The Alma

Decided to check this place out for a Sunday Roast with friends this past weekend.
Pros: Great service, great atmosphere — we spent a good 4 hours playing games, eating and enjoying each other’s company in what is a super relaxed (and dog friendly) spot.
Cons: The food was definitely good but I’ve become a bit of a stickler on roasts and I would have to say I’ve had better. Perhaps more juices on the beef than I normally prefer and a bit too peppery on the vegetables.
That being said still an overall really pleasant experience with really friendly staff. I’ll definitely go back again even though I’m not writing the most raving of reviews.

Chilled, fun, good food, light and airy, friendly staff, well kept ales — my favourite pub around Newington Green /​Balls Pond Road

Nice local, with a good selection of drinks and good spot for pub lunch in the area. The fries are not the best but generally the food is pretty good.

So the owner read my previous review and invited me back to try the food on another night. And I will say, it is better on a non-​packed night.
We came and were seated at a quirky table with mismatched seats, something I missed my last time around. It seems like most of the seating is one-​off here, adding to the charm of the pub.
Now, the food was better than the lackluster mussels I got the last time, but there is still room for improvement.
We started with the nachos, which had amazing homecooked fried chips as their base. However, the sauces felt like they came right out of a can, which was so disappointing for the delicious base and the great presentation (it did look great.)
Our mains were the t-​bone steak, which was tasty, and the crab linguini, which was nice too. It was very seafood-​y, which I could see someone liking if they love that mix of pasta and crab, but it may have been too much for me. It was full of flavour though, which was a plus.
And then we had the fondant and the bread and butter pudding for dessert, both which were sweet and tasty and overflowing onto the plate. Those were a win for sure.
I’m raising it a star because I now know it is a nice spot to come here on a quieter evening, grab a drink and some eats with friends.

Lovely place — the music, board games, great décor, very cosy and feels like an inn! There’s a resident cat you can play with, and a fairly decent selection of beer. The staff is chatty and very helpful. Overall it’s a great place for chillout evening.

Came in to celebrate Burns Night. I was not let in because I had not made a reservation. I found out about this event days ahead of time, online. No mention was made of the need for reservations on the site. The pub was half empty at the time I walked in. The event was not to start for another half hour. Yet I was unwelcome.

Nice enough place however given website, prices and menu descriptions I expected a lot. Food was ok, reasonable, but nothing special. Good atmosphere and nice cosy feel. Probably return if in area but maybe just stick to drinks and skip food.

A handsome place interior-​wise, and I’ve been coming here semi-​regularly for a long time as it’s one of my locals. But £1.45 for a half of soda water? YOU WHAT??? They have signs up all over the place at the moment warning about thieves: They are very good sometimes they sit at your table. And sometimes they are behind the bar!

I’ll say 3.5 rounded up.
A very decent neighbourhood pub which draws a crowd from a little further afield.
Good food, (get the salted potato wedges at least…) but I wouldn’t exactly call it a bargain.
Gets get fairly busy on a Saturday night, with maybe not quite the ideal ratio of bartenders to those who want drinks. And £5.50 for a glass of house red feels a bit steep…
I could complain less about worse things though. There is ample space here and always feels cosy whether on a sleepy Monday midday lunch or teaming weekend night. They also have a free venue hire which is potentially worth knowing…

The usual cute nice pub atmosphere with really friendly staff. They have a lot of fun events going on and rotating menu so there’s always a reason to go. Food is really good, too. We had the breaded mushroom and cashew burger that was awesome with garlic mayo, and the broccoli stilton tart that was rich heaven. Def will go back and try their massive ploughman’s that looked awesome.

Enjoyed the gastropub food and the relatively subdued ambiance when we went here for dinner on a Saturday evening.

Cute pub this. Well put together with blood red walls (if that’s your thing), some chandeliers and wooden tables. Token mis-​matched chairs and beaten-​up sofas.
The food looked, and according to friends, is great. I was jealous of what we saw coming out the kitchen, having opted to eat in nearby Upper St instead.
Downside? The sluggish, and in the case of the older chap who appears to be the manager, straight up grumpy and reluctant service. Bit of a shame that. Not enough to put me off, but seemingly a common theme.
They randomly sell NZ snacks here and I was very happy to scamp off with a pack of double choc Tim Tams to scoff on the bus home!

This is rather a modern pub and not exactly my cup of tea, but they seem to have good intentions having held beer festivals and cider festivals recently (couldn’t make either unfortunately! But the will is good). The pub has rather a chilled vibe to it… if it is not too busy that is.
Serves 2 beers. The pale ale from redemption was incredibly lively taking several minutes of pour and settle combos to get a full pint. Worth the wait though.
Has a New Zealand tuck shop unusually!

