Fox & Anchor in Islington

A great pub tucked away in a historic part of London. Faultless service and excellent food - the Sunday roast was fabulous! We will definitely be going back.

This is a beautiful Victorian pub with original features; wood, etched glass etc. Great food, ambiance and service. Highly recommended and will definitely return.

A very traditional pub in a lovely square adjacent to Smithfield market. Popped in for a pre-lunch drink. A young Australian barman was in behind the bar and there was only one other customer. Asked for a Bloody Mary and was told they don't do cocktails. Explained that it isn't a cocktail and did they have tomato juice. Barman said that they did and I responded that I would explain how to make it. He begrudgingly filled a tall glass to the very top with ice. I asked him to take some out. He was in such a bad mood that he spilt most of the ice over the bar (which was not particularly clean) and then picked the rest up with his hands and put the ice cubs back in the bucket rather than throwing them away. I asked if could add some Worcester Sauce and he said that didn't have any, even though there was a catering size bottle immediately in front of him. He then put a huge amount into the Bloody Mary so it was practically black. We took our drinks over to a quiet corner and the barman followed us and started slamming boxes of wine around immediately next to our table. Shortly after a friend of his arrived and they spent 10 minutes swearing (lots of the F word) and the barman said that a customer had recently complained about his attitude which is hardly surprising. Needless to say we finished our drinks as quickly as we could and will never return. Such a shame as otherwise we would have stayed a lot longer and the pub itself is fine.

Sunday Roast is excellent! really nice people and delicious food in large quantities, we loved the atmosphere. cheers

Ottimo pork belly sunday roast. Bravissimi nel servizio, nell'accoglienza. Veramente un pub eccezionale. Ottima birra. Si consiglia tutti.

Not a good time unfortunately, had some issues with. Staff member called Yam? Lots of flirting with my gf despite it being obvious she’s with me.

Great Sunday roast next to Smithfields. It's a very old pub, definitely showcases Smithfields and its general London heritage with its vintage style decor. I'll warn you that the place is very dark, but it adds to the atmosphere of this old style public house. It's really worth having a drink or food here. The Sunday roast was great, nice portion and comes with all the standard trimmings. Great piece of meat! We were greeted and served by Martin who was nice, really kind and cheery. I wouldn't say that for the rest of the bar staff, everyone else seemed miserable. Regardless, food was served quickly and we had a great time there. It's a great location for a tourist day. Highly recommended.

Went there for a Sunday roast and was not expecting it to be so good! Staff was working hard and I really appreciated their service, I would 100% recommend

The assist manager with long hair is extremely rude, even to people in the industry, if you want a pub that treats the staff AND customers right this is not the pub for you!! Young's do better.

Always a treat to dine here! Great for large groups with spectacular service.

So they ran out of Youngs Original on a Wednesday lunchtime. This is their home beer Asked for the cheese board as dessert and the waiter said did I mean a cheese plate. Yes the same pls except that hadn't any. No cheese...

Nice pub with a good range of cask ales

Best Sunday roast I’ve had in ages. Food delicious, service warm and friendly - second time we’ve eaten here and can’t fault it.

The staff go above and beyond- super friendly. I always have such a lovely time here!

Best pub in Farringdon area in my opinion… I always come here with friends after work and we always have a good time. Jan and Kristo looked after us very well last time we came, they’re very professional and funny!

Authentic gastro pub. Great service and food!

The atmosphere was great and the Sunday roast was even better. I got the pork belly and it was delicious although I had to wait a bit because they don’t start serving roast until either 11 or 12 I can’t remember but the servers were kind enough to let me order it before that time. Which was great seeing as I had to catch a train soon after. The pork with the potatoes and vegetables was so good would totally recommend.

I came in this pub to meet some friends, as soon as I came here in the bartender angelika made me feel so welcome. So friendly had good recommendations on the wine and some side dishes. As a tourist I was quite nervous comming to an English pub but I would come back again, thanks to angelika who made me feel so comfortable due to her professionalism and friendly personality Thank you so much angelika You made my day

Terrific find near Smithfield Market - lovely old pub with great food and friendly, welcoming staff. A real treat, and we’ll be back.

Great experience! Great interior, tasty food.

Excellent food, staff was attentive and helpful. Will definitely go again!

We came for drinks with my husband but because we really liked the atmosphere, we decided to stay for a dinner. My husbad had the burger, I went for vegan risotto. Both nice. We would like to thank our host Jan, who was really polite and helped with our choices. We would come again.

Fantastic pub in an historic (and undiscovered?) part of London. Great service and food. Planning to go back for breakfast very soon!

Authentic London Pub with great service. Highly recommend the Lamb Pie!

