The North Pole Pub

The North Pole is under new management and has been closed for ages… 6 – 8 months, I think. It was great to hear that they were opening again last night. Since our plans fell through, we felt like it was a great opportunity to check it out. I like the renovation they’ve done… it brightened the space up and it’s a nice modern pub now. I did like the old space, but it was pretty dark in there.
While I feel that the menu is a bit strangely put together (sandwiches on mini baguettes, chips, sausage rolls and mediterranean tapas), the food they passed during their soft opening last night was all quite good, and they were extremely generous with passing it. The staff was really friendly.
The beer selection was pretty decent. A nice range of local breweries. I’m really pleased they are back open, and we’ll be sure to get back in soon.

North Pole is now firmly a 4 star pub for me. They seem to have sorted out the hidden surprises with expensive beers now, or maybe I just paid more attention to the blackboard menu before diving in. A good selection of craft beers on tap and in bottle.
Great staff who are attentive and helpful.
Pleasant and clean garden area at the back for warm days and evenings.
This time we also tried the food. An appealing list of dishes on the menu but having seen the burgers coming out to other people, we couldn’t resist so ordered a burger (with cheese and bacon) and a pulled pork sandwich. Both come with brioche bun and a decent order of big fat skin on proper chips and were well made and tasty with an open kitchen at the back with chefs who were delivering a high standard.

A quite large pub pretty much close to nowhere. Had a living social deal for Beer and Ribs, so didn’t really try anything else whilst there.
The staff were great, our waitress was a little ill, but thankfully didn’t pass anything on via food or otherwise :) We could choose from either a glass of wine of a local draft called «Camden Hells» which was pretty great actually.
The ribs themselves were not so great. The sauce was a sickly tangy flavour, and whilst there was a lot of it, I was actually trying to scrape off the excess. I’ve had ribs at wetherspoons and there was a lot more meat on those, not to mention the flavour was far superior. The house coleslaw was brilliant though. I couldn’t get enough of that.
The pub was quiet for a saturday lunchtime, which isn’t a surprise given the location. It had a small garden and loads of inner space, something I value in these places, so I wouldn’t hesitate to go back. Just not for the ribs. They have a brunch menu on weekdays, so perhaps that what I’ll next be there for.

I love this place. We went for an office christmas party — the service could not have been more polite and helpful. The food is one big American soul food crowd pleaser set against a backdrop of draft English and American beers that surprised even the biggest beer bores of the group (me) with a quite considerable number never tried or heard of before. The wine list was also excellent, and it was impossible to order a bottle over £30.
Go before they work out the prices they should be charging. You can’t go wrong.

Went there to try their Sunday Roast. It was early in the evening and it had a good atmosphere — nice background music but you could still hear the people at your table. Good boardgame selections (I think I even saw Settler of Catan.) We got both the beef & the pork to taste test as well as a hot scotch egg. The egg was perfectly runny and a nice chutney with it. The beef was very good, a nice medium. The pork was too dry, even the gravy didn’t help it. Our Yorkshire puddings were rather flat & hockey puck-​ish, but we did see some others that were mile high. The roast veggies were solid and was pleasantly surprised to get some bubble & squeak as well.
I really liked that they gave tasters of the various unusual crafts they have on tap and that they had a few ciders too.

J’ai découvert le The North Pole Pub un peu par hasard ce midi, mon ami et moi y sommes entré pour un café et nous sommes ressorti après y avoir finalement déjeuné !
Ce pub est vraiment spacieux, avec plusieurs espaces ouverts et lumineux. Tables et chaises sont dépareillés, ça donne un style un peu vintage… Le staff est plutôt souriant.
En ce mardi midi il n’y avait pas beaucoup de clients, mais les plats des quelques personnes entrain de manger nous ont mis l’eau à la bouche. J’ai pris une assiette de merguez et purée et mon ami un burger avec des frites à l’ancienne, nous nous sommes tout les deux régalé.
Le menu est typique des pubs anglais, la qualité est au rendez-​vous, et ils servent de bonnes portions… que demander de plus? Ah oui, la bière ! The North Pole Pub se distingue aussi avec sa sélection de bières anglaises de la région.
C’est typiquement le genre d’endroit où je retournerais pour tester le sunday roast !

Nice roast. Kinda slightly odd staff. Some friendly, some unfriendly. Wonky tables.

Pretty good selection of beers. Not quite up there with some of the other craft beer spots, but the interior is nice, and the food was excellent. I will be going back.

2 pound cask ale special sounded amazing. but they ran out of half the ales by the time we arrived!
The black dragon cider we could order was quite tasty though. Similar to a lapsang souchong tea /​cider. It was harsh at first but I quickly grew to love it.
Service was… nonexistent which is now my expectation when dining in London. I didn’t end up trying the food because it took so long.
Woops!
The atmopshere *was* beautiful with multiple rooms and table types though…

Tucked away from Islington’s beaten track, The North Star is a shining example of the great British gastropub.
A bastion of robust home cooking, hearty helpings of honest food are the order of the day: the antipasti is fresh and tasty, the butternut squash and ricotta pie is a treat for vegetarians and meat-​eaters alike, and the Sunday Roast of tender pink beef features crispy roasties that would make Delia blush.
A design scheme of rustic glamour sees crystal chandeliers twinkling over battered tables and chairs, as a friendly and attentive staff buzz about providing enthusiastic service.
In a sea of processed and pre-​packaged food this restaurant’s polished pub grub stands head and shoulders above local competition, so set your sights on the North Star for an evening of gastronomic bliss.