The Arc

This has to be the hardest review I have ever written.
During university The Arc was just one of those places we all loved, on Tuesday’s they had half price Pizza’s and on Thursday’s 2 for 1 cocktails. What more could we really ask for?
Decided to go back a few days ago and I still love it as much as I did back then. But it really is just a student bar, the cocktails are not amazing.

2 stars because the pizza was actually pretty decent.
I was here to watch the Champions League final. There had to be at least 200 people here, but clearly these guys aren’t interested in making money, because they had maybe 3 staff working the entire room. Needless to say, grabbing a drink was an exercise in frustration, in the end I pimped out my girlfriend cause I figured she’d have a better chance of grabbing a bartenders attention.
Also maybe open up a window or something? It has sauna hot in here, and you lost 98% of your customers the second the game ended because we were all dying to get out of here.

After getting a chance to explore the area a little more, I realized there aren’t too many places like the Arc. They have live bands and open mic nights, they have Sky sports, and they have a pretty nice Pizza and drink early bird special. The pizzas are good too

Four stars for playing NFL games on Sunday evenings and being near my house. The seating situation is comfortable, they sell awful American Coors Light to remind me of watching football at home, and it’s nice to not have to mope far to get home when the Eagles lose, again.
The pizza is decent. All in all a relaxing place to watch a game, though I don’t think I’d go there if I were going out on a Friday or Saturday. It’s nice to find a place in North London that plays American football, though.

I went here once to celebrate my 21^st birthday. It was fun.
I met up with a few friends on a Tuesday for 2 4 1 Pizzas… delicious.
When I go back to London I’ll pop by this place on a Tuesday or even just for some good pizza. They have some different combos that you don’t find at very many places which makes the place that much more exciting and new.
If it’s a Tuesday and you’re craving some good pizza and a brew. Pop on by because you’ll get something new, fun and delicious. Nom.

Fabulous place, if I do say so myself. I went there on Tuesday for the first time, as I heard they do 2−4−1 pizzas (I love typing 2−4−1, I can almost feel the money I’m saving).
We got 2 pizzas and 2 drinks for a total of £17, which is quite affordable, but I was expecting to not be impressed with their portions. Fortunately I was surprised, as the pizzas were not only large but quite delicious. My friend and I got the meat medley and the Fajita beef. Both are winners in my opinion, although I really want to try to Thai sweet chili pizza.
I will definitely be back on, and most likely on a Tuesday, but they do do other deals/​cool stuff. Thursdays are 2−4−1 (here we go again) cocktails, and last Friday they randomly did a BBQ. In a quick chat with the bartender, we discovered that the owner enjoys pulling random events monthly, like the Friday BBQ. I’m not sure how to get alerted to these events, but I’m going to find out.

While the pints I had here after class with some mates one night were lovely, I can get lovely pints in many places. The food, both other times (twice in a row, several days apart, actually) I have been here, has either been unavailable for various reasons, or so nasty I didn’t finish my dish.
The Caesar salad I ordered, because all I could order were salads, was big leaf iceberg lettuce with some strange bland white dressing (not Caesar by any stretch of the imagination), precooked limp chicken strips, and a random strip of panchetta, with a hamburger bun cut in half on the side for bread. Needless to say most of it remained on the plate. I at the bread to line my stomach and went back to my Leffe.
The bar staff I’ve had here were fairly efficient and nice, so I can’t fault them on service.
There are obviously other Unilocalers who’ve had much more pleasant dining experiences here, but until they sort their food delivery/​broken oven/​etc… issues, I will be dining, and most likely drinking elsewhere.

This is the first time I have ever not finished a cocktail in a bar.
You’re shocked, right? Trust me, so was I. It was that bad, I couldn’t even choke it down. I suppose what can you expect from a 2 for 1 cocktail called Reggae Rum Punch?
It was awful. I wouldn’t go back, not even if the drinks were free!

The pizzas are 2 for 1 all day on Tuesdays!
It’s only too bad the pizza is awful.
Now it’s possible that living in New York has spoiled me forever in terms of pizza standards but this pizza was on a par with something you might pluck from your grocer’s freezer case. And the sauce had no redeemable qualities.

I find myself being quite fond of The Arc. It is a fairly large space and cavernous due to it’s low ceilings. They have recently done renovations and having not seen it before, I can only judge on the new look, which is contemporary with an unobtrusive vibe. There are TV screens dotted around playing Skysports, yet you can choose to lounge on the sofas away from the sporting action.
What excites me the most about The Arc is the food. There is a great pub menu, full with starters, burgers, salads and pastas. The speciality though is the selection of freshly made pizzas. They are made in the traditional thin crust style and packed with flavour. They run daily deals, such as 2−4−1 on Tuesdays, lunch time £5.95 specials including a drink through the week, and to wash it all down 2−4−1 on cocktails on Thursdays.
Ok The Arc, you’ve won me over, I’m a fan. Your service was with a smile, there is plenty of well laid out seating, and I’d happily spend an hour or two in the corner all alone with my laptop.
P. s. I almost forgot… They have free wifi too. Score!

I first came across this pub when I saw an empty pizza box in our office. Intrigued, I found out it was a stone’s throw away from where I work. Apparently many people from the office order their pizza special on tuesday, they never really looked that appealing. Anyhow, one of my colleagues and I decided to go there for a couple of drinks after work one day, a Wednesday. Can’t say a lot about that evening. Drinks at £1.50 is a plus, but the place is not very welcoming, quite characterless, and some very pedantic service. It seems like it has potential for sporting events, the big screen can surely attract crowds of football, rugby or cricket fans. I fit in none of those categories and therefore I don’t fit into this bar. I wasn’t expecting much anyway, as I have been to their venue in Soho and it is probably worse.

One of them bars, where, you have to have a grudging liking for, purely by virtue of it being friendly, ‘local’ and cheap! For example, on a Tuesday lunchtime you can get two 12″ pizzas for £6-£7 quid?! How good is that?
Any other lunchtime, the deal is a 12″ pizza and a pint for £6.50.
Drinking establishment abound, happy hour is 4−7pm where certain drinks are half price. Bingo! And then Wednesday night, all drinks are £1.50. So, cheap then. Basically, one of them places where they pull you in with prices, not tasteless décor or thoughtful management.