This is the only pub sitting directly on Regent's Canal in Islington, and that canal-side setting is its whole personality. A Young's pub with Victorian bones, it stretches across two levels — a main bar up at street level with balconies overlooking the water, and a lower bar that opens right onto the towpath. On a sunny day, the terrace is unbeatable; in winter, the mulled wine and roaring interior make it a proper cosy retreat from the city bustle.
The only pub sitting directly on Regent's Canal in Islington — two levels of canal-side drinking with a towpath terrace that's unbeatable on a sunny day.
On sunny weekends the towpath terrace fills up fast — arrive before noon or come on a weekday evening to snag a canal-side spot.
Canal-side pub perfection on Regent's Canal
The NarrowBoat is one of those pubs that earns its reputation purely through location — it's the only pub sitting directly on Regent's Canal in Islington, and on a good day, there's nowhere better to be with a pint. The building runs along the canal from the bridge on St Peter's Street, split across two levels: a main bar at street level with balconies overlooking the water, and a lower bar that spills right out onto the towpath. That lower terrace is the real prize in summer — grab a spot by the water, watch the narrowboats drift by, and you'll forget you're minutes from Angel station.
It's a Young's pub, so you know what you're getting on the beer front — solid cask ales, the usual lager lineup, and decent enough pub grub. Reviewers consistently praise the food as above-average for a pub chain, and the mulled wine gets a special mention come winter. The interior went through a refurbishment that gave it a lighter, more modern feel while keeping some of the Victorian character from outside. It's not a gastropub destination, but for a relaxed meal with a view, it does the job nicely.
The main thing to know: this place gets packed on sunny weekends and warm evenings, and the towpath seating fills up fast. Go early or go off-peak if you want the canal-side spot. With a 4.2 Google rating across over 2,000 reviews, it's clearly doing something right — and that something is giving people a genuinely lovely spot to while away an afternoon by the water.