Breaking news - CAMRA North London Pub of the Year 2022.
Narrow, late Georgian side-street premises, just off the Gray’s Inn Road, with a single bar, smoking patio at the rear and benches on the pavement. It retains much of its Victorian character such as etched mirrors, a splendid bay window, a fine back gantry, floor tiling, blue wall tiles (listed), lamps, a lovely fireplace, a lantern and a mixture of old, non-matching tables and chairs.
Up to three traditional ciders sold from handpump and bag-in-the-box - winner of the CAMRA London Regional Cider Pub of the Year Award 2013 and 2016. Now an accredited member of CAMRA's LocAle scheme and offers a 10% discount to CAMRA members. Payment by card only.
Also has interesting beers on keg tap such as Kernel. The pub can stay open beyond the listed closing times depending upon trade. The food menu is designed to complement the beer - Mrs Kings's Melton Mowbray pork pies, cured meats, cheeses and ploughmans. There is always something going on here, live music on the piano every Thursday night from 8 o’clock and every Sunday from 4.30 and the last Thursday of the month features a five piece Jazz band.
Historic Interest
Grade II listed:- No.66: Stucco. Three storeys, attic and cellars. Three windows. Mid-late C19 public house frontage, restored, of moulded pilasters with enriched capitals and consoles flanking entablature with dentil cornice. Central bowed window with engraved glass; double, panelled doors to either side, part glazed with engraved glass. Stucco Ionic pilasters at angles rise through first and second floors carrying a dentil cornice. First and second floor windows, two-pane recessed sashes. Attic storey with recessed panels alternating with two-light casement windows. Moulded coping.
INTERIOR: good interior with green tiled dado, tiled cornice frieze, mirrors along back bar and wall opposite counter. Stair with closed string and column newels.
One star - A pub interior of special national historic interest
Listed status: II
In a terrace of three houses built c.1764, the Queens Head has a mid-late 19th century frontage including a central bowed window and it retains much of its late 19th century interior. Now a single room, the tiled floor running down the right hand side indicates it was originally two rooms separated by partitions with the door to the rear room where the tiled floor ends. There is a colourful Victorian tiled dado of mainly turquoise with narrow ceramic bands of mainly brown and some blue at the top running along the right hand wall and above it four large Victorian mirrors in good wood surrounds and a tiled cornice frieze. The bar counter is old but its sloping panelled front makes it look more inter-war than Victorian but the bar back of more good mirrors in wooden surrounds and old shelves looks Victorian. The tiles near the hatch to the cellar are modern, possibly from a 1989 refurbishment. At the rear of the room is a Victorian tiled, cast-iron and wood surround fireplace, a skylight above and an alcove/small area on the rear left created by removing some of a wall to the left of the fireplace.
This Pub serves 2 changing beers and 1 regular beer.
Queen's Head, London
Source: National