The Bohemia, North Finchley, N12

Paid this one a revisit the other evening as I had noticed it has become one of the “darlings” for Enfield and Barnet CAMRA, and also very glad to find it continuing to be well run by the London Brewing Company. It’s still a bit of a echoey barn, but at least the decor has improved greatly since the Antic days, and at least there are a couple of smaller cosy areas on the lower level at the back, next to the brewing kit, to tuck yourself away in if they are not being used for private functions The long bar has two banks of five hand pumps and several keg dispensers and then a large chalk board on the wall behind detailing what ales and ciders are available. For my visit there were ten brews from the LBC available in total, four cask on one bank of pumps and six keg products alongside a couple of guests from Stiegl and Verdant, and then five ciders on the other bunch of pumps. The LBC ales included Beer Street Best Bitter (£5 a pint), London Lush Pale Ale, Top Pocket IPA and a very pleasant 100 Oyster Stout at £5.80 a pint. Then underneath the main bar area is a function room , accessed via a central staircase that holds several music events including Sunday evening Jazz sessions. As mentioned this is more like a large bar than a traditional pub experience, but the available ale range make it a good one to visit for beer enthusiasts and this guise is far superior to its O’Neils and Antic days.

This is still the tap for the London Brewing Company, and had four of their ales on, with a fourth handpump unclipped. The ales were: Beer Street (a 4% bitter); Flying the Mags (a 3.8% mild); 100 Oysters (a 4.6% stout); and Never Mind the Kent Hops (a 5.5% ESB - at £2.20 a half). There were also five ciders on handpump. I had the Never Mind the Kent Hops, which was in super condition. There was a large blackboard behind the servery with all the beers listed. Food was available, advertised on a large A3 single sheet menu on all the tables. As an example, the cheeseburger with chips, etc, is £11.00. There's nothing traditionally publike about this place - and how could there be as it was not built as a pub? Inside it's effectively a large drinking barn, with some sofas at the front, and at the back some large tall tables with tall stools dominate the centre of the room, but with enough normal tables and chairs to keep me happy. You can smell the brewery process as you enter, which is preferable to what you smell in some pubs. The micro-brewery is very visible down in a sort of pit at the back of the room. There's some artwork for sale displayed on the wall, and a table football game was out of action when I visited. I reckon this pub is excellent for real ale and cider lovers, rather than traditional pub enthusiasts. But I would definitely visit again.

Formerly a Firkin pub and more recently a branch of the O'Neill's chain, this pub was renamed Bohemia in reference to a nearby former cinema by the Antic pub company. Unfortunately Antic were unable to make things work here due to issues with the lease, and it briefly looked like the pub would be lost altogether. Thankfully, the people behind the excellent Bull in Highgate, took the pub on and opened a small brewery plant in the back of the building. There is a small pavement side front seating area which offers a few tables for al fresco drinking alongside the busy main road. You enter into a vast, high ceilinged room with dark wood flooring and a mix of Chesterfield sofas and armchairs under the large front windows. Smart standard seating fills the space further into the room, underneath walls decorated with an eclectic series of paintings, most of which appeared to be for sale. The bar is midway down the left hand wall and has a dark wood counter and exposed brick bar back which has an enormous paining of a Bacchanalian scene in the centre. A row of globe lamps are suspended from the wooden beams above the bar and a pillar at one end of the counter had a collection of handled pint pots hanging from it. There is a sunken staircase directly opposite the bar, which can make it a bit cramped and crowded when trying to get served during peak times. Further into the room there are more standard tables and chairs, some set into the frame of a former fireplace on the right hand wall, whilst a colourful mosaic tiled floor space which I assume is a relic of the pub's O'Neil's incarnation, hosts some high tables and stools and a table football game. The room then drops to a lower rear area, in use for a private function on this visit, but from down here you can access the brew plant, which can also be viewed from the main room, close to the DJ area in the rear right corner. The DJ was in action on my Friday evening visit and the high ceilings and lack of soft furnishings made the place very loud, with the sound reverberating through the room. A better musical accompaniment was provided by a large group of French drinkers who struck up an impromptu version of 'La Marseillaise', a day late for Bastille Day, but impassioned nonetheless, perhaps inspired by the sad events in Nice the night before. I was very pleased to see most of the hand pumps dedicated to the house ales, with London Brewing Company Vista, Never Mind the Kent Hops, Skyline, Beer Street and High Rise making up a strong selection which was complimented by a similar number of cider and perry options on the second bank of handpulls. Lots of LBC beers were also available on keg along with some other craft output and the fridges looked pretty well stocked with interesting small batch options. Some tasty looking homemade sausage rolls were available on the end of the bar and the BBQ themed menu sounded pretty good too. I ordered a pint of the Skyline from a very nice, friendly barmaid. It's a 5% American Pale Ale and I thought it was absolutely spot-on, served in near perfect condition and not suffering from the heat in any way - excellent cellarmanship. I really liked this place and regretted visiting on a busy and noisy Friday evening, as I probably didn't get to see the place at its best. I thought the beer and service were both fantastic and I enjoyed having a nose around the interesting premises. Like their sister pub in Highgate, this pub has a lot going for it and I'm really pleased to see it doing well and proving popular with the locals, after all it has been through. A real asset for this part of London and I hope to make a return sometime soon.

Well first of all it knocks spots of the terrible spoons yes it's more expensive but in this case you get what you pay for very good quality guest ales & ciders all in excellent condition. They even have there own in house brewery. Staff very polite and knowledgeable about the ales & ciders. I would well recommended this place over the spoons any day.

Official site of The Bohemia - www.thebohemia.co.uk

Official site of The Bohemia - www.thebohemia.co.uk

Very ulta modern brewpub.One large rectangle room with the brewkit in a basement with a viewing gallery.Kitchen to the rear.Ducted ceiling with smart light fittings.4 beers on 3 from London brewing and Great Heck -Amish Mash.Craft keg range as well.Had a superb pint of there own Black Dog Porter but not brewed onsite yet.Also tried a couple of the keg beers which were very good.Impressed with this pub but beware very loud annoying pub quiz tues night.Outside covered seating helped me escape the racket.