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No one wants to go into a gig too early. Sipping crap lager out of plastic cups while background music plays out of the PA about 20 decibels too loud, is not the one. There's no way you can catch up with your mates in that environment. Which is why a quality place to get a pint near a venue cannot be underrated. And right across the road from Islington Assembly Hall (ignore the civic sounding name, it puts on banging shows), is the ideal place to begin (or end) your evening.
As the name suggests, this place is all about beer. Some stalwarts of the London scene feature heavily, Fourpure, Hackney, etc. We were particularly delighted to see New River Brewery well represented, considering the pub is so close to the 'river' (in inverted commas, because it's not actually a river — nor is it new for that matter). We like to imagine the beer is floated down from Hertfordshire by barge — note, it definitely isn't.
The Taproom looks positively tiny from the outside but actually has a beer garden out back and an events space beneath, which hosts plenty of excellent comedy. And it's got a decent projector for live sports, and tasty looking pizza to keep you sated. Essentially, a little bit of everything.
On Twitter (@taproomn1) and Instagram.
Last updated February 2020.