The Albion

So we booked Sunday roast 2 months in advance because we came from Australia and told them that’s why we’re visiting. Come 7pm… No roast beef sold out… no apple crumble, sold out… no sticky toffee pudding… Seriously??? So one choice of pudding, none of my choices available, neither main or dessert… Why have a menu if you can’t offer it?

Friday evening with friends from all over Europe, the Albion is a firm favourite with Claudio so he suggested we all meet there. From the outside the place is impressive, inside its like a Tardis, it will be great in the summer when the outside spaces can be used. The staff are very pleasant and aim to please, we’d got a small cosy corner but there were going to be 10 of us, no problem the waiter cleared a table in the dining area and sat us there. There’s good reason too, he knew we’d probably order dinner later, and six of us did. The menu is clever it offers a mid range of well liked foods, some exotic starters and to die for puds, it’s a ‘gastro’ pub, they have a good turnaround and need to serve up the food quickly. The price range is about right, we had plenty to eat and it was as tasty as it looked. It’s going to be a place I’ll aim for when in the area, it’s a good 15 minute walk to any of the transport links, but worth the walk through a great area of London.

Fantastic Sunday roast! We had the lamb and beef but we thought the lamb was better. The potatoes were delicious as was the Yorkshire pudding. The service was great and it was fun to see a few dogs running around and greeting all of the patrons.
The best part of this meal, for me, was the toffee pudding and ice cream. Wowza!

Delish! I came here recently for dinner and fell in love with the rustic charm of the place. The menu is decent and they could easily cater for gluten free (though it wasn’t marked on the menu.) I had the chicken and it was perfectly cooked. The waiter was polite and attentive and I was really impressed with the overall service. I will be back.

Terrible. Several bad experiences despite wanting to like this place as a Barnsbury local. From arcane rules as to why a birthday party of a dozen can’t order food in the garden, to being told there’s «no dinner left» at 8pm on a Friday, to the inability to be seated for two despite 60% of tables being visibly empty, to the generally smarmy attitude of staff — I won’t be back until this place learns about the service that goes with its prices. Avoid.

I live a stone’s throw away from the Albion. I used to love drinking a pint in their garden but now they have this DREADFUL policy of having to book a table in the garden to eat. What a total turn off! It has ideas way above its station and the food has become far too expensive. DITCH THIS PRACTICE IMMEDIATELY! IT IS EMBARRASSING.

I don’t get the attraction of this place, well ok I do it has a beautiful beer garden, the problem is you aren’t allowed in it unless you are having food! The majority of indoors is also reserved for people eating, over priced poor quality food. This place could be something special if they were not so money grabbing. If most of your clientele are eating then just turn into a restaurant.
The Sunday roast I had was more fat than meat! And the class of wine I ordered was the same price as the roast. This is another on of those places where people go to be seen.

Five stars for the garden, two for the service. Great outside area if you can nab a seat, especially in the summer, but the actual bar seems chronically understaffed and we once waited 20 – 25 minutes for our drinks — standing at the bar. Why did we wait? The garden is second to none in the area. The food is okay but nothing amazing.

Great beer garden and food. Location is just behind busy upper street, worth a visit. must book table to enjoy beer garden. Food is ok, expensive.

Came with friends for Sunday roast, and we’re glad we did. Between us, we had lamb, pork belly and beef, and all were so delicious. The yorkies were amazing, fluffy but also somehow crunchy (an interesting feat!)
I would definitely recommend this place, great for bringing out of town friends or guests.
…they did play some strange music though (pussycat dolls? Really?)

Stopped in on a cold and rainy Tuesday night after having finished moving all our belongings into our new flat. The Albion came highly recommended by our new neighbors and our estate agent.
The pub is neat, it’s got the desired old charm about it, including the drafty windows and main door which would not stay closed. Not sure what to expect when we walked in, we snagged the only non-​reserved table located directly in front of the bar. Also not sure if the pub offered table service, we marched up to the bar to order. Clearly this was confusing to all involved. After ordering, I asked if table service was provided for tables in the «bar area» and was told that, yes, there was table service. Good to know for next time.
The beer selection is not great. On draft are your standard English pub selections. In bottles, there were only a few gems to be found, including, but not limited to, BrewDog Pale Ale and Erdinger Weissbier.
Both my husband and I ordered the burgers. I’m not a burger lover but it was the only desirable option on the menu for me. We both ordered our burgers medium and they came out well done. The buns were very dry — so dry that I would not risk ordering a burger again, especially with the hefty £12.50 price tag. The triple cooked chips were devine — some of the best I’ve had in England.
Did The Albion fit our needs at the given time (9pm on a Tuesday night after moving all day)? Yes. Will I be sprinting back to The Albion before trying out other pubs in the area? No.
People either seem to love or hate this place. I naturally fell somewhere in the middle — a solid three stars.

