The Night Owl, Finsbury Park, N4

Pub SignMan left this review about The Night Owl

Located just across the bus station apron outside Finsbury Park Station, this is a relatively new bar and live music venue. The bar has a simple, single room layout with a plain screed floor, large shop-style windows to the front, dark wood panels along the walls and a small stage at the far end. The servery is along the left-hand wall, opposite the entrance, and has a simple counter and modern bar back devoid of any notable features. During the daytime, comfy lounge seating fills the front space under the windows, with standard tables and chairs to the right as the room runs to the rear, and high tables and stools to the left, although much of this gets cleared away in the evenings if there is music on. The stage, with its chequerboard floor and large backdrop of the pub logo on a black wall, is quite low, making it tricky to see what's going on if you're stood near the bar, but the sound was pretty impressive on my visit.
There's no cask ale, perhaps inevitably, but some mega-corp craft can be found in the form of Camden Pale and two Beavertown brews amongst the usual lager options. The Camden Pale weighed in at a hefty £6.80 a pint and was served by a generally friendly and efficient bar team.
It's always good to see a new live music venue come onto the scene and I enjoyed the gig I saw here, but as a pub I didn't think the place really had all that much to offer. The beer is mainstream and over-priced and I can't imagine there's much atmosphere here outside of their live music nights, so I'll be back for more gigs I'm sure, but pre-show drinks will be taken elsewhere.

Date of visit - 21st June 2024

On 31^st October 2024 - rating: 4
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