The Earl of Essex in Islington

A neighborhood gem. Only spaces for 20 outside but inside is big enough.

Nice staff usually but not the best experience today so we moved on to another pub down the road

Lovely pub with great selection of beers and great garden. Staff are friendly and helpful. Will go again!

Food review only: if you’re looking for very average but highly priced food. This is the spot. Of course being a pub I don’t have unrealistic expectations of the food. However when my food came. I was genuinely speechless. I had a teriyaki salmon with broccoli, the salmon was dry and not fresh. Not to mention very very small. The spring onion garnish on top is clearly left over from the night before (unless it’s just been chilling on the kitchen counter for the past 10hrs). The broccoli was oven roasted, fine. This would have been okay with me apart from the fact that this cost £17. For a very small portion of food at below average quality I think you’ll be able to find much better options in the area.

Great atmosphere, but I saw the staff completely respect a group of boys who were just trying to have fun. The staff made them feel like they were doing such harm where as they were lovely and entertaining. Be better

Really cool spot, definitely worth checking out. Great beers, great selection and good food menu to follow. Love the vibe here

Beers superb, lovely garden at rear. Didn't eat so can't rate but looked good.

Food is expensive but good. I I paid around £27 for four portions of chips with two different sauces. Drink range good, garden good.

Great pub with a great selection of beers and lovely menu. Staff very friendly and attentive and all round a great place to visit. Nice little garden to the rear to enjoy the sun in

Absolutely perfect roast dinner! Vegetables amazing as well as meat. Thank-you!!! Also that grapefruit beer mmmmmmmmm

Lovely variety of draft beers. The interior of the pub is very nice ,they play cool music and the bartenders are very kind.

Great selection of beer, sours and ipa. Lovely garden. Alen was very attentive and knowledgable.

Lovely pub on a quiet road, great selection of drinks. Even a couple of good ciders for cider drinkers like myself. Friendly staff and a quiet little beer garden out back.

Nice pub, friendly service, beautiful setting.

I'm not sure why I haven't reviewed this pub sooner, given how often I've been there. But better late than never, right? This place is a real hidden gem, ticking off all the boxes for a great neighbourhood pub: cosy atmosphere, excellent beer selection, charming garden, delicious Sunday roast, and friendly staff. It's everything you could want in a local pub. Huge thanks to the team for always making it such a pleasant experience, whether it's a casual evening or a lazy Sunday meal.

I don't know why it took me so long to review this pub because I've been there many times. But as the saying goes, better late than never. This pub is a proper hidden gem, delivering all aspects of what makes a great neighbourhood pub: a cosy atmosphere, an amazing selection of beers, a lovely back garden, delicious Sunday roast, and all served by their friendly staff. What else can someone ask for when looking for a great local pub? Thank you team, for always delivering such a great experience, whether in the evening or for Sunday roasts.

Hittade puben av en slump och blev glatt överraskad. Underbar och lugn innergård på baksidan och fullständigt underbar mat. Vi åt räkor, champinjoner och en roll med kronärtskockor. Allt var perfekt friterat och sammansatt. Trevlig personal och humana priser. Rekommenderas varmt!

Self service pub with a good range of beers. Afraid the food was very mediocre for the price. Fish batter was to soft and fish not very fresh. Flat iron steak was a bit chewy.

A real Hidden gem, with a wonderful Hidden garden. The good is great and so well combined. Wanted to try the whole meny. Awesome handcrafted beer & cider

Large variety of high quality beer and generally nice environment in the heart of Angel. The food - as other reviews have also highlighted - is inedible. Service is rude and we were treated very poorly. It took ages to be served and then we have been kicked out halfway through our meal (a birthday celebration!) as the table was booked back-to-back for two hours only.

Great local pub. Always busy so make sure you book!

Good atmosphere and a good variety of of beer. Nice garden.

Cool pub, nice beer garden, lots on menu

Great food, fantastic range of keg beer. Cask beer not on brilliant form. Atmosphere loud on a Friday night (as to be expected). Staff are excellent.

I had dinner in Angel and I was looking for a drink. It wasn't too late but it seems every pub we looked for was closing around 23:00. I managed to find a pub that was open till late, this was the pub. The earl of Essex is quite a quirky pub, that looks old but I don't think it is. The staff were lovely and friendly. I will definitely go to this pub whenever I'm in Angel 😊

Great vibes, craft beer Friendly local pub with homemade food and a garden section

It was really worth the slight detour along the canal towpath to come here from Angel. A really good Breakfast Stout and Devon cider, very friendly staff, beautiful light pub. Very good beer range.

Great bar with a great selection of beers. No Guinness though! :’(

Pleasant public house, welcoming and friendly staff. Fantastic choice of beers and lagers - many local brews. Food was good. Atmosphere is good - busy but relaxed. Impressive outdoor space out the back. Plenty of cycle parking at the front. Located in an interesting area. UPDATE February 2024 - revisited during the day on a weekday and it was quiet. Great selection of cask beers. Pleasant staff. Recommended.

