Fox & Anchor in Islington

Excellent - really EXCELLENT - Sunday lunch… and I have tried many over the past few months trying to find the best in London. The mixed roast plate (beef, pork belly, chicken) was fabulous with perfectly cooked chicken and pork - the beef wasn’t quite rare enough for me but all the trimmings were there and all totally lovely. My only gripe is that the Virgin Mary was under spiced and that the apple and horseradish sauces came in weeny bowls … but absolutely among the very best Sunday treats in London.

Good spot for a quiet breakfast meeting. Good food and friendly staff.

Worth seeking this place out. Very tasty food. Not your usual central London pub fare for sure. And a very good pint of youngs original. Consistently good over the years.

Adorable welcome, cozy atmosphere, everything for a good time.

I loved it. The food, the place, the atmosphere. All!!

I popped in for a quick drink but was so captivated by the atmosphere that I ended up staying for lunch (and another pint). The food was excellent, and their menu offers a great variety of interesting options. What a fantastic spot!

Great for a sunday hungover lunch ! Recomanded by locals 😉

Nice little pub. Young's bitter. Nice food. Sausage and mash.

Great place for a drink and a meal in a traditional pub near Smithfield's Market. Food was excellent and staff superb! Well worth a visit.

Nice and cosy, good for a Sunday lunch. Will certainly return.

Room 1 superb, nicely decorated, facilities excellent. Shower pressure poor, shower tray slippery with no mat on offer. Staff excellent and friendly. Breakfast - Angus steak and hollandaise lovely. Full English a bit mediocre although edible - sausages brilliant, bacon so over cooked it resembled cardboard. Fried eggs overcooked, and stone cold....rest fine Overall a lovely place to stay in a great location. We will be back

Of 6 taps for draught beer, only one was working. When we arrived, the server was trying to cover the bar and the tables. She was clearly overworked and we felt ignored. It was 15 minutes before anyone offered us a drink. (She was friendly later.) The menu choices were misleading. "Salt baked celeriac, beetroot and spinach Wellington" is a spinach and beetroot wellington with celeriac puree on the side. "South Wales braised hogget leg pie, truffle mash potato, roasted cabbage" is not pie & mash but a (very good) shepherd's pie, i.e. the mash is on top.

Beautiful food tasty and very organised. The place was lovely and I was impressed the quality of the food services and space to facilitate that many people.

Person scamming for rating the place😂

Very nice atmosphere and food. Can only reccomend

Great food, and even better atmosphere. Staff really attentive and found just a nice place to be in.

Great Sunday Roast, massive portions, very tasty. Highly recommended. Good value for money

I came for drinking couple of pint but we decided to eat something as we saw the people’s food which’s looking brilliant and they were really fresh and tasty. Also Damla was very attentive, so appreciate for great service!

I had such a lovely time – it was definitely one of the best meals I've had in London! The food was delicious, the portions were great, and the staff were so friendly, especially Damla, the young lady who welcomed us. She was so polite and attentive, it really made our experience special.

Been coming here for 25 years and one of my favorite pubs and places to grab food in London

A narrow cosy little gastropub tucked away off the main road. Dark wood panels and soft lighting give it that 'proper British pub' vibe. The rear antechamber has desirable secluded booths, which appear permanently reserved - with good reason. The Young's beer is well kept and the menu has the usual favourites, alongside a chalkboard of premium meats. You could, and probably should, lose an entire afternoon here.

Great find! Lovely atmosphere, cozy little booths, good food. What really made this place was the excellent service. Welcoming and friendly, nothing was too much trouble! Would definitely go back!

What a lovely place. Great atmosphere and an amazing food. We had multiple starters and a cheeseboard to share between us. Must say the best food we ever had in the pub! All staff were very friendly. Big thanks to Mark, as he made our day even better. Definitely recommend.

How on earth have we not been here before?? What a lovely place - a warm welcome from behind the bar and such a beautiful pub with lovely nooks at the back. I only wanted a sandwich and it was so, so good. Camembert, pear and walnuts in delicious brown bread with chips included on the side. My friend had a plant burger and was equally impressed and finished her plate. We regretted not having enough time to sample the delights of the main courses. Next time!

Excellent service, food and drink Friendly staff

Lovely place, amazing food, 10 oinks/10

Was a lovely place to eat!!! I RECOMMEND HIGHLY Ella was an amazing host, her hospitality was ten out of ten!!! Love the venison leg and blue cheese coquette

Damla took great care of us! Lovely place!

