Albert & Pearl

I booked this venue for my birthday party back in February. I booked the smaller room and paid my deposit. I later went in to check the space and confirm my booking. No problem. The day before my party the venue rang to double check with me. The guy sounded a bit worried but didn’t say why. When I turned up my room had been double booked. When I pointed out that I had guests travelling from all over the UK a very rude, arrogant and somewhat out of his depth young manager, who seemed to be in fancy dress as Johnny Borrell, told me it was my problem and my deposit was literally thrown back at me. It turned out nearly every table and room had been double booked. My friends and I definitely won’t be returning. Hats off to the pub up the road that saved the day!

Love it. An old boozer that has been turned into a cool and slightly quirky, in a good way, pub /​bar. Hip crowd and not too crowded or loud.
DJ’s some nights.
I like the film projections on the back wall of old cult movies.
Friendly staff and well run.
Great all round!

Albie and Pearl’s love story is apparent from the moment you walk into their sultry love den… you can sense it was an illustrious affair filled with decadence, drinks, dancing and lots of music (note the gramophone lamps overhead), just like all romances should be.
I’m not as passionately in love with Albert & Pearl as they are with each other, but I do enjoy the dark corners, the stiff cocktails, the cosy nook in the front window and the sweet bar staff. I didn’t partake in the posh nibbly bits, but my Bourbon Collins truly hit the spot — maybe not the £7.50 spot — but add a delicious drink to an atmosphere I already enjoy and you’re getting 4-​stars. Bam.

My instinct told me that two stars is what I should give this bar, although I’m flitting back and forth from two and three. I don’t think it knows what it is, really. If it’s a pub, it’s a crap one, if it’s a cocktail bar, it’s… well, crap.
If you’ve got a margarita on the menu, I want you to ask me how I’d like it. When I tell you how I’d like it (straight up, extra salt), please don’t be shocked and then express surprise that you can make it another way. It screams of lack of cocktail knowledge.
Albert and Pearl now have my award for the worst margarita in London.
Thing is, I had fun here. But I don’t think that was anything to do with the drinks or the staff. There’s a 2−4−1 on cocktails before 8, but I wouldn’t come back here for cocktails. I honestly don’t think I’d come back here. It’s too far up Upper Street for me to pop in again, and it’s not really worth the trek.

Very nice pub to have a drink in. Frequently a meeting point before heading to Lucky Voice a few doors down for me. The place looks beautiful and even when it is quiet still has a nice atmosphere about it.
So why 3 stars? Well, it’s their food. It basically consisted of toast, cheese, cured meats and other things that don’t need to be cooked (much). Reason being this place doesn’t have a kitchen — had I known the food would be so ‘appetizer-​ish’ I would have chosen somewhere else to eat.
If all you’re after is some snacks to nibble on with a beer or glass of wine then it’s fine (but it’s not cheap) but we had to leave to go and get something substantial in our stomachs having just forked out almost a tenner each.

Great location on Upper Street. Good standard of drinks and pleasant staff. Amazed at how well they have converted a townhouse into a relaxing venue.

I hired one of the function rooms at the Albert and Pearl to celebrate my 30^th. And although the moment was quite depressing, (getting older is never fun) but the party was amazing! We had a selection of cocktails and canapes which were all reasonably priced, plus there was no hire fee for the room, which is good. The manager on the night looked after us well and we were very pleased with the great service. This place may not be the crowning glory of pubs, but it definitely is the wonderful nook to celebrate your most intimate and important moments with your best friends and family. Recommended.

We hired the window booth for a private party on a Friday night which was great, good drinks, good bar snacks, friendly staff and decent music later on — no one in our party wanted to move on to somewhere else later in the evening, and everyone stayed until the end, which says it all really. Good place.

I agree; the medcine bar used to be one of my staple islington hangouts — but since its refurb into the Albert, ive only been once. Its pricey, the décor is very similar to what it was, and the door policy /​entrance fee is a pain in the ass! Who wants to pay £3 for a drop-​in pint on a fri/​sat night?
Dont bother — better places in Angel by far.

To be honest I thought the names of the cocktails pretty much summed this place up — trying to be quirky but not altogether successful. Don’t get me wrong it’s quite a nice place to go for the odd drink and one of the aforementioned nibbley bits, but i didn’t think the interior decoration was exactly inspired.
It’s normally full of flush locals and after-​workers, as there’s a good selection of food and drinks — but you won’t want to order much if you’re worried about the credit crunch. I don’t really like the way they describe things in the menus — it somehow comes across a bit smug — but the little bits I’ve sampled were really good.
They also hold a vintage sale on some Saturdays from 12 – 5 (‘vintage and designer clothes, accessories and oddities’), see their website for listings.

The Albert and Pearl is a very stylish pub. Although you may not get this impression at first, especially not from the two wooden dogs which proudly dominate the window, once you’re inside its hard to ignore the classy touches all around. For example, the menu– gone are the traditional burgers and pies we’ve grown to expect, to be replaced by posh Italian ham’s and an olive selection. This is the kind of food I love to nibble on when I’m catching up with a couple of friends though I do agree with the last review which writes that it is missing a couple of more substantial dishes.
What I think I like most about the Albert and Pearl is it’s beautiful décor (dogs excluded obviously). Covering your bar in leather sofa’s and velvet drapes is a risky decision but Albert and Pearl manages to look stylish and quirky rather than sleazy and seedy. Also, for anyone who enjoys a cocktail Albert and Pearl’s have a great selection although they do err on the side of the politically incorrect. ‘Gintanemo Bay anyone?’.

I used to enjoy the medicine bar for its good music and great upstairs room for hire. But it take the pee a little with its door entrance price and stupid bouncers. And the crowd could be a little pretentious at times.
With new owners (I assume) comes a new look, with comfier seating, a quicker bar service and a better selection of music and clientele. The drinks still aren’t cheap, but I am guessing the rent is pretty high on this beautiful building.
Good at the weekend for a boogie and a chat with friends. Bit quiet on a weekday but thats ok too sometimes. One of the better bars of the few that stay open late around Islington.

This is a new addition to upper street. It used to be Medicine Bar — and is definitely an improvement on that. The mojito’s are good and you can get yummy bar snacks. There’s an upstairs room that can be hired for parties too. Get there before 10.00 and it’s free otherwise you get charged £3 to get in!