The Prince in Hackney

My friend and I popped in for a drink and perhaps a late lunch bite to eat. When the waitress came round at the end to clear our table and asked how everything was I was kind of "Meh! Not good, not bad". I didn't want to say anything specific but my friend said that rather than being negative I should have given them feedback as to why I felt that way. We used to own a restaurant ourselves and would have liked to know customers' feedback, so here it is... Where we were sitting there was broken glass and dirty napkins on the floor from the day before so obviously not cleaned up properly. I went to the disabled toilet and the floor was covered with piss and toilet paper - again not cleaned since the day before. My rosé arrived warm, not chilled and nobody brought my change. My burger arrived warm, not hot and completely without flavour. When I went to pay the bill, service was automatically added without them telling me so at the till. I've lived locally for 40 years and SO wanted this to be my new 'go to' pub but based on this experience I won't be going back. Note to owners: please don't let complacency override your location

Sunday roast was average at best, got order wrong to begin with. Potatoes were hardly roasted no crisp, and for the veg…. Beetroot…. Really on a Sunday roast!

I realise that places have been struggling to get decent staff in and combine this with a very busy service but in no pub should it take over 20 minutes for drinks orders to arrive. This was every time we ordered drinks. When asled where they were kept being told "yeah they're coming" as in "why do you keep asking??"....very irritating. Gave up ordering at the table and went to bar instead but just as bad. Absolutely no urgency, no acknowledgment, no attention to who was next. just makes for a stressful afternoon when you want to be relaxing with friends. Just to say however the Sunday roasts were EXCELLENT (even if they came up suspiciously fast...like in under5 mins of ordering, wish was the same for the drinks!). Not the worst but wont be hurrying back.

I used to go to this pub a lot, when it first opened it was the best pub in Stoke Newington. Now it's horrific - dirty, terrible service for the woman behind the bar, not one smile. Drink were spilt, we cleared it up ourselves. Then the food. If you want a bowl of salt with a sprinkling of fries and a rubber, bad tasting burger, this is the place to find it. Current owners should close up shop and we can hope someone new steps in and cleans the places up and puts some love into it. Shockingly bad.

Haven’t visited The Prince for about five years, since I moved out of Stoke Newington! But returned today to visit family and we weren’t disappointed! Still a typically lovely, local but even better than I remember it being! There were three of us plus baby, plus dog and all of us were looked after so wonderfully! The service was fantastic… relaxed, friendly and it just added to the experience! The roasts were delicious.. big portions (huge yorkshires) delicious meat & trimmings and the wine was great! Not only were the staff super attentive and friendly, but everyone else in the pub was so lovely too (which I think in testament to a good London local)! When I visit my parents again, we’ll make sure we book up again! Making me wish I never left the area!

I'd like to say a big thank you to Will and the rest of the staff who took such great care of us all on Saturday night. Everyone had a great time. Thanks again.

Comfortable pub for a birthday party, there was 30-50 of us and we got a whole floor to ourselves. The food was nice, it's not cheap but tasty. I had a mushroom burger and sweet potato fries.

Vine aquí anoche para una increíble sesión de arte de la vida guiada por Dan Whiteson, que es simplemente increíble con su método y enfoque. Nunca un momento aburrido y un gran ambiente artístico en el piso de arriba y un precio muy justo de 7 honorarios con maravillosas vibraciones a lo largo. Es todos los martes por la noche de 8 a 10 pm y cualquier nivel o artista, principiante o experimentado puede asistir.

He tenido varias comidas deliciosas aquí anteriormente, pero este domingo, los pedidos se confundieron y la comida se olvidó, el servicio fue increíblemente lento y nunca se hizo seguimiento, y la comida era de mala calidad, ya que se servía pollo poco cocido. El gerente intentó negociar cuando nos quejamos a pesar del mal servicio y la comida insegura. Es una pena, solía ser un pub encantador.

Loud Loud.. Poorly run...Not very clean. Lax all around. Many other good pubs in this area, better managed than this.

Todo el lugar se siente un poco descuidado y, sin duda, con poco personal. Terminamos limpiando y limpiando nuestra propia mesa, ya que habíamos esperado tanto tiempo para que alguien viniera y limpiara. Uno de los empleados rompió un frasco afuera donde estábamos sentados con nuestros dos hijos y nunca regresó para limpiar el vidrio roto. La comida era mediocre y no tan buena como solía ser. Este solía ser uno de nuestros lugares favoritos en Stoke Newington, pero no estoy seguro de que lo recomendaríamos o iríamos de nuevo.