Thank you Damla for a wonderful service!!

Came in for some drinks and was served by the lovely Emily, who was so wonderful and kind. Really nice atmosphere in here too!

2nd visit and wasn’t disappointed. Best Sunday roast in London and fantastic treacle tart.

wonderful pub!!! had such a great experience here- sausage and mash was great and staff even better. fab wine selection. will be sure to recommend to others visiting london :)

Pleasantly surprised for pub grub. Place was heaving on a Thursday night, so lucky we booked a table. No complaints on service. We enjoyed the fish and chips and plant-based burger. The brownie was exceptional! Recommend a visit.

A lovely Victorian traditional British pub near the meat market. It was very busy on the evening we visited, and we had a lovely booth at the back. Service was excellent as was the food. Booking is recommended

The stuff sent email at 8:30 am on Sunday expecting the confirmation of the booking and then canceled

Lovely cosy meal in atmospheric London pub. Food was a delicious example of British food at its best. Service from Damla was efficient and attentive. Hope to return

Pretty average experience all around. Customer service not the best and what you’d expect for central London.

Lovely service, space and delicious Sunday lunch

Great roasts! Nice service from Damla.

Went there for a full english and a pint of stout first thing in the morning before that no longer is possible. It was absolutely perfect. If you haven't done it you should.

Absolutely outstanding, my mate and I had the beef Sunday lunch. Great food and great service. The waiter noticed our drinks were getting low and offered to get us another, a simple but often overlooked touch. Great stuff

This pub seems to operate a bizarre, opaque and mysterious policy regarding their table reservations and I would not expect a friendly warm welcome when you arrive either. We arrived near to 5pm and found one of many empty tables with a ‘reserved’ sign and asked what time it was reserved from. The barman rudely answered 5pm. We then observed another group asking about other tables which had a ‘reserved’ sign and he also said that they were all reserved from 5pm, trying to encourage people not to sit on any of the many empty tables that were available but with a non-specific ‘reserved sign’. By 6pm none of these tables were occupied and so the claim that all tables were reserved from 5pm was clearly not true. What a shame for staff to be deliberately turning away so much business. We ordered a sausage roll ‘bar snack’ which took more than 20 minutes to arrive - ridiculous. It was not a good experience despite the beautiful surroundings

Great pub with an exquisite kitchen! I ate a fantastic burger and a sticky toffee pudding which I highly recommend! The stuff was very friendly and the atmosphere too!!

Great cozy place for a Sunday roast!!

Great food, great service! Loved the dining area with the cosy booths. Highly recommend 👌

Food was excellent. The place is warm and comfortable. Toilet facilities quite good.Prices on the high side as it seems about 35% was added to the bill for service charge - my share of it suddenly increased from about £22 to just over £30 , which I thought that was rather steep ! Staff were friendly and helpful. We were 15 minutes late and our table was held with no problem. I and one other of our party had the beef burger meal which was very good and others had the lamb hogget and haddock meals and were very complimentary about their quality. Overall I'd rate it at 9 out of 10 , William Thurl.

Fiancé found this place online for “bangers and mash” and they delivered! Martin was so much fun and a fantastic waiter/bartender. We felt like friends by the end. The food was beyond delicious. The beer was fantastic. Unfortunately, we’re back in the states, but will definitely be coming back next time we’re in London 🖤

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

I don’t think this place is worth visiting. Unfortunately the customer service was quite poor and the prices were very high. The scotch eggs were good but cold in the middle, I would think they’d be warmed through? I did try to address my concerns with the restaurant but the waiter was dismissive and uninterested. We felt like an inconvenience to the staff. The food was fine, very dry beef and soggy Yorkshire. Again staff not interested. It’s funny that even though the food was pretty average and overpriced we would have left a 4 star review if the customer service made us feel valued as a customer and not that we were annoying to the staff. Really disappointing.

Delicious roast (we had chicken) with lots of trimmings. Children's meals were very nice too. Reasonably priced for London. Service good. Can't fault it.

Perfect place for a drink in the City, tucked away near historic Charterhouse. We’ve been here many times since it first opened and it’s one of our favourites for a casual and high quality pub meal. The rib eye steak is without question the best in London (trust me on this) - it’s expensive but worth every penny. Great interior, cosy dining room with private booths, menu fully aligned with its location near Smithfield Market. Go there.

Was there for the famous meat auction. Good breakfast but small portions. Very poor service, everyone seemed tired and the day had not even started!

