Famous Cock Tavern — Restaurant in London

If you intend to visit this pub, which isn't badly laid out, decent beer garden, screens for sports, you absolutely categorically shouldn't visit on a match day when Arsenal are playing.

As a season ticket holder I avoid this place quite simply because, getting a drink is a 20 minute chore, the bar is understaffed and the senior bar managers are unprofessional. They will ignore "certain" people at the bar (feel free to read between the lines on that and arrive at the natural conclusion), they don't cover the whole bar sometimes no matter how long you're waiting you can be, passed by. They allow bar staff to have a meaningless chats with customers as the queues are 3 and 4 deep at the bar. And they don't do the most BASIC things like remember who has been there for longer than others.

If you can imagine a fast food place where they are trying to get as many people served as possible during a busy moment, because, you know, revenue. This place is the opposite. It's slow, laboured, lazy, "not really that bothered", service, completely uninterested in the amount time patrons are standing around waiting.

It's a place that, because of it's location next to the station, suffers from a lack of NEED to do the basic job of a pub, properly. A good example would be the tiny, often DIRTY, toilets that haven't had a lick of paint or an upgrade in decades 🤢

If you want more demonstrable proof, just wait for the nothing, blaise, meaningless response to this review, as with all the other negative reviews. Nothing changes.

I genuinely can't stand this place. Sometimes I forget and wander in for convenience or meet friends there. And then remember, when I have another (and I've had more negative service there than I can count) bad experience. Now I do my absolute utmost to avoid it. Even if an early game is on (given there are not many other places to watch) I'll just not bother, or watch elsewhere and travel in later than go here.

If you want to go to a pub near Highbury & Islington any day, but ESPECIALLY match day, I literally suggest ANYWHERE else. From the Wetherspoon 50m up Upper Street. The Hen & Chickens 500m across the one way system. The Brewhouse & Kitchen on that same corner. The Alwyne Castle for that pub grub vibe. If you want a footy screen, try The Rocket (home fans only), or even The Horatia half a mile down Holloway Road which is equally busy, at least doesn't come with the bad service of this place.

I can say this authoritatively drinking in this area for coming on two decades, especially during the football.

Go....

Yesterday evening I had a terrible service by the manager of the pub. I ordered a vegan burger, as it had the (V) symbol, like in any other restaurant/pub in London. It came with beef.

When the manager brought me the burger, I complained that this is not what I ordered, and she told me that all the burgers are coming with beef, unless you say the patty it has. She told us that the menu is a bit misleading. All of that OK, but then the manners and attitude towards me were not correct.

She wanted to force me to choose a burger with quorn that is deep fried and I told her that I didn't want that one. Then she said that she couldn't do anything. I asked her either to choose for my money back or choose something else from the menu. With a not very polite attitude she accepted me to choose something else.

Once I was at the counter, she asked me in a very sarcastic way if what i order now had everything that i like, commenting, make sure it has all the ingredients you want. My reply was, if it does not have meat, then that's ok.

Again when the pizza came back to the table she asked me 'Are you happy now?'.

People like her shouldn't be dealing with clients. First time in London, that is a multicultural and vegetarian friendly city that something like this has...

I hate to write a negative review, but the meal had today was really shocking for the poor, poor value. What you're looking at is a £10.50 buttermilk chicken burger, which includes chips.

Not only was the buttermilk chicken burger tiny, the chips were lukewarm. I don't think this picture does it justice, but this isn't much bigger than a slider.

Our starter of calamari and prawns were three tiny pieces of each, mostly consisting of heavy breading. The calamari was especially odd, as they were straight rather than rings. Everything arrived at the same time.

The shock about this was that I've had some really nice lunches here before--great food, cooked well, generous portions--but this was just really poor. My companion's cheeseburger had cheese on it that was flat like a playing card. There was no chance of it melting because the burger and the bacon held no heat whatsoever.

Staff were pleasant but not very efficient. 15 minutes after ordering via app, we eventually had someone come over to ask if we'd like to order a meal. So things are sitting around a bit in...