See you at the pub: The Nags Head

When you’re in New York, you’re at Nevada Smith’s. When you’ve got money, you’re at Emirates. But where to go while in London? We’re spoilt for choice when it comes to Arsenal pubs in North London, so we’ll try to take you though some of our experiences in our search for the perfect pub.

via fancyapint.com
The Nags Head
12 Upper Street
London N1 0PQ
Match attended: Stoke v Arsenal, 27 February 2010

Angel is dead in the heart of Islington, so you’d think that it would be the easiest task in the world to find a pub showing an Arsenal match. Apparently untrue when the England-Ireland Six Nations game overlaps with the start of the football. It took us a while, but fifteen minutes into the start of the match, we settled in this narrow, wood-lined pub in the center of Angel. We all know how traumatizing the match was, but did the location make up for it?

Drink selection: Good. Nearly the same drink selection as the Twelve Pins, with the added bonus of a Riesling-Gewurtztraminer as one of the house wines.

Drink price: Fair. Still cheaper by the gold standard of Nevada Smith’s, but not stunningly so.

Screen size and visibility: Good. A large projection screen was pulled down in the back of the pub, and there were several smaller television screens throughout the pub. The size and layout of the pub meant that most people were squished together at tables, meaning that height, thankfully, wasn’t an issue.

Crowd: Fair. Despite the fact that we were the only patrons in full Arsenal regalia, the crowd erupted during the Ramsey tackle and the two subsequent goals. Heartwarming in a way. Also, an old man came by and complimented me on my shirt, so bonus points for that.

Singing: Nope, none.

Location: Fair. Incredibly centrally located, especially for still being solidly in Arsenal turf, but a bit too far from Emirates for our tastes.

Overall rating: Fair. A charming pub, usually really satisfactory for afternoon freelance work (where I am now, in fact), that provides a better Saturday-evening-out ambiance than a Gooner-til-I-die atmosphere, probably due to its just-a-Tube-ride-away proximity from Highbury. Certainly not the worst option in a city full of non-Arsenal pubs.