The Highbury Barn Tavern

I have eaten here a number of times mostly on match days given the proximity to the Arsenal football ground. The team that look after the diners do an excellent job. The food and drink arrives quickly — we’ve never had any disagreements over bookings. We all gave different instructions for the excellent burgers and each one was spot on. The menu is sensible pubbish grub but it’s well done and service has always been very prompt. The manager is always on hand helping out with service, steering the staff and checking that punters are happy.
I sat there tonight enjoying an excellent meal that was served up fast in «rush hour conditions» ahead of the game and I thought these guys deserve some praise for doing a good job.
If it’s match day booking is essential and expect it to be very very busy. On non match days it takes on a much more chilled vibe — the food, beer selection and service makes it worth a visit.

Wonderful local. Nice mushroom soup, tasty scallops-​although not large enough for a meal. Roast chicken with herbs is perfect for a cool summer day. Order at the bar and they bring it to your table. Lovely, friendly staff!

Meh. Nothing too special. Service takes forever, over 40 minutes for Sunday lunch. The yorkshires were lukewarm and hard, so we weren’t waiting for those to be made fresh. When you finally get your food, it’s just very standard fare, bordering on school lunch quality: tough meat, limp vegetables, all with a smokey greasy flavour permeating throughout.
Because of the location, it’s an absolute madhouse on Arsenal home days, so don’t think you’ll be able to just drop in for a pint or a plate of sausage and mash. They book the table out and good luck!

I live locally so often come for breakfast or dinner. Great choice and results. Very friendly staff.

The Highbury Barn was recommended to me by someone who frequently visits the area. We were staying at the Highbury Centre, and it was so simple to walk up the hill to find this pub. If we were extremely lazy we could’ve taken the bus, but it only took a couple minutes to walk. I have recently acquired pub skillz and we went to the bar to order our food/​pints. Aside from a minor mishap when the bartender squirted us with cider due to an almost empty tap, everything went smoothly!
The atmosphere is nice and the outside area is pleasant; there are lots of flower planters and everything is green. It seems like the interior has recently been updated and is on par with other nicer pubs I visited on my trip. My friend and I ordered soup with bread, and a cheese plate to share. Both were very good, but the tomato soup was not what I was expecting. I chalked it up to American/​British cultural differences. :) In any case, we were satisfied and ready to embark on our journey to see Wicked.
I’d come back here again in the future, to relax with a pint before a show, etc.

The Highbury Barn Tavern fills the brief of the average London pub perfectly. It has a smallish beer ‘garden’ which while not being a garden at all (it is in fact a patio adjacent to the road) is quite nice on a sunny day and has lots of screens to watch sport (especially Arsenal games). For drinks, a small selection of fairly non-​descript ales are available with little more to inspire in terms elsewhere. Food options are no better. In short, there is nothing really which sets it apart from the rest of the London pub scene.
Its one plus point is its size — it feels pretty cavernous compared to the other pubs in the vicinity. As a result, apart from match days, it is always easy to grab a seat. A second plus (for me) is that it is near to where I live. Consequently, sometimes the walk to a better watering hole is just too far. I will therefore probably be coming back to this average London pub on more occasions than it probably warrants.

We live up the street from this pretty, very pubby pub, but more times than not we walk past because it just always seems too bright inside. It’s comfortable and not as worn down as some similar pubs, but it just seems to lack the character I want in a local.
I’ve eaten here a couple of times. If you’re a vegetarian or just want something to pick at, get the veggie/​salsa/​hummus/​whatever plate! It is FILLED with fresh food and was pretty cheap.
If you want a loud good time with friends, this is not the establishment you’re looking for. Head down the road to the Woodbine or up the hill towards Islington. It’s an alright miscellaneous pub, though. And it does add pretty décor to the neighborhood.

A top English pub. This is one of the better places to watch a match in the Arsenal vicinity because it’s at the Highbury end rather than the Finsbury Park end like The Gunners or The Bank of Friendship. The food is good, they have special game-​day simplified menus and the service is friendly and neighbourly.
Overall a lovely place, get there early on a game day though!

Make no bones about it, The Highbury Barn Tavern is a pub for locals to watch sport in. On match days it can get pretty hectic in here and there is a big allegiance to Arsenal. In the past I’ve heard a couple of crossed words over people sporting the wrong colours and I get the impression that the regulars rule the roost.
Nonetheless following a recent renovation this is quite a nice pub to stop in for a drink or two after you’ve done a bit of Saturday afternoon shopping at the lovely food shops nearby. The bar stocks a lot of beer and ales but everything else you would expect too. Having always avoided this place during football matches I decided it might be worth a visit to watch the rugby. The atmosphere was definitely a lot more chilled out and we had quite a nice afternoon snacking on chips and drinking beer.
This is not the kind of pub you go out of your way to visit but it is perfectly pleasant to pop in to if you’re passing by.