please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
First visit in over 30 years! Was pleasantly surprised by this very friendly back street local. Beer was in excellent condition (Jennings Red Breast) and was reliably informed that the food is very goodtoo.
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I preferred the Orange Tree to the nearby Dog & Duck. The interior felt a little chintzy, but was not too over the top. A few people were in for an early lunch. Others were arriving to watch live football. Athletics was on another TV. Ales were Redemption Urban Dusk, Greene King IPA & their own Orange Tree Landlord's Choice. I went for the Urban Dusk, which was ok without being brilliant. It advertises a secret garden outside.
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2nd tick of the day and 1 of 2 in Winchmore Hill.
Friendly community Greene King pub just off the main road from Palmers Green to Winchmore Hill.
This award winning pub has been in 20 consecutive GBG's. A warm welcome when I entered from the landlord, this immediately puts you at ease and makes you feel valued as a punter.
4 ales, Old Speckled Hen, GK IPA, GK Orange Tree Landlords Choice and my choice which was Batemans Miss Lapland - 4.1%. A very nice pint priced at £3.90.
2 roaring fires one on each side of the bar, pool table and dart board in the back near the toilets. Fully carpeted throughout. The walls are decorated with plates and brass ornaments. Selection of toby jugs behind the bar and pump clips on the bar supports at the front.
Very nice traditional pub that is probably very good in the evening as on my visit I was the only punter.
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Can't disagree with Ganns last comment on the beers. Four well kept ales and even if OSH and IPA are there for the locals the other two were interesting for the rest..
Good back street boozer with traditional old school charm as referred to below
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Since my last review over three years ago this has now become my most frequented local, primarily because the Orange tree now offers a true rotating guest ale policy.
As well as the house ales (GK IPA and OSH), kept because a lot of the locals drink them, John the Guvnor keeps two rotating guest ales, which due to the throughput change regularily (as now seen by the building pub clip collection on the wooden bar supports), and are always well kept.
So much so that I have now forgiven him for being a Gooner.
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In the last extravagant burst of summer, late in September, I visited The Orange Tree after a stroll along the New River. The beer garden has won numerous local CAMRA awards in the past and is indeed a very pleasant place to dwell. You can very much imagine being in the countryside it's so quiet. Even though the A105 is a couple of minutes away. Inside it's old school charm. Something that got lost along the way 10 years ago or so.
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I live in the area and this is one of my favourite locals. Low ceilings and decor from the 70s but thankfully the care over the beer is modern day, as it's always good and guest ales rotate often enough to keep it interesting.
It's a big football watching establishment, and very Arsenal. The bar staff are friendly and if you're lucky to be there on a darts evening you may even be offered a sausage or similar from platters for the players.
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Regarding the below comment, Southgate Tube station is actually a very-short bus-ride away (take the W6 or the 125 from the station). Southgate has a Wetherspoons, a very-.good one called New Crown.
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This pub is now doing a rotating-genuine-guest-ale policy; usually two, but a minimum of one, and, as said, genuine guests, not ones from Greene King's aquisitions. The selection of guests changes fortnightly. The guest ales and GK IPA are (at the time of writting) only �2.00 per pint all day on Mondays (excluding Bank Holidays).
The pub isn't nor ever has been a Greene King tied house, just does those beers.
Even though in a random (and Tube-less outer suburb) it is well worth a visit regardless of where you are in London; one of those days when you think: 'Hey, I've not nowt on why not just go to random nice-sounding in some random area that BITE threws up'. Combine the random trip with a visit to the 'Good Beer Guide' regular Dog and Duck, Winchmore Hill, London, N.21 (12 minutes' walk), and a visit to (very short bus-ride) the Regional Inventorary-listed The Wonder, Enfield Town, Middlesex......try on a week-end-evening for the old-time music; this has a Wetherspoon's, Moon Under Water, nearby for a cheap lunch-stop and/or a rounding-off of the day. One extra which could be thrown into the mix is The Beehive, Lower Edmonton, N.9
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I really liked it in here and I am of the opinion that this pub is almost perfect. I say almost as the affiliation with Greene King (Old Speckled Hen, IPA, Greene King xx Mild) is a let down, but I am going to gloss over that. I tried the Ffiagra which I wasn�t really that bothered with and I wished that I had opted for a Guinness.
The pub has Sky and Setanta which are shown on the two plasma screens and the projector screen which was rolled up during my visit. There is a room towards the rear which has a dartboard, but there is a pool table on the oche. There is another dartboard in the front bar and I overheard the barmaid telling a local that the pub was quiet due to no football or darts being on so I�d imagine the board in the back room is only used when the darts team is playing.
I found the barmaid to be very friendly as were the locals that happened to be within ear shot. I�m not very keen on pubs that play commercial radio as I think adverts being played bring an air of depression to a pub so hopefully Capital was only playing as the pub was very quiet.
I would make a detour to visit here again and people living locally are very lucky to have this place and the Dog and Duck on their doorstep.
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Over two years since my last report, so to confirm remains a great back street boozer. Good place to watch sport on a saturday and is usually very busy when one of the North London Clubs is being shown on the satellite feed, and then a brilliant place for a social drink when the sport goes off.
As previous reviewer mentions well kept ales but are from the GK stable so not too inspiring. However there is usually one guest ale on, which last night was Red Rooster Farmhouse Ale from the Yorkshire Rooster Micro berwery, which was an excellent tipple.
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Very good pub, friendly local atmosphere. A good assortment of well-kept ales even if they are not the most exciting choices in the world.
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Just brilliant. Really, really brilliant. Can't go to Sainsbury's without popping in for a quick pint (or six)...
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Good Boozer. Good young Crowd. No Scum. No Attitude. How boozers should be.
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Great pub - what a place.
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I'd agree with the best pub in N21 comment. Great landlord, sports mad - the best place to spend a saturday afternoon if you love hooky football on Danish feeds and all the scores on three other screens. Then its football off, and a great local boozer again.
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Great beer, friendly crowd, untouched by chain pub naffness. Pool table and big screen for matches.
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Just had a sunday roast, absolutely lovely, great value. What a pub, darts, pool table, big beer garden. Immediately felt an affinity with the place.
Well worth the walk.
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The finest pub in N21 bar none. A proper landlord with friendly and attentive staff. Good, well kept beers and Tayto crisps to boot!
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A fabulous,genuine pub. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming and the food on offer is wholsome pub grub. The beers are well kept - several years of CAMRA pub of the year! A little gem hidden in the leafy lanes. And when it's not the 'comfy little local' it's the the genuine footie fans gathering place. A personal favourite.
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Great back street local. Ideal if what you are after is a quiet social drink. Beer always in good condition.
Does get busy when there's footy on SKY as it has a large projection TV at one end.
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great real pub.
near the enfield new river if doing the walk .
winner of enfield and barnet ENFIELD PUB OF THE YEAR
dan - 24 May 2004 12:58 |
