After being rated London’s best “foodie” pub, The Drapers Arms in Barnsbury can be assured of excellent takings on Valentine’s night.
How refreshing, then, to hear all money it makes on the day of love goes to domestic violence charity Refuge.
Nick Gibson, owner of the Barnsbury Street pub, off Thornhill Road, explains: “I’ve been doing it for a few years. We are a community pub, but how do you make that real, rather than just nice words?
“On Valentine’s, we take those who we love and care about for dinner. But it’s important to remember those being treated badly at home.”
Nick took over the pub nine years ago, when the previous owners ran into financial difficulties. Last month, it came sixth in the national Top 50 Gastropub Awards – and the highest in London.
“Like any of these lists, you have to take with a little pinch of salt,” Nick adds. “But yes, it’s nice to be in a group of great pubs around the country. It’s a residential area and I always wanted it to be a neighbourhood food-led pub.”
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