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Southampton Arms, NW5

139 Highgate Road
NW5
NW5 1LE

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Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


hondo . left this review about Southampton Arms

Characterful interior with a courtyard to the rear. 7 real ales plus 8 keg served.

On 5th October 2023 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 2883 recommendations about 2820 pubs]


Steve of N21 left this review about Southampton Arms

First time back post pandemic and found it functioning quite well and not too busy on this particular late Saturday lunchtime, despite our visit coinciding with the League Cup Final, or whatever they call it this week Final at Wembley ( it’s a popular pub for supporters in the know as it’s easy to get to the Wembley stadium by train from here).
All 8 ale pumps on the go and perhaps not the choice of styles I remember ( not many dark options on) but those we tried were all in good condition.
A couple of firsts on this visit. First time to utilise the courtyard garden outback and first time to try the bar food and the hot pork roll was as sumptuous as the ale. Still performing as a solid ale and cider house.

On 7th May 2023 - rating: 8
[User has posted 2094 recommendations about 1985 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Will Larter left this review about Southampton Arms

My first visit for a few years, and the main item of interest is the new (or new to me) pricing scheme. Whereas they used to charge a standard price for everything, that now only applies up to 4.4% abv and is £4.42 for cask (£4.97 for keg). Above that the price is determined by a formula: abv % x 96p (or £1.13 for keg). So my half of Howling Hops 5.5% (see my photo of the pumps - yes, I was there the same day as Blue Scrumpy below, though possibly not at the same time) was 48p x 5.5 = £2.64. Added to my half of the Elusive Microball Mild 3.7% for £2.21, my total was £4.85. (One anomaly is that a 4.5% beer comes to £4.32 for a pint, so is cheaper than one at 4.4%!)

I was quite pleased at being able to work this out in my head, which shows there is some residual function left in my brain, although my eyes are such that I was unable to read the details of the new price structure until I had taken a photo of the blackboard and enlarged it, which confirmed my calculation. Neither of the beers was particularly memorable, though.

On 31st January 2022 - rating: 5
[User has posted 3700 recommendations about 3439 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Blue Scrumpy left this review about Southampton Arms

Another visit to the Southampton Arms yesterday and there's little more to say that hasn't been said before, apart from the real ale selection increased to 8 and the real cider selection being reduced to 5 since my last review. Yesterday's ale selection was Howling Hops We Buy Teeth, Thornbridge Jaipur & Astryd, Buxton Blonde & Right To Roam (the former later replaced with Wild Beer Bibble), Elusive Microball, North Full Fathom 5 & Bristol Beer Factory After Hours. Ciders were Burrow Hill Cider Bus & Medium Farmhouse, Turner's Dry & Lilley's Mango Cider and Lemon & Ginger Cider. Amongst the craft beers was a coffee sour from Howling Hops.

Another enjoyable session.

Original review 25/8/20:

After over 2½ years without a visit, I was back in the Southampton Arms yesterday afternoon for a session.

For quite a few years, this was my favourite pub in London. Although, I've since relegated it to second. Nevertheless, if you arrive here early enough and grab a table, it's a really pleasant place to while away some time. Evenings and weekends will inevitably be busy. But on our Monday afternoon visit, there were a few tables free, with just a handful of customers in.

With one single narrow room and an enclosed garden at the rear, it can certainly have a cosy feel. But the ale and cider range here is excellent. Yesterday's ales were Thornbridge Jaipur & Lord Marples, Kent Brewer's Reserve, Nene Valley Manhanttan Project, Turning Point No Post On Sundays, Five Points Railway Porter & Bristol Beer Factory Milk Stout. Ciders were Burrow Hill Cider Bus & Medium Dry, Turner's Dry, Crone's User Friendly, Lilley's Apples and Pears & Worley's Beatnik Billy.

I worked my way through all of the ciders and 4 of the ales, in addition to a craft beer from Gipsy Hill.

