Old Ale Emporium, Harringay, N4

Echo the comments below from a good while back and it appears to retain all of the strong features highlighted. The little outside patio was popular on my mid evening visit and the inside was nicely busy and where I was about the average of the ages of the others here! Very much feels like an Irish sport orientated venue but one with decent cask choices (more below) so what’s not to like. Wood is the common material here, old floorboards, heavily varnished wood panelling on the walls and dark wood beams. Serving counter along the left-hand wall, very welcoming lady behind the bar, plasma screens showing the build up to the foots and, as noted below a library style area showing the evening racing. There was a really nice vibe in the venue, decent music at a decent level. Three beers on hand pump on my visit so one not dispensing. Choices were HSB, Olde Trip and a mango infused ale from Laine Brewing Co called King Mango! Keg choices a plenty, namely Amstel, Guinness, John Smiths, Stella, Heineken, Beck’s (OK another sighting for me), Fosters, Cruz, Inch’s cider. Might have missed one through the crowds at the bar but easy to see the slant and not really my interest with some decent cask choices. I thought this is a cracking venue. Won’t appeal to everyone at the stratified area of rating given the sport leaning nature of the venue but would be hard for almost anyone to argue that this is way above average. Personally a lot of what I look for in a pub apart from a more extensive and exotic cask ale range.

A street corner pub in this Turkish enclave on Green Lanes,there is a paved ,open terrace at the front before entering.The interior is a single room,with a wooden floor and lots of wood panelling,while the windows and door at the front is also mainly glazed.The bar is wooden clad as well and to the rear there is a seperate library section.All furniture is traditional and wood.The flatscreen around the interior screen both BT Sport and Sky and thankfully when there is no live action the sound is on mute.It's a bit of a mono culture,popular with the white working class but not unfriendly ,and the Irish barman was welcoming.There is a community spirit among it's target audience. There are 4 handpumps drawing on my visit Belhaven Bitter (a regular),Theakston Shot in the Dark,Bath Ales Summer Hare and Fullers (Gales) HSB in decent nick and £3.25.Some doubles are priced at £2.80,and this is a reasonable place for a pint,with some care taken on ale quality with a mix of styles.

Randomness Guide to London - Old Ale Emporium entry

Randomness Guide to London - Old Ale Emporium entry

This is a great pub and I'm disappointed that it is so far away from my local as I would easily be able to relocate my mates into here to become regulars. The reasons for this are the very friendly staff, the plasma screens showing Sky Sports, the decent jukebox which is free on a Friday night and most importantly the well kept dartboard with a competition every Friday night which awards ten pints to the winner and five pints to the runner up. Maybe we'll get a cab down there next Friday! I'm not the sort to read a book in pub, but this place has some literature in a bookcase at the back that I'm sure some will appreciate – it's nice to see a bit of effort from the management to accommodate all, whether it is afternoon or night. During my visit there was one ale off but Pride, Summer Lightening and Honey Bee were available alongside a standard draught selection and Staropramen with Bulmers being the cider option. There is some covered seating out the front facing the high street, but I personally preferred it in the pub. I loved this place and will make a point of visiting again very soon.