Old queens head

Before I get started, I just would like to point out that I’m only giving this place 3 stars due to the good food and good service. The staff were friendly and helpful, and the burgers my friend and I ordered were so so delicious. We both got the Royal Wit Cheese burger, which was so moist and juicy. We weren’t expecting the food to be great for some reason, but were pleasantly surprised.
Another reason for 3 stars and not 5 stars, is because the venue and building is amazing! It’s really traditional and old fashioned, with a stunning big fireplace that really does warm you a lot! It’s got a lot of space and we didn’t feel cramped at all when we went (I don’t know what it may be like on a busier night!)
On the downside, the reason I haven’t given it 5 stars is because of the prices of the food and drinks. I opted not to get a beer as they were too pricey, and one of my pet hates is when burgers don’t come with fries!!! So I paid nearly £9 (£8.95) for a juicy delicious burger, but then had to pay a whopping £3 on top of that for some friend potatoes… Come on! Potatoes aren’t expensive!
We went that night for a fun screening of Elf (I went over Christmas time 2015), which was quite fun too, but it was a bit badly organised as the film started way too late, it was half an hour after schedule!
It’s a great pub, with a fun atmosphere and yummy food, but if you want organisation when going for a screening, or a cheap meal, then it’s not the place to go. I would recommend it if you’re happy to spend £9 on a burger with no fries though ;-)

Just had their Sunday Roast and it was fantastic. The roast beef was actually medium rare. This is one of the things that always lets down a roast when the meat is over cooked, NOT SO HERE. It was really tender and all of the sides were yummy too. (You can get it cooked more if preferred too.) There was plenty of it as well. The Apple and cinnamon cocktail was so good I could easily have drank a pitcher of it. For sure going to be coming back again.

I love this pub anyway from the previous times I’ve gone on a packed sweaty Friday night. Always the most hipster pub in Angel in my opinion but I like that as this area is known for its posher pubs
Today I went specially to check out the Lucky Chip burger residency. More specifically The Mark Wahlberger aka now newly named…
‘THE DIRK DIGGLER’ (mainly because Wahlberg himself went public at his displeasure at having a burger named after him here as he has his own burger name venture apparently. No fuss they came up with an even better (character) name!
Burger of the month at Old Queens head pub is
35 day aged long-​horn Beef patty, braised Beef short rib, American cheese, Pickled slaw, Sriracha kewpie Mayo & Spicy BBQ sauce. @lucky_chip you already had me on the name.
(Oh and it’s for free on a flip of a coin which we don’t d get for free!).
Great staff, dark setting, maybe too dark but I’m not one for harsh lighting. Good Amstel beer.

It was a Saturday, there was ice hockey on in Clapton, and a few of us decided to go to Islington for a few beers and food before the game.
We found ourselves a spot in the corner, quickly perused the menu, and sauntered over to the bar to make our order.
A delightful looking woman at the bar overhears our deliberation over whether to get wings with our burgers, and chimes in with a resounding recommendation for the wings. What’s more, she affirmed my choice of burger, the Dirk Diggler; informing me that it was «the best burger in town.»
I’ve heard that many times about many things. If I’ve learned nothing else, it’s that people love to exaggerate. Now I’m all for the occasional hyperbole, and on numerous occasions I have waxed lyrical about the quality of something, yet I took her comment with a pinch of salt. Even if she was very nice to look at.
So we waited what seemed like 15h for our food. Hanger had well and truly set in. «This had better be worth the wait.» I thought to myself.
Now let me tell you, you can stick your Byron burger where the sun doesn’t shine, because it doesn’t even deserve to be in the same conversation as the burgers on offer in this joint. The patty was sublime, the prime rib topping added a level of sweetness that dreams are made of, and the spicy mayo cheese fries were out of this world.
So, to the woman at the bar: I’m sorry for underestimating your claim. You were right all along.

