The Tally Ho, North Finchley, N12

Visited 13/05/25 No cask. Keg offering of Amstel, Fosters, Neck Oil, Moretti, Guinness, Heineken, Cruz and Inch's cider. Front of venue has bar counter opposite entrance with a patterned tiled skirt in an otherwise boarded venue. Largely tall tables and high-backed chairs with half height boarding to the walls. Sage green paint scheme the order of the day here. Quite a few TV screens showing the late afternoon racing action without commentary, that being provided by an 80's pop soundtrack. To the right of the entrance beyond the end of the bar counter down a couple of steps is a carpeted area with regular tables and chairs, nice and light with the large windows and leading out into a garden area at the side of the venue, paved with picnic benches. Off to the right-hand end of the bar counter are a couple of additional areas. There is a front bar counter serving a small space looking out onto the main road again with tall tables and tall chairs. Off to the side is another area with some regular tables and chairs and some high-backed booth tables with dark blue velvet fabric. A DJ booth stands in the far corner. This is a large venue that I assume is busy at certain times, but it is fairly non-descript otherwise. With the Woodhouse clearly not re-opening , my only unvisited venue in another small postcode area pub wise after passing it a couple of times when seemingly not open on my visit, I would have no hesitation making the Bohemia as my most enjoyed pub visit in N12. The Elephant would be the only conceivable rival, and a nice venue, but let down by a poor cask offering on my visit. PS, an open Woodhouse would not have changed my conclusions based on reading Strongers reviews of some time ago!

They had five real ales on in here - Black Sheep Baa Baa Ale; Hobgoblin; Old Golden Hen; GK Abbot; and Purity Mad Goose (£1.65 a half). There were also three Lilley ciders on - Tropical; Strawberry; and Rhubarb. Assuming they were all really on - WhatPub casts doubt on this. I stuck with the beer of course and the Mad goose was definitely available. The usual Stonegate pubco menu, with all manner of byzantine meal deals was available. I kept it simple and went for the all day breakfast at £6.29. This is a massive landmark pub in the centre of town. Even the bus stop is named after the pub. Inside it's still split into four distinct drinking and eating areas - there were probably even more in years past judging by the unused doors. I sat in the room on the corner, which is carpeted and furnished entirely with normal tables and chairs, and which also has the access to the garden. The main bar is up a couple of steps, is bare-boarded with loads of tall tables/tall stools - but is where the handpumps can be found. There are two further rooms back down a couple of steps on the High Road side of the pub. When I was in the drinkers were congregating in the main bar area, with anyone eating sitting in one of the other three rooms. It's a Stonegate pub so the ale choice is never going to be exceptional, but the selection in here is better that any other Stonegate pub I've been in. The all day breakfast at £6.29 looks to be the same as the traditional breakfast available bedfore noon at £4.99. I reckon it's a bit better than the the 'spoons version, although theirs is a bit cheaper. For a Stonegate pub it's good. As you might expect it was doing a good trade at lunchtime on Wednesday, being the nearest thing to a 'spoons around here. It used to be a 'spoons of course.

Official site of The Tally Ho - www.greatukpubs.co.uk

Official site of The Tally Ho - www.greatukpubs.co.uk

A Spoons located in a lovely old building abutting a junction, though sadly the interior is grubby and battered which lets it down – though on hearing that the place is on the JDW disposal list perhaps that explains why. It’s less open-plan than the average Wetherspoons and there’s a lot of traditional pub touches that gives it a bit of character (wood panelling, red Victroriana wallpaper, latticed windows etc). Also, there’s an unusual and pleasant enclosed garden area at the apex of the building’s footprint. Our visit was a sad comedy – the place was incredibly badly run, staff with little-to-no skills and only three ales on with just one genuine guest, an appalling Nethergate Growler which went back, to be replaced with Abbot which tasted suspiciously like GK IPA to me. In short, this was dire and one can only hope that its new owners get it back up to muster – there’s the fabric of a very good pub here.