Visited last night, first time for a few years, after moving away from the area, was thinking of having a do there. Oh dear! We ordered a small bottle of Leffe Blonde £4.10. No proper Leffe glass (and at these prices), 1 pint Black Sheep bitter £3.50 & a packet of crisps £1.00. Total £8.60. When my husband went back to query it, the barman, in total silence pulled the receipt from the till and handed it to my husband. When my husband sat down, I could see the barman looking at us and sniggering to another barman. Leffe is my drink, as is my husband bitter, we never pay these sort of prices, not even in the West End. Are they charging these prices because of the surrounding area and taking advantage of it? Me thinks they have delusions of grandeur! Would never go back on principal. One little positive, there was a guy there that appeared to be some sort of manager, he was very sweet and seemed very helpful. read more

Went here for a friend's birthday. The decor is lovely and our waiter was super friendly and helpful. We ordered some beef ribs and though they tasted great there was barely any meat on them. We pointed this out to our nice waiter and he was very apologetic and brought us another plate of ribs. These were a little better and the meat was delicious when we could get to it but it still left us wondering if they'd gone to the butcher and literally bought just the bones. For the price, this was a big disappointment. That said, the service kind of made up for it. And they have a great wine list. read more

These stars are for proximity to my house, massive back garden, and delicious food. I wish there had been a bit more variety on the menu, which is pricey, and the service leaves a LOT to be desired, but I'll obviously be back as it has a lot going for it. read more

I had a good experience here. Make sure to have reservation when you come because they are busy. At least, when we came it was crowded. As my main course, I ordered the pork tenderloin, wild garlic mash, rhubarb compote and crab apple. For drinks, my friend and I ordered a bottle of La Serre Sud de France red wine. No regrets! Everything was delicious. read more

Rude bar manager who frequently shouts at staff in front of customers which creates tense atmosphere between staff and not relaxing for customers. He also ignores customers at the bar and has a stinking attitude expecting his staff to do everything whilst he stands about moaning at them. Throughout dinner someone kept messing about with the playlist which turn into a drake soundtrack on full blast switching between tracks every minute or so. Very unusual experience and not what you want whilst trying to eat dinner. read more

Had two meals here recently and really enjoyed both. Food is typical gastro-pub fare. The thing that has stood out, though, is the really professional, friendly service even though both times were heavingly busy. Definitely my go-to in the area now. read more

This is a charming if not a tad overpriced gastopub. The food is tasty but rather more than what one would expect to pay for similar grub in a similar establishment (for example, an 800g steak to share comes at a whopping £50 which does seem to be a bit on the pricey side). They also do a whole suckling pig for £300 as long as they have ten days' notice. The best thing about this pub however is the building itself, a lovely Georgian construction with a number of different areas for the consumption of food and drink. its lovely garden, with ivy, willow and wisteria aplenty. A shame it closes at 10pm, especially in the summer, but an even bigger shame is that there are no covered areas for when its raining. Whereas in the days before the smoking ban, no one in their right mind would want to be in the garden when it's raining, in these days a good percentage of smoking customers and their non-smoking friends would happily sit outside all night if there were some shelter. As a result, I will not be returning to the Albion if it is raining, or if rain is forecast, as there is nothing worse than needing a cigarette, having to go outside, and finding absolutely nowhere to shelter. With a garden this size, there really is no excuse. read more

Terrible. Several bad experiences despite wanting to like this place as a Barnsbury local. From arcane rules as to why a birthday party of a dozen can't order food in the garden, to being told there's "no dinner left" at 8pm on a Friday, to the inability to be seated for two despite 60% of tables being visibly empty, to the generally smarmy attitude of staff -- I won't be back until this place learns about the service that goes with its prices. Avoid. read more

I live a stone's throw away from the Albion. I used to love drinking a pint in their garden but now they have this DREADFUL policy of having to book a table in the garden to eat. What a total turn off! It has ideas way above its station and the food has become far too expensive. DITCH THIS PRACTICE IMMEDIATELY! IT IS EMBARRASSING. read more

I'm sad to see that this place only has about 3 stars here on Yelp, because that was not at all my experience! I walk by it all the time, on Thornhill Road which is roughly 2 streets over from Upper St and runs parallel to it, and it has the most adorable front area where you always see people sitting outside on a sunny day. I passed by today and people are even there with their laptops or a book because it is just such a nice place to hang out. But when my friend and I stopped by on our pub crawl around Islington the other day, I was amazed to find out that the back garden totally puts the front area to shame! They have the nicest big tree and enough tables to fit hundreds of people. It is exactly where I want to spend my sunny weekends, and it can easily fit large groups which is perfect. Looks like people aren't such big fans of the food, but just come here for a drink, or a few, and the atmosphere! read more