Fabulous old traditional English pub near Farringdon just off Charter House Street. Very cozy and beautifully restored/decorated. Highly advised to book a table in advance as there are limited tables (maybe 10-12 ) and they go quickly. Friendly staff. Very vibey. Good quality pub food. Highly recommend the sticky toffee pudding. Fantastic mould wine. Dog friendly. A little on the pricey side. An interesting place to visit for the historical value.

Cracking breakfast (with a pint) on Christmas Eve prior to the Smithfield meat auction

We went for a Sunday roast, I suggest to book in advance. The quality of the food is great, as you might guess the meat comes from Smithfield market around the corner. The staff is very friendly and professional, good quality drinks, in the room next door, where we were seated, they have less beers on taps but they can bring more from the main pub area. Recommended for catching up with family or friends in a great part of the city.

I've always wanted to have breakfast with optional pint in a traditional Smithfield Market pub. More of a hotel feel than expected, and busier with tourist groups than expected. But, the food was excellent, and coffee more than half decent. One of the best eggs Florentine I've ever had in town, very reasonably priced too. Quirky fun attentive staff made the whole client breakfast meeting perfect, and a good way to start the day. Needs booking as popular and reasonable value. I'll be back!

Was a pleasure dining at the Fox & Anchor for our Christmas Party this year. Staff was amazingly friendly, very professional, and super accommodating. Food and the set up was top tier! We will be back for sure.

Fantastic, cosy, atmospheric, and what an incredible Sunday Roast - you won’t believe the size of their Yorkshire Pudding! !

Very expensive for the standard of food. Bland salad, ok soup, good salmon for starters. Good beef, ok pie, ok sea bass, ok turkey. Side dishes; poor cauliflower cheese, bland pigs in blankets, average Camembert wedges. For deserts: ok syllabub, ok brownie, good treacle tart. Slim cheese rations. Rude bar manager spoilt our dinner before we even started by celebrating the fact that although we had notified them at lunchtime that two of our guests couldn’t make it they would be serving their food regardless and therefore we would be paying for it. I have no problem with that in principle as appreciate pubs have to order ahead. But there are ways of explaining it - ie ‘sorry, but it is the pub’s policy’ etc. Even without the two ‘extra’ meals it would have cost £400 for 5 people (only two had alcohol), and for those prices I would expect much better food and hospitality. I won’t be going back, which is a shame as my company has also held corporate events here before. I would suggest other people research the copious options that exist in Farringdon before booking.

We had dinner tonight and the Sunday roast was delicious! However, we felt rushed out by our waiter after we finished our meal. We reserved a table in advance for 6:00pm and by the time we finished eating at 7:15pm, the waiter asked us to leave. He said another party reserved the table, but we looked around and saw a few open tables, so I don't understand why the party could not sit there.

Beautiful little place, gorgeous food, and the table clearers were lovely and efficient. However, even though I'd reserved a table and a nice female server showed me to my table, a few mins later I was asked to vacate my table by a male server as there was 'someone arrived who has reserved a table and there are none free', to which I replied 'but I've reserved a table too', and the server looked confused and harrassed and didn't really apologise and a few minutes later as he was rushing by me he said 'don't worry we're not going to get you to move as well' after someone else had been asked to leave. This whole interaction got me anxious and uncomfortable like I wasn't welcome, it was so weird. They just need to sort out their inter-staff comms.

Ordered the £50 per head Christmas lunch, big mistake. Firstly, it's a small, old, character pub which is really enchanting and we were sat in a cosy, private room which snugly fitted 4 adults and a child. That part was fun and welcome. Starters were mainly smoked salmon, a tiny amount of salmon (one layer per person), seemed a bit off but OK. I went with it hoping the main course was going to be more satisfying. 4 people ordered "Christmas lunch" which consisted of; hard, overcooked chunks of Turkey, unfresh tasting roast potatoes, hard undercooked brussels and one... yes just the one pig in blanket. The sausage was light coloured and only just about cooked wrapped with a translucent piece of undercooked looking bacon. There was some mashed up looking veggie but hard to tell exactly what they were. A massive disappointment. One person ordered Devon crab & scallop tagliatelle which came with minor amounts of crab and two scallops. Heavily laced with double cream which tasted slightly off. The desserts were Christmas pudding which came with ice cream and no brandy butter (even though it was described as such). Apple, fig & chestnut crumble with lemon thyme custard. And chocolate brownies. These were underwhelming and pretty average. The service was overall quite slow. Wasn't a huge pub and even though it had punters in it, maximum maybe 40 people. So surely not that hard to serve. I complained about the food and three meals were comped from the bill I still paid £50 upfront and a further £150 for the balance (included drinks) however, I cannot recommend Fox & Anchor and will never return.

