Not already a member?
Join our community and
- Rate & review pubs
- Upload pictures
- Add events
JOIN for free NOW
Chat about:
Next Pubsgalore crawl in 2026 with sheffield hatter
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
The Five Bells, East Finchley, N2
N2
N2 0LZ
Pub Type
Flaming Grill (Spirit Pubs)Reviews (Current Rating Average: 3½ of 10) see review guidelines
David Walton left this review about The Five Bells
Visited 30/04/25
Cask offering of GK IPA and Abbot. Bit sceptical but the cask was perfectly fine (for what it is). Keg offering of Peroni, Amstel, Fosters, Guinness, Neck Oil, Gamma Ray, Camden Hells, original and dark fruits SB, Moretti, San Miguel, Madri.
GK pub with a large and today, super popular, rustic seating area out the front on rough grass with picnic style benches. Inside the bar counter is L shaped and following the interior shape of the venue. It is bare boarded around the bar counter but extremely well-worn carpet around the rest of the inside seating area. Seating is provided via booth tables, banquettes, regular tables and chairs and there was a large skylight at the back of the pub that made the rear well illuminated. There were quite a few screens showing early evening TV on my visit and there was no sound other than an extremely low volume soundtrack. The venue is obviously popular on an evening like this because of the rustic outside seating but as a pub in itself it is decidedly average.
On 4th March 2026
- rating: 4
[User has posted 1381 recommendations about 1363 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Five Bells
Dating back to 1751, this was surely once a coaching inn, though rebuilt in a modest brewers’ Tudor style, probably in the 1920s and since 2011, one of Greene King’s irresistible ‘Flaming Grill’ joints (ironic, given the close proximity to Finchley Crematorium), with two luverly signs at the entrance and exit to the substantial car park – with EV chargers – showing photos of the greasy fayre dished up within.
You can get an idea of the interior from my photo, but aside from the original bar counter, it’s a typical modernised by-the-numbers GK outlet: zoned colour schemes, zoned furniture with some patterned wallpaper, laminate or carpeted floor, games machines, décor in the form of pictures of the area from yesteryear along with meal deals and TVs showing silent, unwatched tennis to a virtually empty venue at the time of my Friday 9.50pm arrival, the few customers essentially amounting to gobby sozzled ladz on the lagerz, apart from a crying baby in the car park.
There were GK IPA and Abbott pumps along with a Beavertown fount, but the barman told me ‘We don’t really use those anymore’, so it was a pint of Moretti at a shocking £6.55.
This is a feeble pub; the Windsor Castle kicks ten bells out of this place.
On 23rd July 2024
- rating: 3
[User has posted 2307 recommendations about 2251 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Five Bells
I imagine this pub has changed quite a bit since the two previous reviews. It now looks like any one of similar pubs in this chain and others like it, being food oriented with a large car park. As I was here with a large group for a post-funeral party, there are no complaints on that score. There were four real ales available: Greene King IPA and Abbot Ale, Morland Old Speckled Hen and H&H Rocking Rudolf (is it Christmas?). My GK IPA was as good as it gets. The party food was generous with some pretty decent vegetarian options. So I suppose I can recommend the pub in that it does what it sets out to do pretty well, but I wouldn't make a point of coming here again (until the next funeral).
On 15th January 2020
- rating: 5
[User has posted 4674 recommendations about 4283 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alesonly . left this review about The Five Bells
This used too be a very good Pub just a few years Ago but the current Management seem too be running it into the ground. Staffing levels always seems too be very bad with arrogant staff that just don't seem too care and have no manners what so ever not even a Please or Thank you and ofter just serve there own Friends first whilst other customers are left waiting I suppose thats what you get using cheap labour. The Ale quality is not as good as it used to be either its normally far too warm & cloudy When I mentioned this too the staff I got the cop out reply its meant too be like that (NO its not). Also as the last poster says it feels very Clicky like your in someones Private club with all the lager drinkers.
I would not bother with the long walk up from the high road again.
On 24th May 2010
- rating: 3
[User has posted 132 recommendations about 105 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Strongers . left this review about The Five Bells
The grounds of the Five Bells are pretty big; they actually make the pub look small. Lots of no smoking areas, hence no seating in the smoking area even though half the pub was empty.
I found it to be very much a local's pub, to the point where I thought that I was trespassing. There was no unpleasantness, but there was no pleasantness either. Maybe it was just that time of the day when all the Friday afternoon drinkers were getting ready to go home and have some tea.
I wouldn't make a conscious decision to walk there from the high street again.
On 8th May 2007
- rating: 3
[User has posted 6576 recommendations about 6538 pubs]