Overprice food but most disappointing was the staff! The manager was particularly useless and rude. Playing out the overwhelmed dude despite not doing anything. We booked our table quite early and before getting our mains he told us that we would have to leave soon for another booking!!! And when we wanted to order desserts the waitress asked us to leave!!!!!! Terrible experience for a sunday roast!

Great spot to meet friends or spend time with loved ones. Great roast, best potatoes. Had several lovely evenings here. Good vibes Thanks

Candles, nice vibes, good music and super friendly staff. I love this place. The food is also incredible. Try the roast.

He estado en el área local durante 15 años y he visto cambios en este pub. En los últimos años ha sido un gran lugar local. Esta noche fui allí a tomar algo y algo de comida y casi no lo reconocí. Se fue la mayoría de las cervezas artesanales, desapareció la corta pero interesante carta de vinos y desapareció el buen menú de comida. Dejé lo que ordené después de que algunos bocados terminaron mi mediocre vino y no volveré hasta que cambie de manos otra vez. Para mal.

Love this pub. Friendly staff and a good selection of craft beers on tap. Incredible food now with the new chef too.

Visité con mi novia para algunos alimentos y bebidas. No tuvimos una experiencia muy agradable. Después de ser vendido con lo que parece ser un menú impresionante, rápidamente nos dimos cuenta de que el servicio y la limpieza no son nada extraordinarios. Las mesas estaban sucias, el personal antipático. Sabíamos que no íbamos a pedir nuestra cena allí en 5 minutos.

I was at this pub with a couple of friends. We order some drinks and nibles. The portions are to small and expensive. Padron peppers cost £6.5 and there was literally 6 padron peppers on the plate. I really thought was a joke.

Once again we called into The Prince although a sad visit this time, we left laughing thanks to the lovely Jewels who soon cheered us up with his kindness & cheerful banter this young guy is a joy & a credit to the Management.

Sacó a los niños para uno de los peores almuerzos dominicales en la memoria. El lugar estaba helado, una joven pareja con un niño salió inmediatamente cuando estaban congelados. Cuando nos quejamos de lo frío que estaba, ¡la directora nos aseguró que había enviado a alguien a comprar dos radiadores eléctricos nuevos! Mantuvimos nuestros anoraks, ya que no hizo ninguna diferencia.

Um pub fechar as 22h00 achei um pouco estranho além disso quando chegou 21h40 o garçonete começou a anunciar para todos pessoal 20 min vamos fechar ligou a luz forte, ficou um clima tipo saiam daqui porque quero fechar. Apesar de ser uma linda casa péssimo atendimento.

Fuimos a esta bastante escondido pub local para probar la comida antes de un evento que utiliza la habitación de arriba.

Vine aquí con mi compañero para tomar una bebida y comer algo rápido. Nos sentamos en una mesa en el restaurante y se dejaron durante 10 minutos sin menús y bebidas no, después le preguntamos al bar para menús alguien entonces rush pero más tarde cuando nos probamos a la orden, nos encontramos con que opciones había acabado (podría haber dicho antes? ). No sería tan malo si fuera un servicio de asado los domingos, pero muchísima gente era bastante muerto. Cuando la comida no llega el Stilton hamburguesa aún estaba tan bien como solía ser, pero el bistec mi novio era un pedazo hacker de la carne que era bleu (en contraposición a la rara), pero, a pesar de que parecía apetitosa todavía buen sabor. El Príncipe solía ser tan genial, ahora el personal actúe como si prefieres no estaban allí. Hay un particular miembro del equipo que es tan desagradable que roza la intimidación! Por favor, vuelva a su antiguo formas!

Came here for drinks last week but ended up having dinner after looking at the menu. There was lots to choose from and it was a refreshing to see a menu that didn't default to the typical pub food you see everywhere else. As i'm vegetarian i had the BBQ leeks and charred cauliflower which were both sublime. The bold flavours worked really well with each other - simplicity at its best! My mate had the wood pigeon and lamb shoulder curry with the wood pigeon presented beautifully and curry full of flavour. Would definitely recommend!

