The Albion

I remember my first visit here on a sunny Saturday (we used to have them). It was someone else’s round and they brought my beer out to the bright beer garden. I thought it was a lovely place.

Subsequent visits have ripped off the head and spat down the neck of that balmy memory.

First an evening visit where we tried to enjoy our overpriced short measures despite the fact a group of posh twits was trying to start a fight with us. Luckily they decided that vomiting in the street was a more suitable activity.

Then my latest, and hopefully my last visit. The first one where I really had any interaction with the staff. I walked into an almost empty pub with 6 members of staff behind the bar. No-one else was waiting and only 1 of them was actually doing anything (glasses in the washer). I can only assume that they were playing a game of chicken on a quiet day..seeing who would crack first and serve the customer. No other explanation can account for an uncomfortable 5+ minutes where I stood there trying to get attention as they slouched about. I am hardly a meek or minor presence..easily missed! I only persisted as I was meeting friends there so couldn’t immediately take my unwanted custom elsewhere. And after all that it turned out they had no beer on anyway.

Avoid henceforth I shall.

This is not a pub, it's a restaurant.  You walk in, 70% of the tables are empty with reserved signs on.  Only if you plan on eating can you sit down.  Food mediocre, service intrusive, prices high.  

This is a charming if not a tad overpriced gastopub. The food is tasty but rather more than what one would expect to pay for similar grub in a similar establishment (for example, an 800g steak to share comes at a whopping £50 which does seem to be a bit on the pricey side). They also do a whole suckling pig for £300 as long as they have ten days' notice.

The best thing about this pub however is the building itself, a lovely Georgian construction with a number of different areas for the consumption of food and drink. its lovely garden, with ivy, willow and wisteria aplenty. A shame it closes at 10pm, especially in the summer, but an even bigger shame is that there are no covered areas for when its raining. Whereas in the days before the smoking ban, no one in their right mind would want to be in the garden when it's raining, in these days a good percentage of smoking customers -- and their non-smoking friends -- would happily sit outside all night if there were some shelter.

As a result, I will not be returning to the Albion if it is raining, or if rain is forecast, as there is nothing worse than needing a cigarette, having to go outside, and finding absolutely nowhere to shelter. With a garden this size, there really is no excuse.

Went here for a friend's birthday. The decor is lovely and our waiter was super friendly and helpful. We ordered some beef ribs and though they tasted great there was barely any meat on them. We pointed this out to our nice waiter and he was very apologetic and brought us another plate of ribs. These were a little better and the meat was delicious when we could get to it but it still left us wondering if they'd gone to the butcher and literally bought just the bones. For the price, this was a big disappointment. That said, the service kind of made up for it. And they have a great wine list. 

Had two meals here recently and really enjoyed both. Food is typical gastro-pub fare. The thing that has stood out, though, is the really professional, friendly service even though both times were heavingly busy. Definitely my go-to in the area now.

Had a very tasty Sunday lunch here today. As a group we had the whole roast chicken, the beef and the pork. All were great although the amount of chicken per person vastly exceeded what you get with the beef and the pork. The kale and carrots that came with each were also very nice. I couldn’t eat any of the potatoes as I’m not a massive potato fan and I was too full of chicken. We had a bottle of the house wine (its branded as the Albion’s own house wine) which was tasty and reasonably priced at £16

Gastropub, as I’ve long said to anyone who’ll listen - and shouted at anyone who won’t - is a word of two halves. Er, Brian. There’s equal emphasis, therefore, on the gastro element and the pub bit.

Simple no? But amazing how many get it wrong. The Albion, while flawed, does at least get the balance right. If you want to eat, the food is great. If you want to drink, the ambience is proper, smart pub.

Having paid £4+ for Leffe in many spots and with £3.50 being a pretty standard pint price these days, I don’t really understand that gripe but I’m with Sir Eamon of Qype in terms of speed. Service here can be a little intermittent, he says, politely.

