Hope & Anchor — Restaurant in London

A Standout Pub in Islington – Great Food, Atmosphere, and Live Entertainment

The Hope & Anchor in Islington is a fantastic spot that offers far more than just great food and drinks — it’s a true local hub for music lovers, theatre fans, and anyone who appreciates a vibrant, welcoming pub.

From the moment you walk in, the atmosphere is relaxed and inviting, with a mix of modern style and classic pub charm. Whether you’re there for a casual pint, a proper meal, or something more lively, it always feels like the right place to be. The staff are genuinely friendly, attentive, and clearly love what they do — it makes a difference.

The food is excellent, with a menu that blends comforting pub favourites and creative dishes. Everything we tried was full of flavour and served in generous portions. The drinks list is just as strong, with a wide range of beers, ciders, wines, and cocktails — something for everyone.

What really sets The Hope & Anchor apart, though, is the live entertainment. The downstairs music and theatre space is such a brilliant addition — intimate, well-run, and full of character. Whether it’s a night of live music, fringe theatre, or spoken word, the programming is diverse and consistently high quality. It adds so much cultural value and makes the venue feel dynamic and community-focused.

The Hope & Anchor isn’t just a place to eat or drink — it’s a place to experience. Highly recommended whether you’re local or just passing through Islington. A real gem with heart and...

My biggest complaint about this place, is that it's trying to be too many things at once. With a band sound checking downstairs, you could hear two different music styles playing at the same time which was disconcerting. Furthermore they also have a Theatre upstairs, which is a nightmare, as it is next to the only toilets, so you get "shushed" by the somewhat fascist box office staff who kept barging into the toilets and switching off the hand dryer. The food was mediocre, and despite being the only people who had ordered still took 45 minutes to arrive. They had no condiments, which was somewhat bizarre bearing in mind one of the things they classify themselves as is a GastroPub. We went into the Hope & Anchor as it was close to a gig location we were attending later in the evening - I must say, we wont...

Visited this legendary music venue to see modernist Parisian band French Boutik on one of their visits to our shores. Pub is very easy to find out of Highbury tube and had friendly security on the door. Music is downstairs, past posters and adverts listing gigs by loads of the bands who cut their teeth playing venues like this. With a small bar at the back, the basement faces the adequatly sized stage and is a cosy space. The sound quality was excellent and a great time was had with good support from French solo artist Olivier Poppincourt and also a young mod band. Boutik had the place rockin to their unique groove and played a long set of all their top tunes. A great time was had by all, with drinks and banter with the bands upstairs in the main...