Browns

Perfectly located on Islington Green, it’s a great place for a Smoothie, a coffee, a breakfast (delicious Egg Benedict !), this is the place to be, around Islington !

A nicely decorated bar/​brasserie in Angel, not too crowded on the Friday night I went. I only had a couple of drinks in here but it’s not too bad, the Meantime London stout on tap was quite nice as was the glass of Rioja my wife had. The décor and surroundings belie the fact that the prices are actually quite reasonable and they seem generous with their ‘small’ measures of wine. The food is apparantly nothing special and from the uninteresting menu I can believe it, my wife has eaten here and although it wasn’t horrible said she wouldn’t bother again. However as fairly upmarket bars go its not bad, it seemed like it drew an after work crowd but seemingly without the city boy types despite its proximity.

I had the filo again but they changed it from goats cheese to Stilton which wasn’t as good. The food was alright but the service was incredibly slow so I’m removing a star from my first review. Too bad, it’s a nice restaurant but I’ve experienced way better.

One would think that a chain organization would do better. Service was slow, and our appetizers mediocre and dripping in grease. The salmon I ordered was so ‘wafer thin’ that it came out resembling a fish-​like potato chip. I sent it back. My husband had the crab and prawn linguine, which we do better at home. (Someone needs to tell the chain that ‘basil oil’ is not a substitute for real pesto.) The food — from appetizers to entrees — was uninspiring. The waiter knew we were displeased, and offered us two free glasses of prosecco, which we politely declined.

On a gorgeous sunny afternoon this past week we decided to stop here for an early dinnera glass of wine & some food by Islington Green seemed the perfect thing to do. However, it was not.
In fact, we were never even greeted, much less served. We sat down and waited several minutes for service. A waitress appeared, brought some drinks for another table, and returned inside without even saying hello. She re-​appeared to bring drinks for the table next to us, petted and scratched their dog for a short time (which raised some hygiene concerns IMHO), and again walked away without even glancing at us. We tried to get her attention nicely but seemed invisible to her. Ah well, bye bye Brown’s, my husband and I left to spend our money elsewhere.

Its an average restaurant with average menus to be honest. The desserts are good but i dropped two stars because when i was seated in a gangway where people were back and forth to the loo (when the restaurant was not full i might add) i felt that the waiter was uncaring about the reason for my meal to celebrate with my daughter. So for me was not worth a second visit.

I used to love Brown’s back in the day. It still has a great menu, however I have been there on a couple of Saturday’s recently and it is more like a crèche than a winebar/​restaurant. I appreciate this is a business trying to capitalise on the changing demographic of the area but it is no longer my first choice for a weekend pre-​drink with friends. In spite of this they do have the best desert menu on Upper Street the Eaton Mess on their summer menu was devine.

Late dinner or casual lunch, It is a safe value. Not too expensive, always the same quality of food, no bad surprise, I always know what to expect with Browns.
I find the service quite slow in general, but return as I know I’ll get a table and a decent meal for a reasonable price.

Popped in for a quick Kozel beer and some snacks for lunch. £8 for calamari, crab salad on ciabatta and goat cheese crostini.
Good service, good food, great beer and an overall very swanky looking place.
Will definitely pop in again as it is quite close to the client’s building.

1. It has intrinsicly-​placed comfortable seating around the bar area
2. The clientele is grown & sexy — which makes for a topnotch experience
3. The martini list is only £3.95 each Sunday to Wednesday
Do you see where I am going with this?

The restaurant chain that thinks it is better that it actually is. The food here is really poor for the prices they charge but at least it’s reliable, reliably bad that is.
There are so many great places to eat around Islington that you should really go somewhere else other than here.
I have never had a good meal here and a friend of mine chooses it to celebrate his birthday all the bloody time, so it’s not like I haven’t given it numerous chances.
If you’re a tourist in London don’t get sucked in by the poshness of the place, this really isn’t the best that we have to offer.

I’m not really a fan of chain restaurants, but this was actually pretty good. There’s a wide variety of dishes to choose from and it caters well for vegetarians and meat-​eaters alike.
I went on a Wednesday night and it wasn’t particularly busy. The food came quickly and the service was excellent. I particularly enjoyed my chocolate & raspberry brownie for dessert. The prices are about average for most of what’s on offer and the quality is pretty decent. Not a bad place to go, although there are certainly better places to eat in the surrounding area.

