The Regent (ex Prince Regent), Islington  

The Regent (it's 'Prince' prefix now consigned to history) is tucked away off Upper Street and since closing in 2005 subsequently spent time both empty and apparently as an art gallery. Now, however, we're pleased to see its moved back into pub territory. Smaller on the ground floor than before, it's lost the back raised area, while gaining a bright and airy feel and a basement bar. Beer wise, the only hand pump ale was off, but a few bottles appear in the fridge and a couple of Belgian beers make the overall selection perfectly good. Our Friday night visit found a reasonable cross section of younger Barnsbury residents having a relaxed start to the weekend, while tucking into a reasonable selection of tasty-looking wood-fired pizzas. The high ceilings and spread of hard surfaces means it looks like it could get noisy in here when busy and some plants or curtains would probably provide a more intimate feel. Nonetheless, with the excellent selection of tunes from the wonderful-looking retro jukebox, this is a good little place which adds nicely to an area filled with too many high-end gastropubs for it's own good.

reviewed:
12/01/2008

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