Food was delicious, the dining booths were great! The staff were very friendly and attentive

Great service and great layout, would definitely return

The staff were great - very accommodating and helpful. Food was great too. A lovely team Christmas lunch had by all.

The service and atmosphere was a bit off putting on arrival, however, the food more than made up for it and would return again.

One of the best roasts in London and lovely quaint place

We had to stand as the whole pub seemed to be booked out with reservations on the Saturday night we visited. There was no Guinness due to a shortage of barrels but I loved the pub - quiet, nice, and great decor. Classic London boozer, really!

Awful incompetent rude staff. No idea how to treat/speak to customers. Staff need to learn some manners and to do mandatory customer training. Nasty venue, horrible staff and atmosphere. Avoid and spend money elsewhere. Absolutely shocking.

Great pub … good beer food & cosy space to meet with friends

Food was great, but sadly we found the restaurant staff incredibly rude

This used to be a great pub, but the current management is simply awful. Management's poor attitude has fed through the entire staff, who are strikingly incompetent, lazy and rude. The Fox and Anchor is notable as one of the few 'early pubs' remaining in London, opening its doors at 7am (and licensed to serve alcohol at that time), primarily to support the workers of Smithfield Meat Market next door. It also has some elements of a classic Victorian pub interior, which are pretty. As a result, I would often bring guests and visitors here, and recommend it to tourists. Increasingly though the quality of service has become intolerable, and I now can't recommend it at all. Which is a shame.

Absolutely superb Sunday Lunch ,great staff and lovely atmosphere .We will be back without a doubt .

Atmosphere is great for foreign visitors I suppose, service is fair, however; if food and beverage quality could be refined might help customers back again.

If you like an authentic pub and welcoming atmosphere in the heart of this ancient, historic district of old London then look no further. Walk and drink in the footsteps of the many who go before you, and have enjoyed this place, over the countless centuries.

Lunch for 3 - another successful outing to the F&A ! Despite Coty Christmas Party season being in full swing the staff were calm, polite and efficient even as some of the lunchtime guests moved from coffee and desert to the third and fourth bottles of red wine ! Excellent fish and chips, venison steak and plant based burger (in Smithfield) - great atmosphere if a bit noisy even at 16:00 - but that’s party season and popularity. Well done and thank you.

Good food , good beer & good service. Cracker of a little pub this one !

Delicious Sunday roast. Last minute booking and didn’t know what to expect. We had a mix of meats and veggie options between us, we all really enjoyed. Big portions and the biggest yorkies ever. Chilled atmosphere. We will be back!

Great people, great vibe. Good food. Hotel is also cool.

Damla was a great attentive host. Food was lovely.

Really enjoyable relaxed evening with friends in a lovely pub. Had booked a table for supper in advance. Interesting and good value menu enjoyed by all and served by friendly staff. A gem.

Really great old traditional pub. They put us in one of the tables at the back with the sofas with nice decor. Everyone was friendly. We were not wowed by the food but it was still decent. I commend the wine selection.

Love this place, wierd bar staff!

A large group of us dined at the F&A last night after a guided walk around the local area. The pub was buzzing but the service and food were excellent! The staff were delightful and were very patient with our last minute changes. Thank you!!!

A superb Sunday roast in a lovely setting. My family were visiting from Scotland and couldn't have been happier with the choice of venue. Thanks guys!

Came across the Fox & Anchor when researching for a pub so my friends from the U.S can have a great British pub experience. You can't tell at first but right at the very back, there is an intimate snug with 2/3 booths for dinning and a couple of round tables for drinks. We enjoyed sitting in the booth with the dark wood interior, photo frames and mirror surrounding us. The food and drinks were good overall although, the chips with the fish was over cooked and it was pricey being in Farringdon. My friends and I had a great time as we were there from 6pm - 11pm closing time! I would give 5* if there was light music playing in the background and I forgot our server's name, but I felt she could have been a little bit more enthusiastic as she didn't smile the whole evening. There is a discretionary service charge included in the bill but I feel the customer service should reflect it more. The other server and chef however, were friendly and more welcoming. I would still recommend this place overall 👍🏼

For a pub the food is really good just not beyond the occasional criticism. All the staff are really friendly and helpful but you have to organise them to help you. It's reactive rather than proactive. The warm alcovey atmosphere of this Grade ll listed building makes up for any shortfall in food or service.

