It is an independent live music pub at 596 Holloway Road in Archway, North London. The 300-capacity venue runs gigs and club nights across the week, and the bar has a free dartboard and a pool table.

Is it free to play darts at Nambucca?

Yes. The dartboard is a free pub board, so you can just turn up and play at no cost. There is no bookable darts session and no entry fee to use it.

Do you need to book darts, or can you just walk in?

You can just walk in. The board is first come, first served in the bar. It is worth checking the venue's gig listings first, though, since a booked event can take over the room in the evening.

Is Nambucca good for beginners and groups?

Yes. It is a casual pub board with no dress code and no strict rules, which makes it relaxed for beginners and easy for a group to share a few games over drinks.

What are Nambucca's opening hours?

Monday to Thursday 10:00 to midnight, Friday and Saturday 10:00 to 2:30am, and Sunday 11:00 to midnight. Daytime and early evening are the calmest times for darts before any gig starts.

What is the nearest station to Nambucca?

Upper Holloway on the London Overground is the closest, around 600m away, and Finsbury Park is roughly a 15-minute walk. Archway tube is also nearby.

Nambucca, darts in Archway / Holloway (Islington), N7

Photo: CAMRA / WhatPub

Nambucca: Darts in Archway, London

FreeWalk-inLive musicDarts & poolLeague pub£4 pints

Nambucca is a live music pub on Holloway Road, in the old corner building that has been a boozer of one kind or another since the 1880s. It reopened in late 2024 after a refurbishment, and these days it runs gigs, club nights, quizzes and the odd comedy or wrestling bill across the week, with a 300-capacity room and a proper stage at the back. For darts, the useful thing to know is that this is a pub board, not a bookable session: you turn up, you play, and it costs nothing to throw. It suits anyone who wants a casual game with a pint in hand rather than a polished darts bar, and it sits squarely in the North London league-pub tradition. There is a pool table too, plus sport on the TV when there is a match on.

Contact

Address 596 Holloway Road, Archway, London, N7 6LB

Opening hours

Mon 10:00-00:00
Tue 10:00-00:00
Wed 10:00-00:00
Thu 10:00-00:00
Fri 10:00-02:30
Sat 10:00-02:30
Sun 11:00-00:00

The darts setup

What you get here is a pub board in a working music venue, not a wall of automatic-scoring oches. There is a dartboard and a pool table in the bar, and play is free and walk-in, so you chalk up yourself, keep your own score, and wait your turn if someone is already on. The venue does not publish a board count, so treat it as a single casual board rather than a multi-lane room. Because the place doubles as a gig space seven nights a week, the best time for a relaxed game is daytime or early evening before a show takes over the room. Bring your own arrows if you are fussy.

The darts scene here

Nambucca fits the City of London and central league mould, where matches are not tied to one fixed clubhouse: teams pick from approved pubs and arrange their own dates, and free pub boards like this one are exactly the kind of venue that suits. That makes it a friendly spot for proper pub darts rather than a competition hall with strict rules. If you are a beginner or rolling in with a group, you will not feel out of place, and there is no dress code to worry about. Check the venue's listings before a big game night, since a booked gig can take over the space.

Good to know

The pub keeps long hours: 10:00 to midnight Monday to Thursday, 10:00 to 2:30am Friday and Saturday, and 11:00 to midnight on Sunday, so there is plenty of room to fit in a few games. Drinks are the main draw rather than food, which the team has said is still on the way; selected pints drop to £4 on weekdays from noon to 5pm and on Sundays between 5 and 9pm. There is sport on the TV when fixtures are on. It is an independent live music pub, so expect a gig-room feel rather than a quiet local.

Get directions

Common questions

What is Nambucca?: It is an independent live music pub at 596 Holloway Road in Archway, North London. The 300-capacity venue runs gigs and club nights across the week, and the bar has a free dartboard and a pool table.
Is it free to play darts at Nambucca?: Yes. The dartboard is a free pub board, so you can just turn up and play at no cost. There is no bookable darts session and no entry fee to use it.
Do you need to book darts, or can you just walk in?: You can just walk in. The board is first come, first served in the bar. It is worth checking the venue's gig listings first, though, since a booked event can take over the room in the evening.
Is Nambucca good for beginners and groups?: Yes. It is a casual pub board with no dress code and no strict rules, which makes it relaxed for beginners and easy for a group to share a few games over drinks.
What are Nambucca's opening hours?: Monday to Thursday 10:00 to midnight, Friday and Saturday 10:00 to 2:30am, and Sunday 11:00 to midnight. Daytime and early evening are the calmest times for darts before any gig starts.
What is the nearest station to Nambucca?: Upper Holloway on the London Overground is the closest, around 600m away, and Finsbury Park is roughly a 15-minute walk. Archway tube is also nearby.

Other darts bars nearby

The Crown (Archway) Archway (Islington), N19
The Crown Archway, Islington (N19)
Tommy Flynns Islington
North Nineteen Upper Holloway (Islington), N19
Corner Flag Archway / Holloway
Prince Edward (Islington) Islington, N5