Snacks such as Scotch Eggs, Sausage rolls and pork sandwiches used to be available from the hot cabinet at the end of the bar. But whilst I noticed that the cabinet was empty yesterday, people still seemed to be getting food from somewhere. Other key changes in the Covid era are the removal of stools from the bar, which is actually quite beneficial to those trying to decide what to drink, and the acceptance of cards, where cash was the only way of paying previously.

Still a great pub and one I hope to return to as soon as possible.

On 28th January 2022 - rating: 9
[User has posted 2442 recommendations about 2441 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Tris C left this review about Southampton Arms

Not the sister pub to the Jolly Butchers (N16), but sister pub to the very fine Cock Tavern (E8) - they copied this pub's sign design. As mentioned earlier, this was a rough old boozer until about thirteen years ago; I made my first visit just after its reopening and it's a very fine pub indeed and all the better at the time for not having been 'discovered'.
It’s well-described below, with very simple presentation and rustic mismatched furniture. There’s a vinyl-only policy here and an upright piano by the wall.
Having caught up with the times, cashless transactions are now available, with a seven-day licence until '...around 11 or 12'.
Ales: eight with another eight keg taps and around four or five cider pumps behind the bar, everything sourced from small independent brewers and very competitively priced, the condition always being excellent; there's no Guinness or lager here.
This is a great pub, with a better ale choice and certainly better ambience than Tapping the Admiral down the road.

On 18th January 2022 - rating: 9
[User has posted 1956 recommendations about 1923 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Mark Davey left this review about Southampton Arms

19/11/16 Still great

04/01/16 First beer of 2016 on a lunchtime visit, New Years day. I have been to the Southampton many times in the past couple of years and it hasn't changed one bit. great selection of ales on the bar, backed up with cider and the usual selection of spirits. If you are peckish, there are always pork pies and scotch eggs in the glass case.

will call again and again, one of the best pubs in London.

On 15th January 2018 - rating: 9
[User has posted 292 recommendations about 276 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Danny O'Revey left this review about Southampton Arms

Shabby chic, one roomed pub, wood floor, miss-fitting church pews, benches & a large glass window to street. The background jazz music fits nicely/ A lot obeers and cider from chubby copper pulls.

Nice place

On 8th November 2017 - rating: 8
[User has posted 1456 recommendations about 1434 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Moby Duck left this review about Southampton Arms

Update : been many times since my last review and it's still a top rate pub this time I had Howling Hops Riding Ale and Kent Prohibition,both were top notch.
9/10/13
My third visit to this pub and each time it gets better,a later in the day visit this time than previously and as a result a fair bit busier, this though only heightened the ambiance. A fantastic range of beers available and this time I tried Crate IPA and Howling Hops Chocolate Stout, both new to me and both did not disappoint. A real destination Pub.

On 3rd September 2017 - rating: 9
[User has posted 1868 recommendations about 1841 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Alan Winfield left this review about Southampton Arms

The Southampton Arms has a narrow frontage so can easily be missed.
Once inside there is a smallish oblong shaped room which runs to the rear,the floor is bare boarded,the seating basic wood pew seating and small stools which faces the bar which is on the mid right side,there is a piano just past the bar on the right side and i may have been better if someone was playing it because the background music was crap.
There was a good choice of real ales on the bar and too many for me to take in,so i just opted for the first pump clip that had a lower gravity beer on,this was Crafty Hare Dark Crystal,which was not to my taste at all,There were too many beers to note so i gave up.
Not my type of pub at all,though others like it,i am getting to dislike top real ale pubs more each time i visit them.
The pub had a few older drinkers in who were talking about beer,no surprise there.

Pub visited 2/6/2017

On 6th August 2017 - rating: 6
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Ian Mapp left this review about Southampton Arms

All a bit much for me - too busy, too small - lots of choice of beer but nothing in the English Bitter category - all seemed to be pale ales and porters.

An experience, but one I would only repeat at a quieter time.

Photos at my walking blog - http://bit.ly/21Jz75P

On 4th March 2016 - rating: 6
[User has posted 1329 recommendations about 1315 pubs]

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