Yum, yum, yum.
A little off the beaten path of Islington’s Upper Street, but worth the venture along residential streets because this place is a gem. Definitely get yourself a reservation if you’re keen on visiting for Sunday Roast — it’s a popular spot.
And I know this may sound like a weird recommendation, but get the bread board to start — the butter is freaking amazing.

Tucked away in Islington, The Albion is an ideal spot for a Sunday Roast and a pint. Situated in a residential area (about a 10 minute walk from the Angel Tube), The Albion offers a warm, cozy ambiance with stellar food, drinks and service. It’s a treasure found off the beaten path. If recommend getting a reservation beforehand, as it isn’t very big. I would most certainly go back!

My friends and I had a great Sunday dinner experience with a group of six of us.
We had a couple of Aussie friends in town and wanted to show them a good English Sunday roast dinner.
Food was excellent, presentation better than I would expect in a pub and everyone enjoyed their meals. I had Lamb and it was one of the better Lamb meals I’ve had in London.
They had a decent selection of ales, standard lagers and the wine list looked to be pretty extensive.
I’ve read in other reviews that the service was not great but that was not our experience. Our server was very personable and efficient and gave us good advice on the menu.
Definitely going back.

We went there for a Sunday Roast for one of our Aussie friends.
Even though I don’t mind paying more occasionally for something delicious, the meal was slightly not up to a standard expected in that price range. The lamb was quite good, but nothing exceptional, and the size of the portion was not enough, but it might have been because my bf was digging into my plate as his steak was not as good.
The summer garden was great, as it was loads of sun and fresh air, and even when the pub got quite busy it still didn’t feel overcrowded. It felt very local and authentic.
I am grateful that this place helped me to find my absolutely favorite cider — Brothers toffee apple, but realistically the selection wasn’t great.
The service was one of the main reasons for a 3 star rating. First of all we were rushed to order food before 1:30, which was less than 10 min after we arrived. That was done in a slightly unfriendly manner. After we finished the meal a girl came twice to take drink orders, but when we said we want a desert she replied that she does not take desert orders. Nice think would have been to ask somebody who does take orders for deserts to come to our table (with 20 ppl waiting)… but no… 15 min later she was still only taking orders for drinks. And was annoyed when we asked for deserts again.
And on the bright side, the sticky toffee pudding was delicious…

You know, I actually had a good time at this place. But it was the company rather than the food or (some of the) wait staff that made it so.
Came on a Sunday afternoon, and enjoyed seating outside in the English ‘Summer’. Ordered the highly overpriced steak (is it an English thing not to ask how I want it cooked? Not sure yet), although I’d be complaining less if I’d ordered the lamb, which was far tastier I discovered on pinching some of my gf’s. It was okay, but I’d’ve probably done as well at Wetherspoons.
I quite liked the guy who collected the bill at the end, joking about as he tried to hold the card reader to get reception in the garden, but one of the wait staff got annoyed at us after we asked her on two different occassions that we wanted to order dessert. She refused to take Dessert orders from us, despite standing there with pen and paper (?), so this part took ages.
I preferred a Sticky Toffee pudding I’d had up in the Lake District the previous weekend, but my gf preferred this one. Go figure. It wasn’t bad.
No amazing beers selections, which was a shame, as a table of 20 Aussies relaxing on a Sunday afternoon were bound to have a couple.

in my opinion this place relies solely on the beautiful location and affluent local clientele. the garden is lovely too.
in fact I take part of the above back, the food coming from the kitchen is excellent. the sea bass was very well cooked. the burger tasted great, as did the triple cooked chips. i also heard the steak was superb, although overcooked at first and then under cooked as they rushed to replace it.
the food stopped me giving it 1 star. sadly the service is awful, bordering on rude. the staff are aloof and pretty miserable from what I saw. the management didn’t seem to care if our group were happy or not. asking us to move, and generally giving us the impression they were doing us a favour in serving us.
to top it off at 5pm on a Friday they turned their beer taps off for maintenance.
shoddy. avoid.

The food’s not bad and the pub is quaint. It’s in a lovely area.
But it’s not cheap here, yet the service is a little slack and the food has plenty of faults.
The red wine we ordered was too cold the waiter explained. He suggested a similar one which was more expensive. Not the best start.
It’s great to see sardines on toast on the menu but for the price I’d want them a little less mean and a little more sassy in the way they are presented.
And the burger was tasty enough but chewy and on the tough side. Triple cooked chips were probably better off being served at the double cooked stage.
Not a bad meal but not as delightful as the setting promises and the bill demands.

I met up with Unilocal friends here following a Unilocal event.
The sun was streaming down, making it the perfect day to visit this pub as it has a fantastic large garden area at the back. Relaxed chatting atmosphere only ruined by a drunken smoker with a foul smelling cigar who decided to amble over to our table
Located off the main drag of Upper Street craziness, it’s got a tranquil air which would bode well for pleasant conversation

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.

Albion
Albion est le nom d’un bar dans lequel j’ai eu l’occasion de me rendre lors d’un sejour à Londres. Albion est en fait un pub où il y a une excellente ambiance qui plus est.