Priding itself on a lack of gastro pretensions (unusual in N1), this laid-back pub with a rock & roll edge welcomes a mixed bunch of old-timers, students & at-home locals, from the scruffier reaches of Essex Road. There’s a devil-may-care attitude & a down-at-heel gentility to the place. Friendly staff are happy to chat as they serve pints of local ale, or Jägermeister shots from the machine at weekends, when DJs set up on the decks in the corner, occasionally sneaking out to join grinning pals on the dance floor. The menu has undergone a shake-up, emerging as a sort of Euro-US mishmash, where salt-cod croquettes & aïoli might precede southern-fried chicken with coleslaw & chips followed by sticky toffee pudding. Oh, & there’s karaoke on the last Sunday of the month – you’ve been warned.