One drunken night at our local we hatched the idea to devour a suckling pig on the fall equinox, pagan style. Tried St John, but booking a pig party there is like putting a down payment on a flat in South Kensington. The Albion was £300 for the pig, sweet potatoes, roasted potatoes, greens, stuffing, applesauce, and gravy. Piggie itself was excellent - tender meat, shattering skin, buttery cheeks, crunchy ears. The rest, ok. It can feed about 10-12, so works out to be a bit expensive but worth it for a celebratory event. Our table waitstaff was good enough but the barkeepers, eh, not so much. And £3.50 for a pint of Black Sheep seemed steep. read more

I had a lovely meal here on Friday - despite weeks of dental surgery which meant I still counldn't manage anything hard or chewy - they couldn't have been more helpful. The room was lovely and warm on a freezing night with a cosy log fire - although they;d originally tried to seat us in a sort of corridor bit I managed to snag a table in the warmer main room. After a slightly frustrating attempt (on my part) to eat some of the bread they brought to start, the pumpkin barley risotto with goats cheese was perfect, rich and full of flavour, with some steamed spinach on the side to cut through the richness. My friend had roasted bream with sea vegetables and a generous pumpkin walnut salad on the side. As for dessert, I'm not telling the dentist - I naturally went for the sticky toffee pudding with extra sauce as I wasn't having the icecream. I totally didn't need the extra sauce as it came in a vast lake already - slightly ashamed to say I was scraping the bowl by the end, Delicious, Luckily my friend had ordered the same thing because she sure wasn't getting any of mine... read more

Delightful roast. Nice staff. We were very lucky with the weather and had chance to eat outside...lazy sunday as I like it

This is not a pub, it's a restaurant. You walk in, 70% of the tables are empty with reserved signs on. Only if you plan on eating can you sit down. Food mediocre, service intrusive, prices high. read more

Fantastic dinner with friendly local service. The place was full even on a Tuesday night. You must have the potatoes, they are perfectly cooked - the best ever. For dessert have the sticky toffee pudding. read more

Friday evening with friends from all over Europe, the Albion is a firm favourite with Claudio so he suggested we all meet there. From the outside the place is impressive, inside its like a Tardis, it will be great in the summer when the outside spaces can be used. The staff are very pleasant and aim to please, we'd got a small cosy corner but there were going to be 10 of us, no problem the waiter cleared a table in the dining area and sat us there. There's good reason too, he knew we'd probably order dinner later, and six of us did. The menu is clever it offers a mid range of well liked foods, some exotic starters and to die for puds, it's a 'gastro' pub, they have a good turnaround and need to serve up the food quickly. The price range is about right, we had plenty to eat and it was as tasty as it looked. It's going to be a place I'll aim for when in the area, it's a good 15 minute walk to any of the transport links, but worth the walk through a great area of London. read more

Excellent food, friendly staff and a nice setting with a garden out the back. The only negative comment I would make is that the menu is quite limited in terms of selection, in saying that the party I was with tried a few different dishes and all were very nice read more

I bought my ticket to go and see this new band. I really like rock music and all of my friends told me I'd enjoy it loads but none of them turned up on the night. Tom was busy, James had to see someone, Harry told me he had to stay at home and help his mum tidy up, Mark said he would love to but was stuck on the tube on the circle line and i've not heard from him since, Brian (i'm not even going to go there!!!!!!!!!) (lol), Lucy is a girl and so she doesn't often reply to my messages but i sent quite a few asking if she could make it and she read them all but I don't know, Sarah was also a girl and she could have definitely made it because on Facebook she said she was at home and bored so i sent her lots of texts too but she didn't reply either. I don't really understand my good friends at times, they are always so busy but I know they would love to spend more time with me because when I'm busy working at the hot tub pipe making and cleaning centre they all go out without me and i know this because i can see it on Facebook and twitter and instagram and find-friends, they don't often tell me but i know they would have told me if they had some credit on their phones. I don't know what they're still on pay as you go for I keep telling them it's the 21st century and they should be getting contracts because you can get so much more for your money but i don't think they're as wise about their decisions as they could be sometimes. If anyone reading this wants to go out with me and my friends next time we're all free and have topped up our phones at the same time and not texted too many people (!!!!!) could you give me a ring and we'll all go out and have a good time at anywhere you want in the south of england (i have a rail card so it's not too expensive for me to travel to you any time that suits you- i'll take it off work if you're not free on the days i'm not busy!!) my number is 07897 718978. Ask for james and we'll do anything you like, i'm quite open minded. Ps i'm partially sighted and it's not easy for me so please could we arrange to meet at step-free access train stations only please. I'm not willing to travel with Southern Trains as i had a bad experience with them in december 2005 but i'll tell you about that when I see you. To summarise, the band wasn't actually playing the night I visited, it was last year and i missed it but my friends didn't remind me what the year was. In short i was disappointed with the experience as I had to sit down and stop singing and eat the food as I think this is a restaurant. Any contact would be greatly appreciated. Speak soon. 5 Stars! read more