Arrived to find our table had been given to another party so had to sit in the back in a freezing draught. Staff disinterested but eventually promised to let us know when it was free. This didn't happen. No offer of drinks to compensate. Waiter..... who seemed on another planet.... took order. Pigeon starter was good. Main courses didn't arrive together... some of our party had finished before others got their food despite vociferous reminders. Risotto then cold and sent back. Next version hotter but undercooked.... had probably only been wafted past a squash as not flavoursome. Two main courses were knocked off the bill. Staff seemed surprised when we also declined to pay for service. Save your money.... don't go.

The Prince was one of my favourite pubs in n16, however things have changed!

First time visit after a hard day's graft.. Lovely welcome. Will be back. Good range of beers. Really interesting menu. Good portions. Reasonable prices for the area. Pleasant and helpful staff. Good atmosphere.

When we arrived on time for our specifically booked table it was a surprise to the staff who didn’t offer a reason or an apology but said we could sit in the back room if we wanted. It seemed like it was our fault for arriving on time for a booking.

This pub clearly does not know how to improve its meal service from all the recent reviews. We visited on...

Waited almost two hours for food, as did almost everyone else in the pub by the looks of things. There was no communication from the staff beforehand to let us know that there might be a wait, until after waiting for about 40 minutes we were offered a small basket of bread. When it eventually arrived the food was cold.

Waited an hour for our booked table and when the roast arrived the potatoes were nasty. Hard, dry and lacked flavour! We had to pay extra £1.50 for extra gravy....RUDE!!!! I even had to pay extra for my Yorkshire pud for my nut roast.....you have to order a whole chicken....£48 no single portions....same with lamb.....why?????? It's so awkward....you make people have to choose things they don't want....

El asado los domingos era increíble! El personal es genial. El bear también lo son. Como turista, disfrutamos mucho de este lugar! :)

Das Wetter war phantastisch, wir haben eine Hochzeit im Pub gefeiert (hinterer Bereich, "Biergarten" Aussenbereich, oben). Mir hat es gut gefallen, ist halt "original english Pub". Personal nett, essen so wie es bestellt war lecker alles gut. Gerne wieder

Firstly you have to select the same meat as your dining companion as everything comes for 2 other than the beef, but if you come as a pair , you'll both have to have the beef unless you want chicken or lamb for 2. Also whilst it comes with gravy and roast potatoes and Yorkshire pud, other Veg is extra. So that an additional £4 for plain brocolli unless you want salad as no other veg available. And that's in top of the £17.50 for the roast. We came at 6 and called ahead to make sure roasts were still available. They were, because everything appeared to have been cooked in bulk earlier In the day. Old cold roasties anyone. Everything was Luke warm Also we had to liberally everything. extra gravy was £1.50 but as the best thing we could say about that was that it was wet, we skipped that. After mentioning that we were disappointed the waitress did listen and appeared genuinely sorry and fed back to the chef (she was the most pleasant thing about the experience). They kindly took off the cost of the brocolli which ironically was the only fresh, hot food we'd received.

the prince in my favourite pub in london. and i am not a knob. it has an unrivaled selection of beers, delicious roasts and the light from the huge windows makes it the perfect afternoon pub to relax in and peruse the beer and wine menu. their nduja on toast and arancini balls are all you need.

Went for a Sunday roast here with friends. Whilst the food was acceptable, I object to the fact that practically everything that is normally included on a roast (e.g. vegetables, Yorkshires, gravy) is considered and charged for as a side/extra. Weird sharing plates too, which means unless someone else in your party wants the same thing, not all of menu is available to you . Ambience is not relaxing. The noise level is comparable to Kidzmania on a rainy half-term day. Service slow and not very friendly.

The selection of craft beers is great, but the food is not what it once was and is vastly overpriced. An average burger, chips and salad served on a child's sized plate in the pub area, not the dining room cost £17.50. No pub burger meal is worth that. The building is a nice space, but the ambiance is not. Too many spoilt children allowed to scream and run around, while their proud parents loudly speak to each about how wonderful Hackney is for all to hear. The staff are more concerned with their 'street credibility' than customer satisfaction, appearing superior with their achievement of working in a pub in Stoke Newington.

We finished our evening celebrating my wife's son's birthday with a last drink here (he lives quite close by). The pub was very noisy, being pretty full, but we did manage to secure somewhere to sit. A reasonable range of beers were on offer, albeit not as much as at other pubs we had visited earlier, so an OK of not spectacular finish to the evening.Given the location of this pub, I will probably return although I rather doubt that I'd seek it out on my own account.

