A familiar name returns as this iconic Islington pub reopens and welcomes back the locals

You might remember it as The Barracks Hotel, the King George Tavern, or even the Criterion. Maybe you were a regular during its days as the Gateway Hotel, or more recently, The Newcastle or Newy Hotel. Whatever the era, after a short time closed, Islington has its pub back, relaunching as the Islington Barracks Hotel.

Standing at the corner of Maitland Road and George Street since 1890, in its 135-year history the pub has seen its fair share of transformations, and this one possibly its most significant, and we’re happy to say, it’s not going to be changing anytime soon. 

If you’ve visited The Grand Hotel in Newcastle and Lambton Park Hotel, you'll no doubt be familiar with some of the faces behind the bar. Lukas Thodas and John Elsley are the owners of the Islington Barracks Hotel, and together with their team, there's no better crew to head up a reno of this scale.

With several hotels now under their belt, the team are well versed in understanding what a community wants from a local pub, and what's needed to completely reimagine it, and in this instance they're more than committed to making it work as John explains, 

“It’s been a big effort. We had everyone here every day all day working on it during the eight weeks we had to turn it around, and we were happy to invest that time and money as we’ve signed onto a 20-year lease, so we wanted to do it right."

As Lukas takes us through the hotel, from the front bar to the restaurant and out to the beer garden, you can’t help but feel that unmistakable pub energy. The paint may be fresh and the carpet brand new, but the guys have done a brilliant job of preserving the venue’s character, as Lukas explains,

“There’s been a lot of work to get it how it’s looking, we’ve put in new carpet, and pretty much every surface is brand new. The whole venue was being run as a nightclub, so everything was black which we had to strip out. It’s been a lot of work but we’re really happy with how it's looking.”

So what was it about the pub that had them so invested?  

“I've always loved this pub." explained John.

"I grew up around the corner and then I moved across the road, so being able to bring it back to a community style pub, like our other venues, was a big part of the appeal.”  

If you were a regular in recent years you’d know it was live music that would draw in the crowds, and the plan is for that the remain the same, as John explains, 

“We’re going to continue the live music area out the back, and we want to attract all types of gigs, so we need to do a bit of work to get that right. But the plan is to have live music two or three nights a week, and if the demand is there we’ll offer more.”

When it comes to the kitchen, head chef Jeremy Fahy had the challenge of not only introducing something new to differentiate the pub from the other ones, but had to consider the constraints that came with the small kitchen. 

“We came up with the idea of a spit rotisserie which allowed us to make the most of the space, we can roast up to 35 chickens at a time. This then led into the idea of creating a French influenced menu, we’re not saying it’s a French bistro, it’s still a noisy pub just with a bit of French flair to the food.” 

That French influence as Jeremy explains can be seen across the menu, from the onion gravy flavours, and their signature truffle mash which you'll find across most of their venues. 

A couple of stand out dishes include the country-style pork pâté, created with traditional coarse-ground pork shoulder, which is wrapped with bacon, spices, garlic, herbs, and a little bit of chicken liver, slowed cooked in a water bath for an hour, and featuring house made fig chutney, little French cornichons, and baby cucumbers on the side.

The baked camembert, French onion cob loaf, all add to the French flavour, as does the slow-roasted garlic and rosemary lamb shoulder.

For those looking for something a little more casual, the rotisserie rolls, or gravy boats, are ideal, whether it’s your classic chicken roll, pork + apple, lamb + mint or the delicious sounding mushroom and brie roll with caramelised onion and dijon mayo, they’ll no doubt hit the spot.

Outside of the French cuisine there is of course traditional pub grub such as the Barracks beef burger, schnitzel, and bangers and mash.

The menu is also a big tick for those looking for gluten free food, with the majority of the menu being gluten free. 

With a fresh new look, a menu full of flavour, and a firm commitment to live music and community, the Islington Barracks Hotel is ready for its next chapter. Whether you’re dropping in for a long lunch, a laid-back drink in the beer garden, or to catch a gig out the back, one thing’s certain, this much-loved pub is well and truly back where it belongs.