This place is disappointing. I've been a few times and always really want to like it - it's a beautiful place with a great beer garden - huge, and lovely on a summer night. The problem is the food and the service. The food is overpriced and very average - burger cooked to within an inch of its life, greasy fish and chips - and the service is inept at best, hostile at worst. Example from last night - being told upon sitting down that they were very busy, we'd better order right away, food would take up to an hour, and oh by the way once the food arrived in an hour we'd have about 15 minutes to eat before we had to go inside due to licensing laws. The server was manic and combative. Won't be going again. read more

Not impressed. We booked a table and waited one and a half hours for the food to be served and then it was hardly even half a plate full! Won't be going back. read more

Nice pub, nice garden, good ambience. Will definitely return.

Pretty standard chain pub with very average decor, beers, boring food etc. Its saving grace is the fantastic pub garden out the back with lots of greenery and a great atmosphere. Drop in on a sunny day for a pint but don't bother otherwise: there are much nicer pubs close by: the Crown, Draper's or Islington tap for instance. read more

I recommended this place on a saturday evening for food, it was awful, it has diminished since my last visit in 2012. Food was cold, wrong orders, terrible service. We ordered steak rare, it arrived well done, and FYI the steak is priced at 24 pounds so wasn't expecting this. They advertise three fried chips, they are appauling and to be honest embarrassing, they look like what you make collect at the bottom of the deep fat fryer. We ordered fish with no sauce it came in a tiny portion and with sauce, they forgot our side courses. We waited 1 hour and 30 minutes for food after reserving a table and then 20 minutes for the bill. The worst food and service in London! read more

We came for lunch on a lovely sunny Sunday looking forward to sitting in the Albion's great garden. I have been here several times for a drink but this time decided to try the food. Great bar and great beer garden both to the rear and the front of the building! Unfortunately the service did not replicate this. We arrived with the expectation that on such a nice day we would struggle to get a table and were prepared for this. Most tables had reserved signs on but we found one without and sat there. After 15 mins the waitress came over and told us to move as all the tables were all booked. We asked could we sit there until the people arrived where the waitress said no. There was a menu on the table and we asked could we look at this until we could find a table to sit at to which she also replied no where we laughed at her "friendly and helpful attitude". She said that if we wanted a table we would have to go to the front of house to book a table. A few minutes later I went to do this and found the same waitress bitching about us to the head waitress and quickly shutting up once I arrived, turned her back to me and then shook her head towards my direction indicating I was the one she was talking about. We were told then that there would be an hour and a half wait which because of the great garden we thought we would wait for. The waitress told us that she would let us know if any other tables became available beforehand. During that hour and a half I counted 3 tables that did not fill and were left empty with the reserve signs still in place. After an hour and 45 mins I went up to ask could we have a table which she took us to. She then left without wiping the left over food that was on the table. We then had to ask for someone to clean this. Our replacement waitress was in fact very nice and apologetic. A friend who was with us is unable to eat wheat and asked if there was any in the gravy. The waitress returned to our table replying that the gravy had bisto cubes in it which didn't give us huge encouragement for the meal ahead! The meal was fine. The lamb was nice but the potatoes, veg and infamous gravy were nothing special. When it came to the bill we were surprised to see that the £18 price tag for the lamb and other such dishes we ordered did not include VAT. So we had to pay an additional £9 totalled up at the end of the bill. I'm not sure that this is even allowed but I have never seen this before. We were then asked to leave the table and finish our drinks elsewhere as they needed the table. We definitely will not be eating there again and have since heard other mixed opinions on the food. A real shame for such a great venue! read more