Ah man this place has it all, great food, good music and banging drinks! Love love love, if you wanna party, and drop some moves this is the place!
Food wise, the burgers are literally to die for! If you’re passing, you gotta stop by. They are conversation enders! Whatever you order is stupendous. My friend raves about the Kevin bacon burger, and I’m all about the halloumi burger (oops I forgot the name). Standard price for a burger, but damn it’s worth every penny and more!
Drinks, it’s pricey, £8.40 for a double and around the £9 mark for a cocktail, but seriously the cocktails are worth it! My new favourite is a prosecco and gin one — sweet and so refreshing with the lemon! Mmm beaut!
The dance floor upstairs is what it’s all about. After about 10. It’s going down! Everyone is dancing and it gets rammed! Proper top night out! Even if you live nowhere near, make a special trip, you’ll love it!
Highlight of this year was when Ms Dynamiteeee did a set! The place went mental!

Here it is, this is the best Sunday roast in Islington. FACT!
Which is also kind of a pain, because it’s always packed. Bummer. Now you might think, this girl is crazy, no way is a place with taxidermied animals on the walls and filthy hipsters hanging around going to be the best roast but it just is. And I’ve done the research. I’ve ate the research. This place is my favourite. Why?
Point 1: Very affordable. £15 for the priciest roast.
Point 2: Best gravy of your life.
Point 3: Friendly staff
Point 4: Awesome cocktails
Point 5: Squashy couches to sit on
Point 6: Jon Snow from Game of Thrones comes here.

Came here for the Sunday Roast which I’ve been told by others was top notch. There was a big group of us and we managed to group a few of the large picnic tables outside as he weather was great. I ended up going for a beef roast which was a good as what I had been told. My partner went for the chicken roast. We ended up sending it back as we were slightly worried as it did look a little pink on the inside. They came back advising it was just the way the chicken is prepared and wouldn’t be able to do anything with it, but did offer to bring out a different roast as my partner was still not convinced. Nice staff, nice vibes and I would have to come back on evening when they have an event on. (Visit — 01/​06/​2014 Lunch)

I love this place! Have had many a birthday here and they are always very accommodating. The booths are perfect for smallish gatherings of friends and the music is always on point! They do a great Porn Star Martini as well!
The pub quiz on Tuesday evening is not to be missed either!

This was my 3^rd visit to The Old Queens Head but my first for a DJ night so I’ll have to do a bit of half and half.
Firstly, as a pub I really like this place. Located just off Upper St it’s in a really good location and they’ve got a decent selection of drinks. Sunday roast is pretty special but they have a no booking policy so you’ve just got to take a chance and hang about.
Sadly as a club venue when they have DJs in upstairs it loses a lot of it’s appeal. Layout is pretty terrible and the place gets so busy that it’s almost impossible to get across the dancefloor and I found that it was easy to get hemmed in around the tables at the sides. The toilet is located downstairs and the staircase is pretty narrow so take care.
It’s definitely worth checking out but just make sure that you pick your night

Cool spot with garden outside — inside is nice and warm — drinks are reasonably priced and all is well

Hmmm so perhaps earlier in the night for a place to meet before heading elsewhere but as a music venue unfortunately I have to say the olds queens head did not meet expectation. Cash only bar, crowded, pushy and very very hot! Went to a disco/​house night and it was just too busy to enjoy the music. Being pushed, bumped and spilt on does not appeal — I would not pay for the lack of pleasure again.

Made sure to check out this bar after driving passed it since it appeared to be a great place to have a drink or two. Surely enough, the pub was packed with locals and tourist alike. Turned out it was karaōke night which explains why people were pretty rowdy as we walked inside the establishment.
Not wanting to take part in the ruckus, we grabbed a pint of brew and went straight to a garden located out in the back. Contrary to the commotion inside, the patio was rather intimate with the dimmed lighting and huge walls enclosing the area. I didn’t even mind that other patrons were filling up the area with smoke from their cigarettes.
Overall, The Old Queen’s Head is one of the better bars along Essex Road. I will definitely come back especially since I heard about the second floor where they host live performances from great bands and raging parties with DJ’s spinning awesome music all night long.

