The Narrowboat, City Road  

After a refit a while back, it wasn't exactly surprising to discover that the Narrowboat now featured stripped floorboards and leather sofas. Still, it's not overdone and large windows give an airy feel to the place, as well as offering views straight from an estate agent's brochure of the canal. On tap are up to four real ales and emerging from the kitchen is a plentiful supply of reasonably priced modern pub grub. Two screens at the front and back of the pub mean the sport is never far away, though on the evidence of our last visit not too many punters involve themselves with the efforts of the Premiership's finest. The final bonus is that on a warm summers day you can either go and relax on the upstairs balcony or outside on the canal path - just watch of for the kamikaze cyclists. A generally solid effort in a pub crawl-able stretch of N1.

pub features:(click on an icon to see an explanation)