It's a bit too early to be critical of this pub and it looks and feels so much better than the previous pub. It's a pub that's upmarket and maybe a sign of the changes taking place in this part of Harringey as a more professionals start to colonise the area. The pub lighting looks good from outside but inside the soft tones do not complement the current layout. I really like the bar area which looks very welcoming. I hope that this will be extended to some of the other sections of the pub. There are many ales to choose from which are'nt your standard Peroni, carlsberg etc.. this is emphasised by the menu which states "independent, small breweries, no mainstream b***s***"... at the price of sounding a snob I must say"Here here!". Mind you the price also can be somewhat high which probably keeps out the hoi polloi. Currently the menu is limited to light snacks such as suasauge rolls and cheese boards. Speaking with the staff they are planning to open a kitchen soon but the type of food on offer was not clarified. As I drank on a Saturday night I could hear the workmen busy behind the boarded section working on the extension. I hope all this comes soon so I can try out the place again.

The prince has a nice interior, a decent wine list and a good range of craft beers. I've not eaten there so can't comment on the food. Potential customers should be warned however that the clientele of this pub, combined with the acoustics, makes a generally intolerable experience. As other reviews have mentioned,if you go in the day it's likely to be packed with smug stoke newington parents getting smashed whilst their annoying progeny charge around screaming...if you attend in the evening it's full of braying media types literally screaming in each other's face. None of this is the pubs fault - but something worth bearing in mind if you are planning a visit.

This is a great locals pub, serving lots of interesting beer and with a decent wine list, but is not a decent eatery. I don't know if there's been a chef change or a change in meat and fish sourcing recently, but the dining experience is not so great. The onglet steak was overpowered by herbs and as tough as an old boot, the chips very obviously re-heated from lunch, the fish cakes dry and tasteless. Basically, eating my Dad's hat with a smidge of salt and pepper would have been a nicer experience for my taste buds. But what makes the whole thing much worse was one of the waitresses (or maybe the front of house person moonlighting as a waitress), when faced with three unfinished plates and a comment on the toughness of the meat (polite and making the point that it was not necessarily in the cooking but perhaps in the sourcing), saying, "If you didn't like the food you should have complained earlier." Now, in my view something like - "Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. I will pass your comments on." And some minor bill gesture would have been more appropriate. Now I'm going to have to get in my time machine, go back in time and complain about the food before I've rung to make the booking.Come on, people. Decent customer service isn't that hard.£106 : Two-course meal for four with wine.

Having been to The Prince on a number of occasions for drinks and admired the Sunday lunches from afar we thought this would be a good, relaxed place for a birthday lunch. The surly and abrupt call a day ahead to secure a table was dismissed but upon arrival after chasing a staff member to inform them of our booking we were shown to our table. Swamped by people around us and with a table fit for two and with an uneven wobble my friend went to the bar to get us some drinks whilst we waited for our other two friends. A waitress immediately came to ask me if i was ready to order (?) which gave me a prompt to read the (brunch) menu but also remind her that we were waiting for our party. I did ask if there was any other tables available for the listed reasons and the response was i will fix your table. Service doesn't always need to accommodate every request of the customer but some politeness and understanding wouldn't go amiss. It is a shame...it is in essence a nice pub but we didn't appreciate the feeling like we were putting them out and left as soon as our party arrived for The Old Dairy in Stroud Green Road. It wasn't perfect as they were busy but the staff were accommodating and apologetic and did their best to serve us without too much of a delay despite being super busy.

And out of Yorkshire puddings.£16 for beef gravy and potatoes. They've been skimming the trimmings.X

Having seen reviews l was expecting good food. WRONG!Ambience and staff were great but the the Sunday roast (lamb) was dreadful.Overpriced - over-cooked and cold.Lamb was so greasy you could gave oiled a car with the residue.The roast potatoes were re-heated and so solid you could have used them as bullets.Yorkshire puds (you had to pay extra for them) were dry and tasteless.Would not eat there again.Ok for a beer and nothing more.

Wir haben kurz auf ein Bier vorbeigeschaut. Der Pub liegt (etwas versteckt) in einem Wohnviertel von Stoke Newington. Hilfsbereite Bedienung, gute Bierauswahl. Es gibt auch einen kleinen Außenbereich zur Straße hin. Das Publikum (vermutlich hauptsächlich locals) bestand aus allen Altersstufen. Nette, lockere Atmosphäre. Zum Essen kann ich leider keine Bewertung abgeben, das Angebot auf der Speisekarte sah aber gut aus und bestand nicht nur aus dem sonst typischen britischen Pub-Essen.

