The Bull, Highgate  

This one's switched from pub to restaurant over the years and its latest incarnation sees a merging of the two. Owned by the same people behind the similarly grand The House in Highbury, The Bull is a high-end gastropub, all chandeliers and polished surfaces. But wait! Regular pubgoers might still find a visit here worth their while. Perhaps we caught it at a good time - our visit was out of dining hours - but the staff were charm personified and couldn't have treated us better even if we were after three courses instead of a couple of pints. The beer too is worthy of note, both in rarity (Highgate bitter) and taste. As for the facilities, most of the layout downstairs is for diners, but upstairs the split is nearer to 50:50 (though saying that, the staff assured us we could sit wherever we wanted). Note too the upstairs pool room: a space so elegant a billiard table and the enforcement of playing in evening dress would perhaps be more in keeping with the surroundings. Also the hire of the pool table probably offers a better deal than the usual quid-a-go variety (shame about the camber though). Things may get a bit packed if there's more than one group after a game... We also worry how the diners take to sharing The Bull with folk popping in for a couple of beers. Even though our visit was immensely enjoyable, we do wonder how we'd have got on at a more peak time. We'll give it another look and report back, but for now, we're giving this one two pints to be on the safe side.

reviewed:
05/04/2006

pub features:(click on an icon to see an explanation)

outdoor seating

pool table

separate dining area

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