Lovely atmosphere and great food.

We took advantage of the Sunday night special offer to stay in this gorgeous pub on Easter Sunday, have dinner and breakfast the next day for £180/room. Impressed by room 2 St Bart's, spacious and stylishly decorated with high quality toiletries and complementary hot drinks. Dinner delicious and service friendly and excellent. The only disappointment was that the chef was ill on Monday morning so they couldn't provide the legendary breakfast we had been anticipating. We just had to go to a cafe round the corner for coffee and pastries, sadly. But the pub manager kindly refunded us some of the meal credit and overall we felt it was good value for a stay in central London. We are very likely to stay here again, or other Youngs pubs with rooms.

Lovely friendly staff. Food was delicious. Cracking little down to earth pub. Full of local history being so close to Smithfield market.

Awesome pub, really cool and old fashioned. Good drinks selection but unfortunately the vibe was ruined by the extremely rude and aggressive barman that was working; was clearly angry about something and was slamming glasses and bottles around, pushed past me without saying excuse me, was rude to myself and my friends.. slammed a chair next to us, just plain awful. I would add that the women staff were lovely and polite (the stars for the service are no reflection of the women staff). I would like to come to this pub again however I would be hesitate if this staff member was working here.

A perfect Sunday lunch with my mother. Couldn’t fault a thing from service to the atmosphere and of course the meal itself as a Yorkshire lass I was looking to critique the Yorkshire puddings but again they were perfect!

The kitchen doesn't open until 12 noon but we were made very welcome when we arrived at 11.45. The menu is fairly limited but the food is excellent. The atmosphere is great though and the staff are superb.

Fantastic spot for a roast in London. Alessandra was great and we will definitely be back!

Fantastic little pub in Farringdon. Amazing staff who were very attentive and friendly without being intrusive and it was easily one of the best Sunday Roasts I've had in London. Highly recommend.

splendid Yorkshire pudding. well done. rhubarb was also delicious and reasonably priced!

Fantastic roast dinner and very nice Guinness! Service was on point and the staff are very welcoming. Alessandra made it a great time spent

Pints just under £7. Not even particularly busy but I waited, literally at the bar, for over ten minutes before being served. I’ve seen corpses move faster than the barman with long hair. There were three people working the bar but in those ten minutes only one person was served. Staff were coming and going from the bar time and again, whilst long haired dude decided it was time to scroll through texts instead of serving the numbers that grew at the bar. Atmosphere was standard after work London. We just drank outside where there are a couple of tables. No plans on returning here.

Great old pub... food 10/10 but most importantly the staff where so welcoming especially Alessandra and Angelika made me feel right at home... recommended this place to anyone

Excellent bar staff especially Alessandra & Angelika who treated me really well. Very professional, comforting and friendly atmosphere. Will return for Sunday lunch. Kind regards Mick and Emma

Very good pub, great staff and really good place to relax on your lunch break in a stressful environment. Particular shout outs to Veronica, Alessandra and Martin for making me always feel welcome.

Went in for a quick pint ended up staying for 3 and the bangers and mash, it was delicious! very good selection of ales and Alessandra was super friendly and welcoming!! I’ll definitely be back next time I’m in the area :)

Only went for drinks - £30 for a nice bottle of merlot and two soft drinks. The roasts looked amazing though. Staff were really accommodating and managed to find us a table despite the fact we hadn't booked. Abit dark inside and only two tables outside but made for a good vibe.

Loved the service for Alessandra the new assistant manager! I’ve been going regularly this week for the delicious breakfast and she has been giving me fab costumer service. Will definitely come back to this pub and recommend to friends! 10 stars for her ⭐️

Lovely cosy booths in the back, making it an excellent place for a chat. The service was excellent, thank you Alessandra! Decent wime list, and the Rioja Reserva was a good choice! I think the lamb shank pie was a little light on lamb if I am honest, so slightly disappointed. I enjoyed it, good flavours but I think I was expecting more of a lamb hit - big juicy pieces, like you get when you order a shank. I will go back, I liked it. Excellent pint of Ghost Ship. I am dying to try the breakfast too!

Lovely pub. Great quality food. Extensive menu. Great breakfast options Really helpful staff especially Allessandra the Assistant manager

Very disappointed by a member of staff throwing his toys out and refusing to talk to us again after we had spend close to £200 on food and quite a lot of drinks, most of which we had to go to the bar to get ourselves. When it came to pay for some of the food/drinks, the child that came to take out payment did not react professionally at all when one of us left a tip but the other didn't. I'm very sorry but you had brought some food and very few of the drinks that were had, and to act like a stroppy little child and storm off was awful. He really let the place down and put a mark against the evening. We left a tip and split the bill. you do not get to act like that! We complained to the manager and ask for an apology but although the manager himself apologized we would of preferred one from the baby. I appreciate people rely on tips and on this occasion we're glad we didn't tip more then we did as this one individual let you all down. Great pub, nice food, terrible and unprofessional service from one staff member, three stars to match the age of the staff member.