I would have never picked this place – I avoid it like the plague because I try to avoid sterile chains and that is what this place feels like. But I was meeting up with a bunch of girls and this was the designated spot. We had a great time because we landed a nice bar table with stools and so we were able to chat away, have our privacy and hear each other and with some bottles of wine and some nuts we were good to go.
The problem with this place was the crowd. There were so many trampy couples – girls that looked slutty and guys that were subtly groping them at the booths. It was to the point that I looked around at all of the people in the place and was kind of like ugh. Yes, I am a snob and I know it. Just delivering my honest truth (my Unilocal!pledge).

Now that it’s getting into the chilly winter months Browns is worth a trip for some good old English food and a good starched napkin. I pop in after the theatre and they actually do a pre and post theatre menu of two courses for 12.95 or 14.95. Bargain.
The spot we usually pick (the table by the huge circular window) is great as it’s slightly more out of the way from the noisier area and you can watch the rainy night pass by feeling pleased with the fact that you’re on the inside enjoying a good steak frites and not battling with your brolly. The desserts are nice too, try the sticky toffee pudding with clotted cream for a super rich finish.
It’s not amazing here, but there’s just something about the relaxed, warm atmosphere with a touch of polish that has us going back for more.

I’d like to give it a 3.5…but 4 will have to do…
I typically walk by Brown’s several times a day based on the close proximity to my flat. On several occasions I have longingly looked in at the plush couches and wanted to stop in but thought it might be a bit posh for me. But Saturday, thanks to London’s unexpected torrential rain, my friends and I ran into the closest bar we could find. I was pleasantly surprised with the relaxed, chill atmosphere. And for about £10 we ordered 3 drinks: irish coffee, chocolate stout, and pale wheat beer. The seats we just as pushy and comfortable as I had imagined. I will definitely be back!

This is soooo not my kind of place.
It’s a little bit posh, although its better than a lot of these kind of more upmarket bar/​restaurants in that it has a number of lagers on tap, so better than the places that only sell bottles. Could be good for couples. There are of course no Ales and just one very nice cider.
Its very busy on a Saturday night, so standing room only.
So I would say its one of the best bars of its type, but that’s not really saying much.

I have always enjoyed Browns because I’m either there on a date or with friends, a combination that rarely goes wrong. My boyfriend and I had our first date at Browns so it has special place in my heart. Browns has a very welcoming vibe, I’m sure the dark décor has something to do with that. I love sitting in the comfortable chairs near the front and look out onto Islington Green while I’m sipping a glass of white wine and nibbling on the king prawns with lemon and garlic.
When I’m meeting people at Browns we normally order drinks and various starters. I have never had dinner, but if the starters are an example of what to expect, than it is my lose for not enjoying a full meal. The king prawns and chips are extremely good, just the right amount of flavour.
Browns is the perfect jumping off point for a big night out and when I’m out with girls, Browns is where the evening always begins.

I have been to Browns quite a few times and each time my experience has not been totally satisfactory. I cannot fault the food but the level of service could be better. A few times my order has been mixed up with someone else and another time my food arrived last while my friends were tucking into their dinner!
The staff have always had the manners to apologise for theie mistakes and on two occassions the manager has sent over a bottle of wine. It made my wait a lot more bearable while I sipped my complimentary wine.
However the real eason I return to Browns is because the food has always been very good and the bar is lovely. The booth seating areas are great for catching up with a group of friends. I would not describe myself as a particular cheese lover but the baked camembert with a warm baguette is very tasty.
Browns is the perfect place to enjoy good food in stylish surroundings.

I love this pub. It serves my favourite beer on tap — Leffe. The bar is long so you can find a place at the front when it gets busy. However if you order your first drink at the bar, a waiter will come over shortly and offer to get you another one right from your seat. Give them a tip and they will take good care of you.
If you like cocktails or wine the bar is well stocked. There is plenty of seating although it can get busy during the evening. The place has a slightly dark perhaps old fashioned appearance which adds to the atmosphere. You can find lots of leather chairs and several sofa’s around allowing you to sit back and enjoy in comfort. The service is both polite and friendly. They have an excellent food menu offering quality choices, I have heard the food is great. I think Browns is a somewhat glamorous place with a somewhat affluent feel. A truly enjoyable experience all around.

A short walk from where I live, set opposite Islington Green, this is a good place to enjoy a good local casual meal.
A friend and myself, having just watched a show at the Sadlers’ Wells theatre, were starving, and it was almost 10. So we dashed to Browns, and had a lovely late night meal of Steak, Guinness and Mushroom pie. It was exactly what we needed. Warm, rich and filling, with a generous helping of mash potatoes and french beans to balance off the heaviness of the meat. We each had a glass of red wine, and the bill came to a decent £30 for everything.
It is a very people friendly place for any person of any age to enjoy. The food is usually consistently good, and you always know what to expect when dining there. The restaurant is open all day, in which food and drink is always served.