Totally overpriced, with no apparent reason for charging the amount they do. Indeed, my glass of red wine was horribly corked and full of sediment as it was the end of the (expensive - the cheapest bottle is around £18:£20) bottle when they poured it. When I took the glass straight back, mouth full of sediment, I was stared at as if I'd just commuted a crime and met with a very patronising "it's a little bit of sediment." Totally disgusting for a pub that charges Islington prices but has no class and very ill informed bar staff. Aside from this the atmosphere is rubbish, apart from a Saturday afternoon. Steer away, there are much better choices in Stoke Newington... eg The Loughborough down the road. Friendly service and more reasonably priced.

I recently went to the prince for a 'game of thrones' quiz as part of the stoke Newington literary festival, an annual event as is the quiz apparently. We decided to have dinner at the pub to save time as we were meeting friends and were not disappointed. The good was great, pub food but done really well with subtle flavours and good quality fare. They also specialise in beer and the beer list was something to be beheld. I would highly recommend this pub to all

Went in there for a pint on Saturday at 4 in the afternoon. Every single table inside (and there are a lot of them) was set for evening dinner- at four in the afternoon. It felt very much like they didn't want you sitting down at the tables. As I say, weird. I'm not sure it can claim to be a pub if it does this.

"After a recent makeover and refurb, an excellent gastropub has become even better, with completely new menu and kitchen, and btw some great new beers including 5 Points Pale Ale a local favourite. Imaginative small dishes at the bar, and proper sit-down three course meals, all well-sourced and seasonal. An old favourite is now a new favourite."

Me And a Group of friends when to the prince for Sunday roast after a friend recommended it, we were not disappointed, the food was amazing, generous portions extremely well cooked. My friend had the cod with beans and chorizo which she said was to die for. The biggest surprise was the sticky toffee pudding, absolutely scrumptious, it reminded us of Andrew Edmunds' one and the waitress told us that their head chef was actually Andrew Edmunds' head chef for over 5 years. Can't wait to go back for the best sticky toffee ever.

My burger was burnt and overall not very nice - but I feel that might have been just my bad luck; seating arrangements were good and a nice place to eat with friends with some good selection of beers.

If you like to have a nice quiet drink or some good food (because the food here *IS* good) in a relaxed environment without annoying little kids, who are almost certainly called Beatrice and Henry, running around chasing balloons, knocking into people and sending things flying dangerously off tables as their parents watch on chuckling thinking it's all terribly cute, then this place probably isn't for you. And if you're parents who think it is okay for your kids (who, let's face it, are blameless - they were probably just bored stiff watching you getting pissed all day) to ruin everyone else's night by running around chasing balloons, knocking into people and sending things flying dangerously off tables as you watch on chuckling thinking it's all terribly cute - THEN TAKE THEM TO A FRANKIE AND BENNYS BECAUSE NOBODY ELSE DOES.

Great pub. Food is amazing. Superb range of beers. Lively in all the right ways. A real boon for the neighbourhood.

sunday roasts make this place a destination in themselves. absolutely delicious with roast potatoes served piping hot and in very large portions. west london pubs please take note. staff always polite and helpful i enjoy coming here with friends or indeed my family at the weekend.

Food is quite good and above normal by pub standards. Service Ok no complaints but service charge a bit ott as I like to judge for myself how much to tip.Biggest problem was extremely noisy table nearby. Not just diners having a good time but really very loud annoying for other eaters. Staff did nothing about it whereas all they had to do was to have a quiet word .

It's a bit more expensive, but the food is so good. Amazing ingredients prepared well.good portions.lamb and meats to share and carve yourselves. Really nice space and great beers Aswell.don't waste 10 quid on cheap and cheerful pubgrub elsewhere in Stoke Newington - it can't touch this place believe me!

It's the second time I have been here and sadly on both occasions they have run out of some choices of roasts very early on in the day. This time around they did call to warn us that the chicken had run out, which was most appreciated. The food when it came was particularly good, I shared a pork belly, although the Yorkshire pudding was stone cold which was a little like the service, which sadly was not with a smile. However, all that said, it's a friendly pub with a great atmosphere and as long as they have the roast you are after then you will have a great meal.

