one, it’s clear that this place is focussing on food; there are just so many tables in the place. When the place is busy it’s not easy getting around, you’ll also be hard pushed to get a seat; when you do it’s pretty cramped.

It’s a good looking place though, and essential in an area with so few good drinking spots. Worth a visit.