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Chat about:
Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat
on the Pub Forum
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 5½ of 10) see review guidelines
Steve of N21 left this review about Hillbilly Social 101
This new opening is on the site of the original Step pub (and before that Henley’s Bar), which sadly closed for good in March 2020 and was purchased by a property developer who subsequently gutted the interior and submitted multiple planning permissions to turn it into flats. These were vigorously contested by the local resident’s association who raised more than 500 objections and managed to achieve community benefit society (CBS) status in 2021 as part of a campaign to raise the cash and buy the building from the developers, and return it to the local community use as a pub.
The resident’s association successfully purchase the building at the beginning of this year and have entrusted its running to the Muswell Hillbilly Brewery (who are long term supporters of the monthly Middleton Road Sunday market), and after a period of refitting and a couple of trial events, it opened its doors to the public earlier this month.
Largely a single space that stretches back from the front door past the serving bar on the right to a small garden outback. There is no cellar here, so its keg products only and as you would expect the Hillbilly beers are prominent on the keg taps, with three available alongside a couple of guests for my visit. All beers from the taps are priced at £6.50 and their Bowes Park Pale was a decent craft brew. Then there is a fair collection of bottles and cans behind the bar.
It currently does not open on a Monday or Tuesday and opens at 3.30PM every other day of the week. With the Bohem Brewery Tap room on the opposite side, Myddleton Road is becoming a bit of a destination for the craft beer crowd and for those who cannot live without a cask ale then The Prince is a 13 minute walk away.
On 25th September 2024
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2236 recommendations about 2098 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Strongers . left this review about Henleys Bar
I was in here for a couple of beers last Friday night and there were only about 6 other people in. The barmaid was very friendly and the locals seemed ok even though they were so drunk they couldn't open the door to leave.
The front of this shop conversion is very small and looks very unwelcoming, like an estate social club. There is a plasma screen at either end of the narrow pub, one of which was showing cricket and the other had Gavin and Stacy playing away. Both had the sound on which was mildly irritating.
I was directed to the back yard for a cigarette and found myself plunged into total darkness. I ended up using the light from my phone to discover that there are a couple of tables out there along with the beer crates.
Even though the barmaid was nice and locals inoffensive I don't think that I'll bother returning here.
On 5th December 2008
- rating: 4
[User has posted 5965 recommendations about 5931 pubs]