Visiting London is always exciting and on a recent stay I enjoyed a family meal at an interesting pub with an eyecatching feature of Art Nouveau stained glass windows. Situated on a busy street with a bohemian vibe – and surrounded by independent shops and tasty looking bakeries – the pub is a great place for couples, families or groups of friends to enjoy.
I live in Devon, but I’m very familiar with London as I lived there for over a decade (until 2007). Previously, I was a fashion model in the capital which meant I travelled all over the city for castings and auditions, so I got to know the north, south, east and west of London.
On my recent visit to London (in May 2026) I visited the sought-after area of Crouch End, often described as an urban “village” – and on the vibrant street, Broadway Parade, sits a grade II listed public house, The Queens.
The cosy pub has friendly staff and serves delicious food with generously-sized portions, it was a Sunday so their popular roasts were on the lunchtime menu.
I actually went for fish (typical Devonian choice) picking a monkfish starter and cod main, both were very tasty.
View 4 ImagesDelicious monkfish starter at The Queens in Crouch End, London(Image: Katie Oborn)
The starter I had was nearly the size of a main dish and I must say, the prices were reasonable, no more pricey than a similar pub in Devon, perhaps even slightly cheaper than some dining spots local to me in Plymouth.
Those in my group who chose the roast or pork belly dish also praised their lunch for flavour, portion size and value – and we were all left too full for dessert, although the menu for sweets was tempting.
View 4 ImagesPork belly main meal at a London pub in an area with a bohemian vibe(Image: Katie Oborn)
The interesting pub was originally built as The Queen’s Hotel by an architect named John Hill in – and features beautiful stained glass windows which look great for a selfie frame.
The Queens dates back to circa 1898 and the Art Nouveau stained glass was made by Cakebread Robey, a London-based builders and manufacturing company of the time.
The drinking spot was described in Pevsner (an architectural guides magazine) as “one of suburban London’s outstanding grand pubs” decades ago. It was once directly opposite the Queen’s Opera House, but the opera house building was badly damaged during the Second World War and then demolished.
View 4 ImagesThe beautiful windows really caught my eye(Image: Katie Oborn)
These days the surrounding streets are lined with trees and several green spaces making it one of London’s leafy bustling suburbs.
Crouch End is a more pricey area than some parts of the city of London, with Foxtons reporting an “average house price” as £733,889.
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However, it’s not considered to be in the “top ten” most expensive boroughs and is beaten by another northern London suburb, Hampstead, where the average cost of a house is a whopping £1,254,801, while the price of a flat comes in at an eyewatering £894,429, according to Foxtons.