Occasional Half, Palmers Green, N13

Visited 19/05/25 Three hand pumps all offering L Pride. Keg offering was Stella, Carlsberg, Fosters, Guinness, Doom Bar, Carling, Aspall, Cruz, Moretti, Carlsberg, Amstel. Venue is an L shape with the bar counter following the inside walls of the venue, on a chessboard tiled skirt in an otherwise bare boarded venue. To the left of the entrance are some booth tables and a slightly raised area with a carpeted floor housing some regular tables and chairs. To the right of the entrance are some regular tables and chairs and a small banquette to the immediate right of the entrance. The right-hand side houses a pool table and a darting area and the whole venue is light and airy owing to the windows on both street side sides. The walls house several TV's all of which were tuned into the Brighton v Liverpool game with commentary on my visit. There was a small seating area out the front. Quite liked this place as a venue to head to to watch live sport. So, another N London postcode area with a small remaining stock of venues completed. Not much to write home about really, 3 of the 5 pubs had cask beer, but pretty middle of the road stuff. For me the Alfred Herring shaded it but in horse racing terms, that is the winner of a class 6 handicap rather than a pattern race! I would head to the Occasional Half to watch sport though.

Due to pub closures this is now the only remaining pub on Green Lanes south of the North Circular before you get to Wood Green. A single room that wraps around the L shaped bar there are 3 ale pumps on the bar, but I have only ever seen one in operation with a decidedly average Charles Wells Bombardier. In an area dominated by Turkish and Albanian restaurants it is popular with the locals when there is sport being shown on the multiple screens and it’s fair to say the fizzy keg taps get a lot more use than the one operating ale pump.

Facebook page of Occasional Half - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of Occasional Half - www.facebook.com

Randomness Guide to London - Occasional Half entry

Randomness Guide to London - Occasional Half entry