Bars & Pubs

You can tell a lot about a bar by its toilet graffiti. To judge from the misspelt poetry and smut scrawled on these walls, Filthy McNasty's is still Islington's most rock 'n' roll boozer - frequented by genuinely tortured rock types lured by the Dickensian setting, murky candlelit tables and fabulous whisky list (the rare Bunnahabhain at £3, Highland Park at £4). It also does risqué shooters like Cocksucking Cowboy (Baileys and butterscotch schnapps) and a great range of stout. Music is a Filthy speciality, and the tiny back room hosts acoustic sessions, sweaty bebop and Latin DJ nights. By day the pub is a surprisingly quiet, bookish refuge from the traffic-choked streets. For peckish punters, it does Pieminster pie and mash for a fiver.

Time Out Bars, Pubs & Clubs Guide 2008/9