Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Great Northern Railway Tavern Hornsey High St - it's been refurbed.. And is ACE go visit!
I went for a pint at the GNRT last night - mainly cos it was the nearest pub to Hornsey rail station - and it was the most wonderful pub!!!
I've been intrigued for a while due to lovely building and long, rail-related name but wasn't expecting much as it has had a reputation for being an 'old man pub' (no direct offence to old men intended).
It was just stunning and the most wicked pub. There was a fire burning (who'd have thought that would be a welcome sight in MAY, but hey-ho), games, they've got a garden on the go which will be furnished for use when we get a summertime, good choice of lager and none of the nasty crap Fosters/carslberg etc, and a simple menu that looks worth a go though I'll have to eat there another time. They do free gigs, there's wi-fi and the staff were friendly.
When I aske dthe barman explained that the building was refurbed a year ago but that they've only bee running it for the last 2 months. So maybe this is common knowledge but I wanted to make sure becuase the good people of Harringay should be supporting this venture.
Needless to say the building has been beautifually restored, has a glass ceiling to rival the Salisbury, lickable wooden floors and just the right amount of furniture in there to seat lots of people but not overcrowd.
As this weekend is set to be a wash-out, why not go check it out it deserves your custom!
They're on Twitter.
Tags for Forum Posts: choir, great northern railway tavern, pubs
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by 36pzitn4i079p on
-
I can only compliment the pub. I used to have a laugh when Joe owned it but it was dirty, sticky and tacky to say the least.
The refit happened and some awful staff went in there a complete ban on both kids and dogs, not a good move from a business point of view that's half your market gone in a single swipe, and a bad attitude from previous management so I along with 99% of other locals moved on elsewhere.
Tony has since come in and is changing the place for the better without a doubt.
The real ale is a true pleasure well looked after poured with care and 100% fantastic, Tony stated he is getting another two shortly, great move Camra will be sniffing around soon.
The food is very good indeed, the silly prices have been banished and the quality is very good, I have tried the steak and burgers and I cannot knock them at all. A lady on Tuesday had the haddock which smelt amazing and when I saw the plate go past I was like bloody hell how will she eat all that, I am no small bloke at all but I would have struggled with that. Seb is a nice lad my 9 year old step daughter took a shine to him and his hat such a nice guy he will source one for her you cant say better than that.
With regards the choir it was an awkward feeling trying to walk past people who were practicing there hobby, I felt like I was in the way and invading there space when I went to the toilet you had to say excuse me to get past them at times, not a comfy feeling at all. Things and places move on business changes and people have to go with it, in my opinion rather than complain about losing the hall at the back why not say thanks for the last god knows how many years you have been there and move on with a smile on your face???.
Your doing ok chaps its a friendly pub with good beer and great food top marks.
-
Permalink Reply by Ruth on
-
Really good feedback. I am interested in the Great Norther not only because I want a decent pub to go to not far from home where the management are friendly etc., but also from the angle of a researcher/writer into pubs/clubs and the reasons for their decline, what can be done about it etc.
Tony and his crew are doing the right sort of things to turn around the place and save it from becoming flats or a furniture shop... Recent information from a Mintel study into pubs showed that-
Living close to a pub is seen as a status symbol for many Brits. One third felt this way. Even infrequent pub goers agreed it was important to have a pub near their home. They want the option.
More than twice as many people find it more enjoyable to drink in a pub rather than at home. But our visits to pubs are going down (as we know..) 6 out of 10 visit a pub regularly down form 7 in 10. People are more likely to eat in a pub now than drink (backed up by lots of other research...) so food is the key. (and good food more likely to bring in the punters..)
Only 3 in 10 think that pubs are more pleasant place since the smoking ban came in.
Around 12 pubs a week are closing....
-
-
Working that many hours isn't illegal no. We do it because we love it and have to to keep the place alive. It's what we signed up for. Something like that is only against the law of the person in question isn't happy about it.
Thank you Susan for the words, means a lot.
Sean, thank you. Really glad you are enjoying the changes.
-
-
Worry not. The GNRT is a Grade 2 Listed building so it will not change much without even minor changes getting formal approval from the Haringey Planning Department. It would be criminal not to !
-
-
To further my comments, as a man I missed a huge point, and I mean huge.
The beer prices have been sorted, I paid £3.40 for a Guiness tonight, also £3.40 for a very well looked after and well tapped bitter at the weekend, the point I make, and I labour this because I speak to myself and love my own voice ..... (labour labour labour) is they look after there beer have passion and pricing at a very good level.
Nuff respect chaps good beer good food, good staff. Nuff said
-
-
£3.40 is quite a good deal, in some pubs I have paid almost 4 quid for a pint of ordinary lager!
-
Permalink Reply by ElleCarumba on
-
Went to GNRT for the first time last night to do the quiz.
Excellent fish in the fish and chips, friendly staff, lovely building and a fun quiz.
It has a small garden to enjoy the sunshine in as well.
-
-
On a related matter,the 'Tophouse' was always known for the quality of its Guinness.Charging a good price is a great way to start to rehabilitate a reputation for excellence and restoring the emphasis on this once USP.
I'll be popping in this weekend to sample the cask ale(s) and checking out the garden
-
Permalink Reply by Noots on
-
The garden's actually a pretty fair size - it just doesn't have a huge amount of furniture in it at the moment. I reckon you could easily get 10-12 picnic tables out there without it feeling cramped. We were out there the other night and it's a nice spot for a pint in the sunshine.
We ate again whilst we were in - all top scran although the chips were a wee bit soggy this time round (sorry to be critical! May tie in with reference to 'excellent fish in the fish and chips' comment above?) - previously they were great, so maybe just some duff potatoes. We've tried six-seven of the dishes between us now and all have been very good.
-
-
Yes,the garden furniture is currently tending towards the 'minimalist' but no doubt reinforcements are on the way.But the prospects overall are encouraging.
-
-
Really glad the garden is open for this lovely weather. Want to get up there soon for a cooling pint. Perhaps we should have a HoL meet up there one night
-
Permalink Reply by AxP on
-
Lord... didn't mean to cause Tony the extra hassle of having very detailed HOL conversations to justify his every decision.
Tony, I'm sorry that you're having to work so hard to overcome barriers and the pinch of these messed up times. Really don't listen to anyone on HOL who wants to have a moan. The basic premise is there and anyone who cares to open their eyes and get over themselves can see that you're achieving a no-nonsense, quality boozer with all the right ingredients for an enduring local and loyal clientele.
I don't care to listen to people who think they're beer experts though they'e not even publicans it just boring and doesn't positively contribute to anyone's existence.
How can a post saying 'try this pub its cool and its under new management' turn into 'my chips were soggy', 'it's not like it used to be back in the day', 'I didn't like one of their ales and that offends my biggity up self'... grow up people, things change! Just be grateful there are still people wanting to add something to this area, provide a much needed service and that there's a new decent establishment in town with a lot of hard work, thought and graft behind it.
Loving your work Tony, and the increasing number of your patrons will be speaking with their feet!
(I'll get a quiz team of people together at my earliest convenience... )
© 2024 Created by Hugh.
Powered by