Just the right balance between busy and relaxed, great crowd of people, lovely ambience, the perfect pub really.
I’ve been here a few times just for drinks, but also to see a couple of gigs in the bar upstairs.
For the most recent one a gig on a busy Friday night the tickets stated «doors open at 8» which seems to translate into no entry to pub without ticket, a stamp on the wrist and a 3 hours wait until the guy takes to the stage some time after 11.
Not ideal when you rely on public transport to take you home at the other end of town … I made the last bus still buzzing from an amazing performance — so well worth it!

I came here for a friends birthday do and it was a fun night but very loud and a bit overcrowded. I was a little surprised as it felt more like a club as there was an entrance fee of £4 and an upstairs dance area with music. If you’re after more of a club this place will suit. If you’re after more of a traditional pub, low key and casual this isn’t the place on a weekend night.

Great place to go for after work drinks, the Old Queens Head is usually pretty busy by 6.30pm on a Thursday and Friday.
Friendly atmosphere with seating outside and an upstairs area that opens a little later, it’s worth a visit — even if only to take a gander at the rather interesting décor that graces the walls.

i have to say my feelings about this place are a bit mixed as I don’t usually like pubs or their vibes, even the gastro-​ones! We ordered food which hit the spot (mini veggie sliders — the goats cheese ones were far superior than the other burgers). There was no dessert by the time we finished but I was having a serious craving for something sweet — and they took pity on me, bringing me a scoop of complementary ice cream which was super kind. The bar was heaving and the loos a bit scary but otherwise a decent place…

A few weeks ago I went to the Old Queens Head in Islington for a gig. I decided to go there early to have something for dinner.
When I arrived, the pub was quite full — this seems to be a popular place among the locals. But I was lucky enough to find a place at a table. For the food, I ordered the sliders and fries. While the fries were good, but not extraordinary, the sliders were excellent. Just a bit small, I should probably have ordered six instead of three. There are three different sliders available with one veggie option. And I must admit, that I quite enjoyed the veggie slider.
Later I went upstairs to the gig. The room offers lots of comfy places and service throughout the gig — good if you are hungry or thirsty, a bit annoying if you are there mainly for the music. But overall it was fine.
The lineup was quite extensive, raging from singer songwriter artists with a voice and a guitar to complete bands. The sound was fine and some of the artists were really good. The Old Queens Head is definitely a place I will keep in mind when searching for gigs in the future.

I shouldn’t judge a place when it’s Christmas party season and the place is packed with people in fancy dress but I will anyway. This crowd were annoyingly loud, shouting at each other when mere inches separated them from their friends. There really was no need. I know it’s not the pub’s fault but I’m just saying…
Also the bar staff could do with distributing themselves a little more evenly along the long bar, in the half nearest the front there was one solitary barman serving many increasingly frustrated punters, whilst towards the back 6 bar staff were serving people arriving at the bar 10 minutes after I had. I thought about moving up the bar but was afraid they’d all switch to the front. Eventually I got served…
Still, they allowed us to reserve a large space on one of the busiest weeknights of the year so it’s not all bad. I can imagine this place would be pretty sweet without the hoards.

The Old Queen’s Head held a free event on the 4^th of May where they showed all three original Star Wars films back to back.
The event was called: May The Fourth Be With You.
This is just one of the reasons I am proud to call the Old Queens Head my local. (Another reason involves a rather regal mounted deer head, but we’ll save that for another update.)

