Irish boozer Kendrick's Bar had remodelled itself as a "food-led pub".

As the penultimate vestige of old Islington's public house legacy bit the dust, did we really need another pub turned restaurant?

As it happens, repeated visits have indicated you shouldn't always believe the hype; there's no cutlery pre-emptively laid out on tables as we half-expected and overall, this is simply a good pub which happens to sell pretty fantastic food.

Service is consistently great: friendly, chatty and polite, while a couple of well-kept real ales whetted our whistles nicely.

The music is always spot on, going from Pink Floyd to The Roots via Primal Scream. In addition to a fortnightly quiz on alternate Mondays, they've also started themed food nights which look like they're popular.

It's a big pub, still complete with its lovely original Charringtons wood panelling and parquet flooring. Happily, they seem to be bringing more punters in than on our previous visits and we certainly enjoy spending our time here.

NEAREST STATION: Essex Road station
FEATURES: real ale, guest beers, dog friendly, traditional pub games, open after 11:00pm, outdoor seating, quiz night on alternate Mondays