Awesome establishment on the outskirts of London. Went here with a friend for the Alma’s Oktoberfest Ale Festival. They had ten real ales and ten ciders/​perries on gravity. A bunch of stuff from Brodies, as well as Hopdaemon and others.
The pub itself is lovely, with plenty of table seating, along with luxurious, leather couches in back rooms. Prices were good: 3lb/​pint or 1.5/half pint, with a 10% CAMRA discount. The normal line-​up of draught beers seemed decent but I wasn’t really paying attention to them.
Staff was friendly.
I probably wouldn’t trek out here on a normal day (I live near Notting Hill) but the Alma is definitely worth it when they have a festival going. (You could take the tube and get here quickly but I prefer to walk/​bike, so the trip takes a little longer.)
Also, I’ve been to «festivals» at other pubs where the word means absolutely nothing — just a ploy to lure in customers. Here, though, the Alma had a special, printed out menu of the fest beers and a section of the pub dedicated to the gravity casks.
There seemed to be a nice food selection but I was just there for beer. You should also check out the Alma’s website because it is well put together and gives you a good idea what is going on and what the place is all about. I will look forward to visiting again.

The best cooking in the area.
Superb ingredients. Small menu changes daily. Nothing flash but execution is perfect and in fact on the really simple things like bruschetta or soups the attention and skill stand out. Sure, it’s not the cheapest «food-​in-​a-​pub» experience, but it is one of the best. Saturday brunch is well worth a look also: even there great ingredients and proper cooking are obvious, and the bloody Mary with plenty of horse radish certainly helps revive as well…

They change the menu pretty much every day. I’ve eaten in here at least 10 time in the last couple of years and never had a bad dish. The ambiance is always chilled n easy. Service has been consistently friendly. The wood tables, comfy sofas, little alcoves, dark walls but soft lighting can make it a particularly cosy spot for a winter warmer.

Erm… it’s okay.
I’ll go back for sure, I just can’t rave about it. As the others mentioned, this is a tip top gastro pub, with dribble worthy food, a cute little terrace outside and a selection of real ales and ciders. So why am I so blasé about this place… the prices and the forced atmosphere.
Yep there are candles and drapes and pretty mirrors, but for me it was oh so slightly hollow and I can’t really put my finger on it. I’m not saying that this isn’t a fabulous dinner spot I’m just thinking it’s not a romantic special place to propose/​have a birthday dinner/​spend your pay cheque on the first night kinda place. I cam imagine this place being the perfect spot for a catch up with girlie friends over wine, no rude locals or leery men and nice snacks to nibble on… yes that is what it would be perfect for… any of you ladies for a drink?

The Alma is my neighbourhood gastro pub, it is a warm environment with dark wood floors and furniture, on cold days there is a fire in the fireplace, a nice romantic touch. There are things I like about the Alma and things that I really don’t. I like the environment and I like the food. I don’t like that the menu changes every day. The first time I went to The Alma I had an incredible goat cheese dish. It was delicious and savoury and filling. I have returned to The Alma several times and they have not had that dish again, which is a bit of a bummer. Trust me, I like variety but when you have something you enjoy sometimes you’d like to have it again.
Other dishes I have had at The Alma have been good as well. The lamb shank is excellent, especially when served with fresh vegetables and roast potatoes. The lamb melts in your mouth and the portions are fairly large so you might have some left over to take home. They are a little light on the vegetarian options, which always upsets my flat-​mate. But otherwise, the food is very good and the house wine is ties the meal together nicely.

The Alma is the kind of pub which puts the other, more mediocre locals to shame. Even from the outside it is easy to appreciate the atmosphere the owners have cleverly created as large round windows are filled with candles and framed by purple velvet drapes. Inside this great style is continued as The Alma makes a use of its cavernous structure to create several distinct seating areas littered with sofa’s and old wooden tables. A walled patio area outside offers even more seating as well as a bit of comfort for smokers.
The Alma also fancies itself a bit ‘gastro’ and has a great food menu which changes regularly. Though I found it a bit expensive for breakfast, my Eggs Benedict were lovely. With food like this and such a buzzing atmosphere The Alma is a must try for everyone!

The Alma is another favorite local pub to visit in the late evenings at Newington Green. There is a dining area that extends onto a little terrace at the back, and a large lounge with low lighting and great music to enjoy a drink.
The lighting and décor are fantastic, and I can instantly feel myself relaxing after walking in here.
I’ve never had any food here, but the atmosphere is perfect for a nice drink before dinner. Given the stylish interiors and great music, I am looking forward to trying out their food as well.