The Alma Newington Green

Walk into The Alma and you're immediately in someone's local—the kind of place where regulars prop up the bar and the staff actually know your name. It's positioned perfectly on Newington Green itself, that lovely tree-lined square that feels like a pocket of calm in Islington, and the pub has that lived-in warmth that comes from doing one thing properly for years. The menu's straightforward gastropub fare done well, the kind of stuff that pairs naturally with a pint, and they clearly take their drinks seriously—proper cask ales, a decent wine list, none of that flash.