This is a great spot any time of the day, any day of the week. I loved swinging by for some Sunday roast and a bit of mulled wine and a few IPAs.

Great food and beer. The beer menu is something to behold.

But roast is very disappointing. Poor portion size. Pay extra for Yorkshire pudding. Cauliflower cheese is very poor for £6.50. Avoid the Rioja, really tasteless for £36. Atmosphere is good and beers are good.

Visiting this pub was a disappointing experience. We showed up in four, including a pregnant woman. The beer, while commendable, could not compensate for the bad quality of food. The fish in the fish and chips was nearly raw, with undercooked batter, and the beef, which was supposed to be roast beef, was cold, overdone, and emitted an unpleasant odor. To our dismay, we had prepaid for our meal, a decision we quickly regretted upon the arrival of our unsatisfactory dishes. Although the staff offered to replace our meals, considering the health and safety of the pregnant guest among us, we were reluctant to take further risks. A refund or partial compensation for the inedible meal would have been a just and appreciated gesture. We left feeling neglected and treated poorly as perceived tourists, despite being long-time London visitors. We know the standards of good pubs.

As an old Islintonian going out with friends,went into here and 1st thing ,no bitter,then was told to look at the list on the wall to see what was on tap,no labels on taps,then after deciding what to drink & have already got a "whip" going on,was informed no cash !WTH,an old pub for new people,any pub has to cater for all,not just locals 1 star !

Awful awful pub Lots of beers but all lager or the lager substitute Pale Ale Spent£44 on one round and asked for a glass of water and was told to get it myself from the sink..when we asked what lagers they had we were told curtly’look at the list’

Great pub, nice atmosphere and good selection of beers

Smart, cosy pub with great selection of craft beers, a small and perfectly formed menu, and a really warm atmosphere.

Lovely place and great service however portions were pretty measly, chips were undercooked and salad was over-salted.

Ah the acoustics!! :( Some good beers and good old classic pub songs though.

A real beer lovers’ pub. Great range of cask ale, pale ales and larger. Down side is the lack of space and seating. The pub has a great beer garden, but due to neighbours complaining, they’ve had to remove the roof to the beer garden sadly.

Fun neighborhood pub with lots of beer choices. I had a red fruit sour and it was outstanding. There are a bunch of seats and lounge areas for your comfort. Staff are very friendly and super helpful.

Excellent service and a great beer list with many different kinds of beer on tap and bottled. Lively neighborhood vibe.

Very large selection of beers! Finally something different to try!

Very good pub about 10 minutes walk from Angel Underground Station. Four cask beers on handpump when I visited along with a lot of keg craft beers. Lots of outdoor seating in the garden to the rear some of it covered. I was only there for a quick beer but the food menu looks interesting. Friendly and helpful staff.

Great beer selection. Nice atmosphere. Were sitting outside enjoying the sun.

Great range of beer, nice people, reasonable prices. Happy days.

Really nice location for a pint or three. Enjoyed it a lot

Please fix the door 🚪 Good beers though, cheers 🍻

Great selection of cask and keg beer served by friendly staff. The fish and chips were really delicious.

If you value the craft of beer and genuine approach to elevated pub food, then this quaint little neighborhood spot is a must try. Awesome atmosphere. Great selection of craft beers on draft and cask. Cool vibe. They don’t take themselves too seriously.

Amazing food and friendly staff. I had the chips and homemade curry sauce (vegan), as well as the banana, peanut butter and toffee cheesecake (also vegan); both were so delicious I nearly forgot to take any photos!

Truly one of the best pubs in London if you want amazing keg beers and maybe a decent plate of hot food. Also has a nice small walled garden round the back which is pretty shielded from the wind. They had a great range of beers in different styles. In a lovely area of Islington housing. What an local pub this is!

One of the first craft beer pubs with a huge menu. It's definitely a popular place and can be hard to get a table most evenings. Still, excellent and knowledgeable and friendly bar staff. Bike parking directly outside too is a bonus.

Called into Pub as part of a Half Pint Pub Crawl, and wasn't disappointed - do visit.

Good selection of beers and ciders. They have a cosy terrace in the back

Great bar staff and beer selection.

One of the great pubs. The Earl of Essex is apart of a local group of amazing craft beer pubs. All of them have a great selection of rotating taps from across the country. The Earl of Essex has a lovely garden out the back, and a well designed interior with lots of seating. The food is usually really nice, and the truffle Parmesan chips we had were very tasty. The only thing to note is that it is slightly more expensive than your average boozer.

Aussies will love that they have a parma on the menu (seasonally). Staff are good value. My mate recommended the Sunday roast chicken—great value. Super juicy. Large range of beers on tap. The Neck Oil is an easy drinker. Lovely location right next to the canal.