But, while the timing of wine and meal in that instance is completely unforgivable, having to wait a few minutes longer than anticipated for an excellent half dozen oysters and a very good, nicely herbed fish pie isn’t a terrible price, particularly when the Black Sheep is kept this well. If you’re looking for a boozer, head elsewhere. If you’re thinking of nestling in for a few hours for a very pleasant culinary and boozy experience, I’d rather be here than anywhere else in the area.

Visited last night, first time for a few years, after moving away from the area, was thinking of having a do there.

Oh dear!

We ordered a small bottle of Leffe Blonde £4.10. No proper Leffe glass (and at these prices), 1 pint Black Sheep bitter £3.50 & a packet of crisps £1.00. Total £8.60.

When my husband went back to query it, the barman, in total silence pulled the receipt from the till and handed it to my husband. When my husband sat down, I could see the barman looking at us and sniggering to another barman.

Leffe is my drink, as is my husband bitter, we never pay these sort of prices, not even in the West End.

Are they charging these prices because of the surrounding area and taking advantage of it? Me thinks they have delusions of grandeur!

Would never go back on principal.

One little positive, there was a guy there that appeared to be some sort of manager, he was very sweet and seemed very helpful.

Lolling about in the tranquil garden of this country-style pub, located in what was once the throbbing epicentre of New Labour’s late 90’s project, you could easily forget that you’re in London - until the rain starts hammering down, that is.

The award winning Sunday lunch, I must confess, is pretty good. The roast for two, at £30, delivers some good quality, tender slices of beef, fresh vegetables and the largest Yorkshire Puddings that I have seen since I kicked the LSD habit.

There is a but coming, however. The service is a tad slow and often the staff seem mildly disinterested in any raised concerns. For example, the wine arrived a good while after we had started eating this evening, which would be completely unacceptable in the setting of a restaurant. If you’re charging restaurant prices in a pub, it would seem to me - though, I’m no expert - that the onus is on matching the quality of the food with the standard of the service. In that respect, The Albion sadly doesn’t deliver.

Pretty standard chain pub with very average decor, beers, boring food etc. Its saving grace is the fantastic pub garden out the back with lots of greenery and a great atmosphere. Drop in on a sunny day for a pint but don’t bother otherwise: there are much nicer pubs close by: the Crown, Draper’s or Islington tap for instance.

For a pub, this place is wildly expensive. For a restaurant, the food is decent (but not special).
If the weather is good, there are enormous queues to get served.
It is a real shame as the location is great and there’s lots of pleasant outside space.

I have detected signs of it improving recently, with staff a bit faster and shorter waits. They were super fast one Sunday when we were in a rush to get home and watch the football (no TV here, which is fine).

So, it is worth going along to try. If the place is rammed then walk 5 mins south to the Crown - much less busy.

Once upon a time, there was pub in Islington with a big beautiful back garden for all the friendly smokers in the world, who just wanted to enjoy a nice pint and good food with their friends. The ivy cascaded around them, and people would often look around themselves thinking, this is home.

Then that all changed and the Albion suddenly decided it wanted to go upmarket. But the only thing it effectively did was raise its prices. The food was no better, if not worse because everybody felt cheated by the price. The decor was soulless.

The pub was ruined. I haven’t been for about a year so hopefully things have turned around. When i cycle past it always looks busy - so maybe they have improved the situation.

If not, they need to sort out their identity crisis.

The Albion used to be a great homely pub in the leafy village of Barnsbury, which served reasonably priced food and very good Sunday lunches. But a change of management and make-over a few years ago has left this place short of average. The light blue decor appears cold, and the overall look reminds one more of Scandinavia than a good local English pub. Just like the interior, the food appears to be all style over substance, as portion sizes are very small and prices are high. The biggest shock, however, was the presence of bouncers one Sunday lunchtime, who politely told us that there were no tables free and that we would have to wait outside until one became available – management certainly doesn’t want pub customers to stand up here! It is such a shame to have seen the changes made to this place, especially since the garden at the back and seating in front are definitely worth enjoying on a warm summer’s day (and worth at least 4 stars!).

Nice pub, nice garden, good ambience. Will definitely return.