Although the food (sausage and lentils) was excellent the service behind the bar left something to be desired. Who is unfamiliar with that North London/too cool for school/offhand approach? The waitress was perfectly nice though.

I visited on a Saturday night. The pub and dining area had a great atmosphere, along with a great selection of beers and wines at reasonable prices. The bar snacks in the pub offered are great value too. We had fennel infused salami with bread for £3, which was delicious. For dinner I had a lamb, broad bean, pea and turnip casserole accompanied with sourdough bread. The dish was priced appropriately for what is was. It managed to be filling but light at the same time. The waitress informed me that the chef had previously worked at St. John Bread & Wine. And the quality was certainly of that standard. The Prince makes a great local, but is also well worth a visit if coming from further afield.

The food is decent if, especially in the case of starters, a bit overpriced. But the comically unfriendly service means we'll never be eating here again. It's a shame - it's a lovely pub that should be a great local venue.

I went here for my birthday and honestly have barely anything good to say about the place- there were so many issues I'll have to bullet point them (!)-Firstly, having been a regular to pubs in Stoke Newington for several years, I can safely say this is the first one i've ever visited that implements a 'cake-age fee' if you bring along a home made birthday cake. My friend who had baked it called ahead, mainly out of courtesy, only to be told that there was a fee of £1.50 per person for the privilege- this seems hugely counterproductive, as all it meant was that the 20 of us left far earlier than planned to head elsewhere. - On arrival, we asked about our booking and were told before we sat down we had to check with a member of staff- after this we were passed around three different members of staff. No one seemed to be able to tell us where our table was, or even seem particularly interested in helping, so in the end we found the table we assumed was ours and sat down.- The table was booked for fifteen people- they gave a us a table that could comfortably fit 8- 10 at a push.-We were there for 3 hours and no one came to clear glasses from the table once- we had to do it ourselves.- When requesting a particular brand of alcohol we were told by the member of staff serving that they didn't stock it- we then had to point it out to her, sat on the shelf directly behind her.-The crisps we bought were stale- and on further inspection turned out to be out of date.Hands down the worst pub I've visited in Stoke Newington- which is a real shame, as the interior is gorgeous. Avoid.

I recently spent the afternoon here catching up with some old friends and I can't think of a nicer environment in which we might have achieved this feat.Wonderfully accommodating staff, knowledgeable about they fine selection of wines by the glass and beers on tap, and a tempting and innovative menu to boot, we had no trouble being catered to for some 5 hours. We ordered lunch sometime around 2pm; I plumped for the cod (£14.80), my friend the Nduja Omelette (£7.80) and my other two friends the Mushroom / Egg on toast combo (£6.40)...all were superb. I enjoyed too many wonderful glasses of Barbera (£5.70)...Super friendly service, spotless bathrooms and a cosy atmosphere on an otherwise cold and miserable day.Top drawer and highly recommended, my friends live within spitting distance of this wonderful gastropub and I'll certainly be back on my next visit to London.

The prince catered Christmas dinner for 25 of us this weekend. The staff couldn't do enough to accommodate us, especially Jo who ensured the whole meal ran smoothly, no mean feat for the number of us that were there. The feasting menu was great, we were all totally full with food left over and the staff didn't grumble at all over bringing extras that we wanted more of. All in all a lovely afternoon in a very cosy and well presented pub. The only tiny negative was that bloody Mary's are £8 which seemed a little steep. Otherwise highly recommended and many thanks! I must have been impressed as have never bothered to review anywhere on here before!

Went to this pub for lunch last weekend, food was pretty average and service slow and abrupt.Those things I can forgive but mice running through the dining room was pretty disgusting! To think of them in the kitchen really makes me feel ill having eaten there. I will never return and I would advise others to steer clear.

Went here for Sunday lunch and were pretty disappointed overall. It's a great pub - looks really cool and good selection of beer. We had lunch in the restaurant which is a little box like extension off the pub. It started out well enough with oysters and nduja on toast. Then roast beef which was chewy. The side of vegetables was a big pile of what looked and tasted like tinned peas. Yuk. The acoustics were so so bad - impossible to hear anything due to a couple of large groups ( who were just having normal conversations but totally amplified) so was really unrelaxing. And expensive.Overall, wanted to really like this -really promising - but really under delivering.

