White Lion, Stroud Green, N4

The ale selection has certainly improved since Alan Winfield's visit last year. There are now four handpumps in here - two facing you as you enter, and a couple more around to the left in what was once probably a separate room. The first two were clipped for West Berkshire "Oh, Beehave", (but the taster I was given revealed it to be well past the turn), and Cottage Brewing Sentimental Journey (£4.10 a pint). The two ales available in the other bar were Reunion Brewery (a West London brewery) ales - Incredible Pale Ale and Opening Gambit. Food was available Wednesday lunchtime, with main courses at £10.50 upwards, but weekday lunchtime specials are cheaper - a bowl of pasta is £7.50, as is sausage & mash, with the steak & ale pie at £9. The pub is now nothing like it must have been when it was a 'spoons. It's now bare-boarded; walls have been stripped to expose the brickwork, most of which would be better left covered up, and there's a fair bit of indigo paintwork around the place. One interesting piece of artwork on one of the walls was a montage of images taken from Marvel and DC comics, mainly featuring lions. Most unusual. Furnishings include sofas and armchairs, but seem to be mainly dining room tables and chairs. The pub goes back a long way, with what looks like a dining room at the back, complete with skylight and chandelier. There is a bit of seating at the front, effectively on the pavement. So, I guess this pub is best described as a fledgling gastropub. But there were a few pub grub options available and four real ales not from the ranks of the usual suspects is pretty good going. The staff were friendly and helpful (a taster being offered) and I would have no objection to a re-visit.

The White Lion is a decent sized pub that is set in a row of shops on the main road down to Finsbury Park. This pub was on my list to do,but i changed my plans and walked down from Crouch End picking up any pubs i came across while walking to Finsbury Park station. Once inside there is a U shaped room to the front which is bare boarded,there is bench seating and normal tables and chairs. There is a separate dining room to the rear right. There was only one real ale on which was Trumans Rio Gold which went down well. If you like to watch traffic go by there are seats outside which are covered by an awning. I was happy enough having a drink in this pub. Pub visited 4/8/2016

Official site of White Lion - www.whitelionn4.com

Official site of White Lion - www.whitelionn4.com

Situated roughly halfway between Crouch Hill and Finsbury Park stations, this is a shop converted Wetherspoons pub with an unusual internal layout. The pub is essentially a single room set up, but has been split in two by a series of heavy duty pillars and short sections of wall that might actually have been better presented as a continuous wall separating two rooms. The room is predominantly carpeted but has a tile floor space to the front and around the bar. The servery is along the right hand wall and has a simple counter split in two by another pillar. Standard seating is arranged at the front of the pub under large folding doors which open out to some pavement seating, whilst the left hand side of the room has a few high tables and stools. Three quarter high wall panelling can be found through most of the room with the wall above painted in a neutral shade and left blank, with very little on show throughout. To the rear is a nice seating area with some comfier options under a skylight with some decorative tiles and ironwork. I arrived as a large food delivery was taking place, so I couldn't actually explore this part of the pub properly, but I thought I glimpsed a garden to the rear, although I may be mistaken. There was a cider festival underway when I visited, which meant that half of the ten pumps were dispensing ciders and perries. The remainder had a mix of three 'Spoons regulars and two guest ales from which I selected the Brouwerij T'ij India Red Ale. This was a great pint in fantastic condition served to me by a rather eccentric barman. This is a pretty good Wetherspoons with a slightly cosier, pubby feel to it than the vast majority of their shop conversions. The excellent beer makes it stand out as well and whilst it still lacks the character of a traditional pub, I could happily enjoy a decent session in here.

Smallish 'spoons, with a somewhat jumbled layout but a bit brighter than one might expect at the back as there is a glazed roof over was was presumably part of a yard at some stage. The furniture and decor are also fairly modern. Ten handpumps, but as half of these were 'available soon' the choice was pretty limited (but my pint of Itchen Valley Godfathers was good enough at £2.25).