The Prince Albert is a small street corner local in Elia Street, hidden in the south west corner of the N1 postal district, close to City Road and Upper Street. For a number of years this pub has been NRA (No Real Ale), but recently it was taken over by new owners, and Real Ale has made a re-appearance.

So what's so special about the Prince Albert. Well apart from the plans the new manager has to serve a mild throughout the year, and the two real ales, prehaps the most encouraging thing about the pub is how little it has been structurally changed over the years. Which means that despite being a small pub it still has two distinct rooms, and the leaded windows look original. A lot of work has been put into restoring the pub, from the old wooden flooring, to the etched glass shutters that can be pulled down between the smaller room and the bar.

The pub consists of a corner bar in the the main room, with one side of the bar also opening to the smaller room. The smaller room has a gas coal-effect fire, making it very comfortable and cozy for those cold winter evenings. The pub also boasts a wide range of board games, to while away the time while enjoying a pint or two of one of the two beers on offer. On my visit these were Bass and Everads Original. The manager plans to also add M&B Mild as a regular, a welcome addition, as Mild is still hard to find in all but a handfull of pubs in the branch area.

Food is also available Monday to Friday. Expect this to be good value 'comfort' food, more suited to a small friendly local. This pub is to be congratulated on not following the gastro trend of other Islington pubs, and is well worth a visit.

Edgar Belka