Had the best roast of my life yesterday. A very charming pub with amazing staff. Definitely recommend it

Had a reservation and showed up only to be ignored by overwhelmed staff. Waited 20 minutes and were told Sunday Roast was sold out. A complete waste of time and we had to find another restaurant. Avoid.

Lovely little pub tucked behind the meat market. Stayed in one of their 9 individual rooms for the night. Lovely decor, nice and quiet. Would definitely recommend

Gorgeous old pub. Good food. I had two starters. Very good choice of wine. The stuff is polite and friendly. Definitely going to be there again.

Even tho it was really busy last night, Tammy went above and beyond to serve us and even tho she was rushing to serve everyone, she was super friendly and caring. We will def go back because of her.

Popped in for a pint. Good choice of cask ales. We’re from East Anglia so great to be able to sample Adnams ales straight from the pump. Lovely atmosphere. Traditional pub vibes. Very friendly staff. Highly recommended.

Decided to enjoy a sunday roast here with the significant other. Booking a table is recommended as the place started filling up and was fully booked in the end. We choose the angus roast and was not disappointed by a tiny bit. What we liked in particular was the setting and the extremely knowledgeable waiter who was keen to bring us samples from different beers on tap. Desserts are mid, you don’t loose anything if you skip them.

Good service and atmosphere. Food was pretty good, although some of the dishes were particularly expensive for a pub.

We stayed in a beautifully decorated spacious suite. I would highly recommend, bar service, food and staff 10/10! Staff are incredibly helpful- truly Amazing - Martin, Weronika, Angelika were amazing!

Lovely meal made just right, served hot, staff are friendly and lovely We ate here while visiting from Australia

Visited here on Monday, Martin was fab, gave me recommendations which tasted great.

Great atmosphere, excellent beer and food. Friendly and helpful staff. Will visit again with friends..................

Delicious and generous Sunday lunch at this gorgeous traditional old pub the Fox and Anchor. We had the Roast chicken and Roast Pork belly options. Staff were friendly and attentive and there was a lovely atmosphere. Great find but would recommend to book!

Delicious roast dinner with all the trimmings, I'd heartily recommend seeking out the Fox & Anchor near Smithfield Market for Sunday lunch. No stinting on the portions, really tasty food - and great service from all the staff. Excellent Youngs beers to choose from too.

What a lovely night I just had at Fox & Anchor. My server, Kristoff, was so warm and welcoming. Being a solo business traveler after a long day, he made me feel right at home. Although the menu contains many hearty, traditional dishes, don't be afraid to venture off the beaten path. I was not hungry enough for a full roast, so at Kristoff's recommendation, I tried a Scotch egg and the Gin & Honey cured trout (starter), both of which were amazing -- NOT your run-of-the-mill pub food. The ambiance was also lovely, with rich history and loads of old London charm. 10/10 recommend!

Excellent food, good service. Ambient music was a bit loud so that it was difficult to talk.

Very good service, the staff is so lovely!! and delicious food!!

Great lunch in this atmospheric old pub near Smithfield market. Service, food and drinks were all excellent. The batter on the fish was one of the best I’ve had.

Took a booked group for drinks. Absolutely packed but staff were great, the atmosphere was fun, and food and drink were perfect.

Great place! Excellent customer service from Angelika. Ordered the fish and chips, would recommend to any other customers. Good atmosphere, would come again!

Aggressive bar staff. Totally rude and unreasonable

A lovely sunday roast, my favorite place in London. They have a beautiful bar, and if you reserve far enough in advance with a group you can eat in these adorable rooms in the back. Service is always friendly. As for the food, I'd recommend the Fox's Roast personally, and if you still have room for dessert please choose the Toffee Pudding, I promise you won't regret it.

Pub autèntic londinenc. El Sunday roasts té una ració ben completa. Els starters una mica justes i poc elaborades. Espai limitat, les taules estan molt juntes amb els altres comensals. Preu desorbitat de les cerveses.

What a great pub.. Beautiful inside.. Some great pubs around this area but this is the best so far

A great pub, very atmospheric. We had a private room for 6 people at the rear of the pub. staff were very good, food and drinks were all great. The only minor downside was that even when staff came to take orders they had to be asked to take away empty glasses.

We had Sunday roast and enjoyed it!

A fantastic breakfast!! Great quality food, and good value.

