Going all out gastro with a slice of New York for good drinking measure, Hops & Glory is a one of those pubs that seems to miss your eye on the bus bye, but isn't easily forgotten once visited.
The Venue
While the corner pub may have looked unassuming from the outside, Hops & Glory has been cleverly curated by interior stylists to reflect Victorian British boozer and rich, Brooklyn whisky bar alike. Complimented by inky tones, chestnut furniture, vintage nitbits, glossy ruby-red tiles and candlelit tables, Hops & Glory could be considered almost smart in a sense, but it's clearly too happy being a warm and welcoming hide-out from the bustle of London life to go that far. Not only that, but there's an intimate beer garden for those who don't fancy hoofing a pint by the main road.
Rich, inky colours give this Islington pub a wealth of drinking depth.
The Food and Drink
Start with a beer at Hops, they're proud about them, and quite rightly. A small menu boasts of local London brewers, and promises hearty cold ones before a main meal. While the food menu may also be somewhat small at Hops & Glory, catering for vegetarians and meat eaters alike, their small but wealthy selection is more a note to being specially selective, rather than purposely sparse. Gastro pub grub is really the point of Hops, where recognisable plates boast more seasonal fare, vegetables and flavours than most.
Starters are bold and packed at Hops & Glory, as their Harrogate blue with walnuts, radicchio & sweet BBQ chutney (£5.50) stole the show with its rich and creamed edge alongside my stuffed arancini balls atop a curried sauce (an offset sauce idea, but the spice worked perfectly). Opting for a Sunday roast, as to do Sunday traditions proud, I tried the Hampshire pork belly with apple sauce (£14) while my boyfriend indulge in the celeriac steak with creamed spelt (£12) (a veggie option that's not too dissimilar to parsnip). The pork belly was crisp on the top and tender underneath, just how it's meant to be, with a stunning selection of seasoned and prim vegetables, perfectly paired with a selected glass of red. The celeriac was by no means a small main, with the booming steak complimented by the rich, and savoury spelt that offset the cider gravy with added twang. Tidying up dinner with a Chocolate Nemesis slice to share, Hops & Glory really proved their worth in terms of a thoughtful menu and hearty plates.
Try their stunning Sunday Roast for a top notch introduction into London gastro dining.
The Atmosphere
I really, really like pubs, because people can really get into a powwow, and that can be easily said for Hops & Glory where the staff is a true testament to the venue. Not only a hoot, chatty and brimming with suggestions, their last minute glass of brandy served well for the walk home. Hops & Glory is clearly also a locals boozer with mid-20s luster, as drinkers and diners flitted between last minute Sunday couples, families enjoy a last minute boozy foray and dining friends.
Welcoming, charming and chatty are three words that easily sum up the likes of a pub such as Hops & Glory.
Summary
According to some savvy, online (potentially rigged) poll, we're all a lot happier living by a boozer, and i'd like this boozer to live by me. Not only complimented by the genuinely welcoming staff and broody, candlelit edge, Hops & Glory are kicking crappy pub grub to the curb and supplying diners with a meal they can truly warrant paying for.
