The Barrel Vault (JD Wetherspoon), N1

I turned up here at around 08:00 on a Saturday morning with a 10:00 train booked into Kent. It's a fairly ugly modern room with an attempt to conceal the unfinished looking ceiling with some wooden barrels. The room isn't that large for a JDW and is roughly L shaped with the bar on the left if you enter from the station complex. Alcohol was being served before 09:00, probably because of a station licence. There was a fair crowd in including people travelling and some Neandethal football supporters. There seemed to be an older Irish bloke in charge who was running a very tight ship. As expected prices are high here with guest ales at £3.55, unlimited coffee £1.75 and Punk IPA at £4.79. There is a cut down food menu with most items being a pound or two dearer than the average but not necessarily compared to their other Central London outlets. On the plus side during their first month they were holding a 150 beer festival which did have some good options. The bar has twelve hand pumps which had just one unused and Abbot with the rest being from the October festival. I went for the unlimited coffee this time. I thought this was pretty good for a station bar and will return for a festival beer one morning before the month is out prior to heading off to Wanstead. I would use it again if booked on a mid morning train into Kent but probably for the coffee.

Brand new Spoons well described below with a decent choice of beers as part of the latest festival. I can think of much worse places to kill time waiting for a train!