This place seems to have become my go-​to spot for close-​to-​home drinks with friends these past few months. It’s definitely a cut above your regular local, with a funky, «half way to Shoreditch» vibe (fitting), cocktails, some comfy sofas, seriously hot bar staff, bands upstairs, and did I mention cocktails?
On the whole, the bands upstairs are hit-​and-​miss. I’ve witnessed «OH MY GOD WOWZA, WHAT ARE THEY CALLED AGAIN?”-worthy ones, and «jesus let’s just slip out quietly, m’kay?» disasters. But the good definitely outweighs the bad, so definitely head on up (there is a separate bar up there after all, as if you needed more encouragement).
Downstairs is pretty perfect for socialising, and has a really nice buzz about it. It’s not the kind of place that’s totally dead come midnight, and for that I am thankful. In fact, au contrare, it’s hopping at that hour. Oh, and they’ve done it out perfectly too… the place looks completely amazing at night, considering it’s a pub.
You’ll sometimes have difficulty in getting somewhere to sit, especially if you’re a group and/​or the ridiculously comfy sofas are your goal, and the customers can occasionly be a bit twatty (remember, I said half way to Shoreditch, so there’s sometimes the worst of both worlds converging here on her poor Majesty), but all is forgiven. Everything else more than makes up for that.
So, Unilocal,I’m *definitely* a fan. Now remind me again why I’m busily reviewing instead of heading out to have one of those hotties pull me a pint. Again.

I went to The Old Queen’s Head because several members of Snow Patrol and Belle & Sebastian were supposed to be DJing here on Friday night to launch Snow Patrol’s Late Night Tales. I got here just before 8 pm when it was still free to enter and ended up cooling my heels upstairs for the next couple of hours while waiting for the boys to come on. There was no sign anywhere to inform anyone of the time their DJ set was, and I left at a quarter to eleven as my arms were aching from having to carry my heavy coat and jacket during that time.
If the management of The Old Queen’s Head read this — you might want to consider having a cloak room of some kind if you’re having music events. There may have been one, for all I know, but as far as I can tell, I didn’t see one, and I doubt anyone else did either. Almost everyone upstairs was carrying their coat and bag while on the dance floor and… that can be rather inconvenient if you want to dance!
Anyway, upon leaving the pub, there was a long line of people waiting to get in. As Ian said, if there’s a special event going on here, you’d best be prepared to get in early and get ready for a long, long wait! Oh, and it’s probably best if you’re carrying as little as possible.

The best thing about this little haunt was the 2−4−1 cocktail deal on a Monday, we’d even named Monday’s ‘Cocktail Monday’, but I went last week and IT IS NO MORE!!!
I didn’t actually discover this until pay time, when the barmaid requested £15 for two Martini’s and through a forced/​surprised/​slightly horrified smile I pointed out, «but it’s Cocktail Monday», to which she replied, «oh no, that ended a while ago». So to avoid embarrassment I just paid up, but I WAS NOT HAPPY!!! Granted, they were good cocktails as usual, but there are far better places to flutter £10 a go.
We’ll still continue to visit, as for a meeting place it’s still pretty good and the abundance of comfy seats are great to slip into during a cozy drinking session. I’m afraid that they have lost stars though, due to not only the absence of cocktail Monday, but the food was never anything special and the mish-​mash of hunting lodge/​Tom Dixon décor used to seem appealing, but now is just looks little odd. This is probably due to the fact that now I’m a lot more sober on visits, but still it goes down to only an ‘A-​OK’.
RIP Cocktail Monday. You will be forever in our hearts.

I’ll admit it, the only reason I stopped in here one day was to use the loo. And what a lovely loo it is! Really, I take note of these things and this one was quite elegant.
The bar itself is also very nice. I like the relaxed atmosphere in here. I felt like I was sitting in a friend’s drawing room. The bartender was very nice, helping me count out my money (as I hadn’t quite gotten used to British coinage yet) without looking put out by this.
And to top it off, their music selection was great. I got a little nostalgic for home when «Maps» came over the sound system as this is one of the songs I’m still trying to master on Rock Band. It’s too bad an entire ocean separates my home from this bar, otherwise, I could see myself calling this place my neighborhood bar.