Wicked little pub off the beaten track. Great, well kept beers and a sweet hideaway of a garden out the back. Thanks everyone!

Nice pub. Cute garden. Gets busy at weekend

Lots of beers and a loads of fun

Great place. Food, beer, people.

Really good food for a pub, and good price. The problem is that the garden closed at 9PM and inside it just gets too loud

Great decor, relaxed feel, serious range of ales!

Lovely neighborhood pub that had just the right amount of crowd. Lively and fun but not too packed to be uncomfortable. Good selection of interest drafts and cask ales.

I've been here a few times and it never disappoints. They have a great selection of craft beers/ales and ciders. The staff are friendly and they have a lovely beer garden.

Great beer selection with a massive board. Good vibes on the interior and a nice intimate beer garden out back.

Nice pub garden and friendly service by the team. Quite easy to sit back and spend the afternoon here on a sunny day.

Cute place tucked away, gets quite busy

Cool pub with draft beers. Nice staff.

Good variety of beers, delicious food. A bit on the pricey side of beerland.

Nice atmosphere and great beer selectuon

Nice pub with a great selection.

A great pub with amazing selection of beer in draft, rare bottles, natural wine, and cocktails. Really, there is something for everyone.

They know what they’re doing I’m telling you. Star off cause they used to have more exotic lambics and stouts on the menu but what can ya do

great pub. good beer selection, food is a bit hit or miss tbh (once ordered a beef stew that was just boiled beef in water) but overall great pub.

The cider was good, the food was not

Superb range of craft beer and great little garden out back

Lovely old pub tucked away at the back of Angel/Islington. Good selection of non-alcoholic beers for business lunch and delicious chicken & bacon club sandwich. Only downside is they don’t serve hot drinks.

Good food, really good beer. It’s great

Great selection of ales and good food. A bit too loud but that's a popular pub in London for you.

An otherwise lovely pub ruined by sneering staff.

This pub has a charm all of its own. From the moment you step inside, you feel the warm and inviting atmosphere that the place exudes. It's cosy and intimate, with dim lighting and comfortable seating, it's the kind of spot that you can just hang out in for hours with friends, sipping on delicious beers and soaking in the vibe. The vibe is relaxed and laid-back with friendly bartenders. But the real star of the show here is the beer selection. They've got a wide variety of brews on offer, and the staff are more than happy to help you choose the perfect one to suit your tastes. If you're after a cosy, charming pub experience in London, The Earl of Essex is definitely worth checking out.

They brought my friend food to the table, but gave it to another table. When he went to ask for his food. The Bartender was weird as hell. Asked him to sort this out himself (?!) With the person werving the food. This person god made at my friend. He then found out the person sharing their table hare the food (another crazy one that night) and that wairtress asked him to sort it out with that client. After a lot of trouble, they ended up sending him another sandwich..but the waitress dropped the plate violently in front of him. What the hell has happened to this place? It was always so nice. Never going anymore

Can’t give less than one star unfortunately.

Extensive beer choice with a friendly and knowledgeable staff. One of my favourite pubs

Been there with my brother recently for the Sunday roast, I had fennel porchetta and he had lamb leg. One of the best roast I had in london, highly recommended, the porchetta was juicy and really tasty, absolutely amazing. Also the service was really good, must thanks Anna,Edyta and Amy very nice and funny. Last but not least, compliment to the chef, delicious.

Highly recommended, compliments to all the staff, especially to the chefs. Thank you guys

Brilliant pub! Organised a surprise birthday here & the staff went above & beyond to make it special. Food was delicious, beer selection is exceptional & the vibes are 10/10.

Great pub with even better staff! Best beer selection in Angel. Served by Bren and Leo, very knowledgeable and friendly. Highly recommended.

Lovely pub with a nice outdoor area. Lager wise we're talking £6.80 or £6.20 for a Camden Hells. The Redemption ale for £5.90 was also nice.

Hand pumps on display but no ale! So not a real pub, go elsewhere.

As an Essex lass I approve of The Earl.

community great would visit again not halal though ugh

Menu doesn’t have a burger! What pub doesn’t have a burger on its menu? The mind boggles.

The Earl of Essex is without a shadow of a doubt the best pub in London. With up to 24 different draught beers at any given moment (reasonably priced for such magnificent selection), a very cozy, beautifully-lit garden and a marvelous, and I do mean marvelous, staff, all other competition is gone with the wind. Shout out Declan for being a G.

Great pub, great beer, great roasts, great staff 👍🏻🍻

I mainly go here for the excellent craft beer on tap - I often find the likes of Cloudwater, Pressure Drop and Verdant which are my favourites. Staff are friendly and the lighting is spot on.

Nice staff and atmosphere but got food poisoning having dinner there

Amazing pub. Beer and atmosphere just incredible. Wish I could give more than 5 stars