Juniper & Co, Crawley

This is a fairly new, modern airside bar that offers a somewhat more refined (i.e. pricey) alternative to the nearby ‘Spoons. The front part of the venue, including the whole of the island servery, has spilled out across part of the concourse area, leaving the open fronted shop unit space behind to accommodate the tables and chairs for anyone wanting to dine here. Most drinkers were invited to sit on the high stools that ran around three sides of the servery, although the greeter who intercepted me as I approached the bar, said that if none were available, he’d find me a table instead. This would presumably have been at one of the tables that run opposite the bar, served by comfy looking tub chairs with colourfully upholstered backs. The servery has a bamboo effect counter front, polished white stone top and a nice gantry, partly covered with glazed tiles and decorated with lots of potted plants, books, jars and the like. Décor is limited to a few shelves, used as partitioning, full of more plants, plus a rear wall decorated with nature-themed paintings. There’s obviously no cask on the bar – most people were drinking from Champagne flutes rather than dimpled jugs – but they did have two beers from Beavertown on draught, so I took a pint of Neck Oil, which set me back a handsome £7.00. Mainstream lager and cider brands were also available on draught and there are plenty of wine and cocktail options as well. The staff all seemed very friendly, although trying to get their attention was a tediously drawn-out process. I couldn’t really find much to recommend about this place, other than it would be an easy way to spend any last sterling before flying out of the country. Like most airport bars, it’s a characterless, functional and transient spot, but with no decent beer, high prices and bland presentation, so if you’re after a quick pre-flight pint, I’d suggest using the aforementioned ‘Spoons instead.

Juniper & Co consists of an island bar lined with bar stools and a seating area behind where people were dining. Three banks of four keg fonts were pouring Beavertown Neck Oil and Bones Lager, Heineken and Heineken Silver, Birra Moretti and Thatcher’s Cider. The service was friendly and I was actually quite comfortable sat at the bar for an hour waiting for my flight. This is certainly preferable to the Spoons at the other end of departures, although it is more expensive.

Typical airport bar / restaurant, partly out in the 'open' in the main shopping hall. Proclaims 'craft beers', but the multiple duplicated selection from the keg taps is Heineken, Moretti, Orchard Thieves cider and... Brixton Reliance (which just about counts I suppose).

Official site of Juniper & Co - www.gatwickairport.com

Official site of Juniper & Co - www.gatwickairport.com