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Yet another list with Tris39
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Detail Pages
Winchmore, Winchmore Hill, N21
N21
N21 1QA
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 5 of 10) see review guidelines
Tris C left this review about Winchmore
Dating from the 1850s but almost certainly rebuilt and possibly in the ‘20s or ‘30s, as mentioned this was the Chase Side Tavern, Winchmore Arms, Willow now Winchmore again.
The interior is pure modern, with a flagstone or herringbone floor, modern furniture, much of it banquette, a Wednesday quiz (with silent sport); little children gambolled about at the time of my 8.15pm visit and the overpowering gust of fried food was even more off-putting than the smell of sweaty feet at the Dog & Duck.
Obviously real ale has left the building since the previous reviewer’s visit as there was just an unused pump, then fizz ‘n’ Guinness.
With young kids and potent pen and ink, I thought this was a feeble offering, easily the worst in N21 and the lack of cask didn’t help which is why I walked; the King’s Head is a short stroll but quicker on the 125 omnibus.
Rated: 3.5.
On 25th May 2026
- rating: 3
[User has posted 2337 recommendations about 2279 pubs]
David Walton left this review about Winchmore
Visited 03/06/25
Cask was a single pump dispensing Tribute. Keg offering was Brixton Reliance Pale Ale, Orchard Thieves cider, Neck Oil, Fosters, Heineken, Guinness, Amstel, Cruz, Moretti.
Quite large corner pub with some outside seating at the side of the pub with picnic benches on a paved area. Inside it is bare boarded with a ceramic tiled skirt along the bar counter which is on the back wall opposite the corner entrance to the venue. Stool seating at the bar counter and the locals here were all perched on these on my visit. The area around the bar had leather banquettes around the external walls serving regular tables with a mish mash of dining chairs the other side thereof. There was a log burner in the fire grate on the left-hand wall with the entrance to the beer garden off the left-hand end of the bar counter and a raised seating area in the space behind the fire grate with regular tables and chairs. The area to the right of the entrance was a small seating area with regular tables and chairs. I had initially assumed it was a dining area, but no different to the rest of the venue. The kitchen to the left edge and behind the bar counter had a large pizza oven and the venue clearly pointed to the pizza offering. Indeed, as I discovered on leaving there was a structure built onto the side of the pub and accessed from the rear car park that was a pizza restaurant which was clearly popular with families on my mid evening visit. The TV was switched off, and a slow soulful soundtrack was playing. Passed this place a few times and so finally ticked off as a pleasant neighbourhood venue that is no better than average in the pecking order of North London (or indeed anywhere) pubs.
On 24th May 2026
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1770 recommendations about 1743 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about Winchmore
A recent revamp of the bar top has now seen two of the original handpumps removed leaving a solitary pump which has St Austell tribute but was reverse clipped for my visit this week. So no ales available but the usual Brixton Pale Ale and Beavertown Neck Oil on the keg taps. The rest of my review of it being food focussed and family and dog friendly still holds true.
Original Review:8th November 2017
Glad to be able to report that this one reopened in June 2015 after being taken over by a brother and sister pair from Ireland, changed its name back to close to a previous incarnation and is still going fairly strong a couple of years later.
Not sure how much they did or whether they inherited the current modern interior from its time as the Willow, as I never visited during this phase, but it is now a modern interior with the usual farrow and ball pastel shades with greens and greys featuring prominently, light oak wood flooring throughout and some brown leather sofa seating in the main bar area and the small room to the right of the bar. The raised conservatory to the side has been modernised since the days I used to lounge here when it was the Chase Side Tavern and is now used extensively for dining, and from what I can remember the outside patio area by the very small car park has been upgraded as well.
Food is clearly a major focus here, as presumably they inherited the open kitchen and the Pizza oven behind the bar from the Willow incarnation, and Pizza’s, burgers and steaks feature during the week and Sunday roasts come in at £15 to £16. I have eaten here once shortly after it reopened and wasn’t that blown away. But recent reports on Trip advisor are very encouraging as far as the kitchen is concerned.
On the drinks front the house speciality is Gin and they have over 60 variants available behind the bar. Unfortunately for us beer drinkers that is not mirrored in the beer offerings. Along with the usual chrome offerings there are three ale hand pumps with two functional at any time. These usually carry St Austell’s Tribute and something badged as Winchmore Ale, which actually isn’t a too bad dark amber ale when I have tried it.
Popped in again late last Sunday after an afternoon’s constitutional through the close by Groveland Park and it was good to find the pub packed. But it prides itself on being dog and family friendly, the downside of this being that the Conservatory dining area was full of families with small kids who were hyper with e-numbers and running amok and pissed parents who were incapable of controlling them.
But I would rather it was like this and open than boarded up and shut again so I wish it well.
On 9th April 2025
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2351 recommendations about 2197 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about Willow
This decent sized road side pub is currently closed and boarded up..
In the 70's and 80's it was known as The Chase Side Tavern and got quite a reputation as a youngsters pub which inevitably led to rowdy behaviour on Friday and Saturday evenings..
But guiltily I have to confess that period overlapped my formative drinking years and good fun some of those rowdy Saturday nights were.
Unfortunately its location in quite a residential area led to complaints and it was taken over and done up and reopened as the Winchmore Hill Arms.
However it then continued as an average pub with no unique selling points and it always struggled to find a sizeable audience, especially being stuck out of the way in the middle of the pubs in Southgate and Winchmore Hill Green.
And so a few years ago (2009 I believe) it was sold and taken over by some local entrepreneurs who tried to make it an upmarket swish bar / restaurant and re-branded it as The Willow. It was aimed at the flash young things of North London who want to be seen whilst they spend lots of money and would ignore the crap service levels and not very good food. And in the current financial climate there isn’t enough of them to keep this incarnation going. Hence the current metal shutters..
On 18th April 2013
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2351 recommendations about 2197 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Strongers . left this review about Willow
This place has reopened and has changed its name from 'The Winchmore Arms' to ‘Willow' and it has been turned into a chilled Spanish restaurant/gastro pub complete with live Spanish guitar that was playing on my visit. There is a sign up outside stating that a restaurant will be opening upstairs shortly which was surprising as it wasn't very busy whilst I was there.
The three hand pumps at the end of the bar have been cleaned and polished to become a feature, but alas I fear that they will never dispense anything resembling a real ale ever again. The draught pumps for Fosters, Kronenburg, Bulmers and Guinness are hidden low behind the bar so that you have to ask what is on offer as I think that table service is the order of the day. The couple of business men along from me that were talking shop and tucking into the vast array of spirits behind the bar alongside the barman/waiter shaking up some cocktails had me thinking that I was in a hotel bar.
I'd take the wife here for a meal as it is very nice, but it would not even enter my brain to go here just for a Guinness again.
On 27th May 2009
- rating: 6
[User has posted 6673 recommendations about 6635 pubs]