William IV

You'll find yourself on a quiet stretch of Shepherdess Walk in Islington, where William IV sits as the kind of pub that doesn't need to try too hard. Step inside and there's genuine warmth to it—wood-panelled walls, worn leather, the sort of place where the staff remember your name by drink two. The real draw is how seriously they take their beer selection without being insufferable about it, plus a kitchen that turns out proper gastropub food that actually justifies the prices. It's the sort of local you'd want to stumble upon by accident, except you won't find it by accident because it's genuinely well-hidden from the main drag.