Mixed crowd enjoy a rare atmosphere

The Royal Sovereign was the kind of Victorian boozer unlucky enough to be in one of those inner city areas that witnessed generations of terminal decline.

Consequently no-one would've been surprised the day it quietly closed and was converted into flats.

Well, it won't be suffering that fate just yet, as this once no-go pub has been getting better and better since being taken over by a couple of local guys at the start of the year.

The decor is pretty interesting, having been seemingly unchanged since the late 1970s, so there's plenty of exposed brickwork (its not a new phenomenon) and faux wooden beams.

The crowd is genuinely mixed - trendy young Stokie residents, older locals, punks, eccentrics - all enjoying the kind of atmosphere harder to find in a pub these days.

If you add a good beer garden, the friendliest service in E5 and events such as a recent "SKA-B-Q", this very much seems like the perfect local, as well as being worth the trip down from Stoke Newington proper.

CLIENTELE: trendy (and less trendy) locals
PHONE NUMBER: 020 8806 2449
NEAREST STATION: Clapton Station
FEATURES: real ale, dog friendly, traditional pub games, live music, outdoor seating, pool table

The Royal Sovereign
64 Northwold Road, E5 8RL