I went to the Prince yesterday with a group of friends, all of whom had been before and loved it. I was stunned by what ensued - one of the worst dining experiences I've ever had.We got there at 3.30 and were told we'd have to wait until 4.15. "But it's really good," my boyfriend said, "so we'll wait." And wait we would. All day.When we eventually ordered, we asked for two portions of roast beef, one sharing chicken, and two lamb specials. The waiter returned, having taken our order, to tell us there was no chicken left. Two more portions of beef were ordered. Then he showed up again to tell us they'd run out of the lamb special, but they could offer a lamb rack, at a discounted price, as it wasn't what we'd ordered. £20 for a rack of lamb with roast trimmings sounded like a steal - particularly as they assured us it was normally £45 - so my friends took their offer. Big mistake.Five lamb ribs, with nothing but fat on them, turned up at the table, with a measly amount of roast potatoes, for two to share. We asked the waiter to come over to the table and he didn't even apologise, and refused to take the lamb back to the kitchen. Having worked in restaurants for 10 years, I am under no illusions - I know very well that chefs can be the very worst of people. This never stopped me from marching back into the kitchen with a terrible plate of food and having it out with them. No such service at the Prince. They didn't offer the people they'd tricked into ordering their offcuts of lamb so much as a Yorkshire pudding. The waiter just stood there with a sullen expression saying there's 'not much' he could do; couldn't replace the fatty lamb rack with an actual meal, couldn't compensate us in any way. And after we complained, he disappeared - and never came back! The four of us who had ordered the - very average - roast beef shared our food, and waited for the problem to be resolved. It wasn't.We ended up asking to speak to the manager, who came over and cowered at the table. He told us he WOULD have replaced the lamb with beef, but the kitchen was now closed, and there wasn't much he could do really. He could take the cost of the lamb down from £20 to £17. He then began repeating the same pathetic lines: 'We're learning, we'll learn from this...' It's a shame they are yet to learn that when you put out a plate of food that bad, the only way to deal with it is to offer a replacement - both of my friends would have taken the beef - or to offer to remove it from the bill. Instead, we were offered desserts as compensation. We said no thank you. So they offered us a round of drinks, which we accepted. However, this didn't mean they were going to give us a round - it meant they took off the two pints that our friends with the lamb had drunk off the bill. When we tried to order more drinks, they came over and had run out of one of the beers. 'We're all out of Pride,' the waiter said, unable to look any of us in the eye. You don't say mate.At the end of the meal, we decided to move on to another pub to avoid throwing any more money at the Prince. We asked the general manager for the bill. We waited half an hour and then asked a waitress - and for the first time that day, were dealt with by someone competent. She brought the bill over. They had charged over £30.00 for the 'rack' of lamb, and added service to the bill. On seeing this, we called her back over and explained what had happened that day, and asked to speak to the general manager - who she then told us had left for the evening. I'm not kidding. She then removed the rack of lamb from the bill, and the service, and apologised profusely. She was LOVELY. If I ever see her again, I'll tell her to leave her job immediately, if she hasn't already, from the embarrassment of being associated with idiots like her boss.

Until recently the Prince was a typical fading "boozer" in a side street, with nothing to recommend it beyond the few locals who propped up its bar. Six weeks ago it was re-opened as a spacious and welcoming gastropub. It has a small but interesting wine list, a range of specialist beers, and a very fine but selective menu (6 starters, 6 mains, and 4 desserts). I enjoyed a really interesting and delicious butter bean, tomato and courgette cassoulet; and my companion equally enjoyer her Confit pork belly, lentils and mustard. We both finished off with a heavenly Chocolate terrine, with whipped cream and walnuts. Wines were reasonably priced (around £4 per glass) and main courses come in between £11 and £15.The young enthusiastic staff are clearly doing their best to make this a landmark destination for the ever-increasngly upmarket clinetele of Stoke Newington. I do recommend you give it a try. It's only disadvantage is being a few minutes walk away from Church Street down residential side streets. If you end up not going in here, there is nothing else near it, and you would need to just retrace your steps to the main road.

The Prince is our local and we go there regularly. It's off Church St so you need to know about it to find it but it rivals lots of the restaurants on Church St and is worth the 5 minute walk south. It's family friendly, has a great atmosphere – a stylish gastro pub with old wooden tables, light and airy in summer but also cozy in winter. There are 2 TVs but they are small and not intrusive and useful when there are big sporting events to follow! You can eat in the main bar or in a separate area...