Fantastic roast dinner in a lovely restaurant with a good atmosphere. The service was good and the wait for food not to long. Would definitely recommend hopefully be returning soon.

Had an amazing stay last weekend. Room was spacious and in an excellent location. The food is yummy and the staff are so friendly and helpful and accommodating. Highly recommend

Martin was the part of Fox and Anchor! He is absolutely amazing and kept the energy and atmosphere alive. I can’t wait to come back, hopefully he is working!!!!

Very very good - Martin is a top bartender. Loved it

Having reserved a table 5 days in advance with a request for a highchair I didn’t expect to be called by the pub an hour before dining to be told our request couldn’t be met (they only have one highchair and it had been given to someone else) and there also wouldn’t even be room for our 10-month old to eat in his pram. The city is shut up on Sundays with minimal eating options, and we weren’t able to find an alternative at such short notice. Pretty disappointing. So, parents beware, NOT child friendly.

Great traditional food well worth a visit

We went here for our team gathering in the private dining space. The team were fantastic, service was fast and food was great too. Two words. Sunday Roast! 😋 Just to say a massive thank you! You made our day better than we could have ever thought. Hope to see you again soon.

Lovely place, one of my favourites in London. And good food, nice staff. Would recommend

Turned up for a Sunday roast. Waited half an hour to be served and told both of the options we wanted were out of stock. We were told by one server we can substitute for another item. Twenty minutes later we were then told we can’t substitute the items. Ended up leaving without eating. Disappointed as we were looking forward to the food after reading positive reviews. £16 wasted on two drinks, lost an hour and left desperately wondering to find somewhere else to eat

A fantastic lunch at the Fox and Anchor. Great food and service and a unique and historic venue. We will definitely make this a city favourite!

Came here on a sat with a group for drinks the bar staff were very rude and grumpy which really ruined the atmosphere. Not sure why as it wasn’t very busy. Minimal vegetarian options

Great service, lovely old pub and superb location. Food also highly recommended

Went on a Saturday night for a meal the pork Tbone was just a chop and was given a round of drinks to compensate but the cheeseboard came with a bowl of broken cracker bits as they had run out( toast pieces were added) service good wine fine. Credit to Kristof for dealing with it all

I recently tried Fox & Anchor's food, and it was a good experience. The menu offered a variety of options, and the quality of the dishes was decent. The pub's atmosphere was cosy, and the service was prompt and friendly 😊👍🏻

Unfortunately all the roast are sold out, but other dishes are still very delicious.

Beautiful pub, amazing staff and equally fellow chatty punters. Very busy with great atmosphere.

I strongly recommend this pub ! I've been there three times during my holidays and I really enjoyed it : the inside decoration is really nice and typical, the food is really good and the staff really kind ! 👌

Loved the old school breakfast and decor. Where else can a Guinness and fry up at 8am seem like a great idea! Would go again in a heartbeat

The only pub open at 11am in the whole of Clerkenwell, as I found out

Lovely friendly staff! Great service and magical cosy Christmas vibes!! Thank you

This is NOT how a pint of Guinness should look like. The head is ridiculously big. And with a price of £6.15 it was a proper rip off. I should of course have asked for a top up, but the bar was managed by two schoolgirls and I was not my usual self.

Really good breakfast. Excellent choices. Complete with the obligatory pints of Guinness. Friendly and helpful staff providing a very good service

Food was OK, but service was excellent and a great pub for atmosphere. Thank you to the team.

Returned to this great pub recently. Everything was great (as expected), but very sad not to be in the main pub (which was my reason for booking) - we were in a separate room, which lacked atmosphere.. It would have been good to know where we were going to sit when booking. Apart from that, the food an service was great!

A great friend's 60th birthday. Responses for a cake went unanswered, both in the booking and by phone. Service surly. Massively overpriced. Didn't actually have calves liver. Butcher anywhere near? We used to go to the Fox & Anchor regularly for lunch when we were working around there. I'm afraid this might be the last visit.

yet again we had a great night out having a pre-Christmas meet up with old friends new to London. They loved the booths and the atmosphere and the food is pretty good too!

Great atmosphere and decent cocktails. Service was not very pro active but friendly. Food was okay for a pub but would not go for it.

Although there was quite a bit of confusion regarding our booking and orders, we had our best lunch we have had with you in all the years we have been coming to the Fox and Anchor at Christmas. Although it seemed that you were under staffed the service was attentive, prompt and really friendly. The food was excellent and we’d like to thank you and the team's efforts at making us feel welcome and creating an environment for everyone to relax and have a good time.

Rude staff. One of the barmen in particular started being passive aggressive as soon as I walked in and before I’d even said anything. Not sure if he was just in a bad mood but he really seems to be working in the wrong industry