Solid little pub with great, old vibes. Came in late on a Saturday but the kitchen could still prepare me an english breakfast. Quick and friendly service!

Cosy pub, really like the interiors although some of the tables are very close to each other so a bit of a tight squeeze to get into/out. Scotch eggs with curried mayo was fabulous, sausage and mash was nice but very rich as the charred cabbage was also cooked in a lot of fat and super salty.. maybe a bit much after eating half a scotch egg but cheapest on the menu at £17.50. Friends had the fish and chips and commented that the chips tasted like ready oven ones that you get in the supermarket. Quantities are great but maybe quality could be improved? I was really looking forward to the crème brûlée but sadly the kitchen had closed, waitress could have let us know to order desserts before closing the kitchen. Overall it is a lovely pub and would recommend.

Great pub grub in a historic pub.

Stayed 2 nights. Pleasant room,comfortable bed,helpful staff.BUT shower in Room 3 needs attention.Tile grout mouldy and discoloured,door seal leaking and leaves the door surround dirty,with standing water present.

We booked lunch for a colleagues Birthday, the team at the Fox & Anchor were incredibly friendly and helpful. The food was okay the Fish & Chips was over done and the burger was dry. Overall the food was best described as average and a high cost. So won't be going back anytime soon.

Good food and nice place except for the seat they gave me. All the tables were reseved and I arrived early with my reservation and asked if I could sit in a seat that was better suited to me of one of the many seat without customers yet. I dont like stools, because I have a bad back and need my feet ok the floor, plus I've been traveling many days with a rucksack. I prefer to sit and there was a table with a plug and as I am traveling it really helps. They were very uwilling to accommodate the request. To be fair, I don't know how their system works. I fine it jard to believe it would. Have been difficult, especially as I was a party of ome at a table for 4 akd was requesting to move to a table of two, qhich means the bar can serve more people. If they'd been a bit more friendly maybe I wouldn't have cared but it felt like I was given the worst table. Right by the coffee machine with made lots of noise, and a constant stream of people coming past because my taboe was also by the ladies toilets. Beautiful place with good quality food spoiled either by an unwillingness of their part to be compassionate with what seemed like an easily solved request (or me being overly keen on enjoying the dining experience). Table was uncomfortable, noisy, service perfunctory, bordering on unfriendly. But I put it down to bad luck. Id recommended eating there if you know what table your booking ajd dont care about sulky service. Was a disappointment and borderline depressing experience because i was really looling forward to a good sunday roast after 20 years living outside the UK. The other seats are all lovely and dining alone that makes all the difference. Overall depressing but I'm willing to put it down to them being overworked and/or unhappy, or me being unrealistic about how easy it would be to just let me swap tables for a table that no one had arrived at. I suspect they keep the table I booked for lone travelers because they care less about them (but it maybe it's paranoia). Anyway regretted eating there I should have just cancelled when Ingot their unhelpful and unfriendly vibe and gone somewhere more friendly and accommodating. Maybe another time I'll go and sit in not crap spot and tell you I love it.

My family and I ate dinner here last night, all eating the Sunday roast, the food was absolutely delicious. It was the best roast we've had in a while, and if we lived in the area would be back many times over. Outside of the food, the staff were very friendly and polite, the service excellent, and a gem of a pub. Highly recommended!

Such a cosy, fab pub to meet friends in and staff are very attentive and friendly

Really lovely old pub with a beautiful interior, very clean with helpful staff and excellent food. Smithfield market area interesting too.

We were in London for three nights and ate at the Fox and Anchor several times, we loved it so. We had the vegetarian English breakfast once - so thrilled to have a vegetarian version! - and it was substantial and delicious. Our dinner of fish and chips was wonderful as well. Equally wonderful was the place itself, with its cozy dining areas, antiques, and bar. Veronica, our server, was friendly, efficient, and welcoming. And visitors, don't stop at the bar - be sure to check the dining rooms beyond.

Best sunday roast ive ever had!

Buzzy and busy pub and delicious food (roasts and puddings). Team were friendly and helpful, though did seem a bit tired, end of a long week/weekend perhaps. Great to find this traditional pub with delicious food open on a Sunday afernon, as the area quite quiet then. We went before a Barbican concert: that worked really well.

Damla is the most brilliant host, really went above and beyond to look after me and my clients tonight. Cannot thank her, and the team at Fox & Anchor enough!