The Gate, Arkley, Barnet

A former countryside Inn of some character which has undergone the Gastro makeover and is now better described as a restaurant rather than a pub. Fortunately a lot of the original character has been retained and, although I have never eaten here, I know several people who have and they all rave about the food. Dropped in last night on my way towards Barnet to catch a quick beer, which was the same choices as described below. I managed to get the last spot remaining in the car park, despite it being early evening and the pub wasn’t particularly busy on entering. This is probably due to the fact that’s its location dictates you drive here and the residents of the surrounding Arkley and Totteridge all drive 4x4’s and are not familiar with the concept of car sharing. So fully support the previous reviewers conclusion that this is a decent enough food focused pub, but not the place for just a few beers.

This is a good sized pub that is split into lots of different areas creating some very nice intimate seating and also table space for families to sit at comfortably. Two of the three hand pumps were on during my visit and these were serving up Abbot and Ordinary, but I opted for a well served Guinness from the limited standard draught selection. This is primarily a food pub and I wouldn’t go here just for a beer as there is little atmosphere, but I wasn’t made to feel out of place just having a drink. There is a paved area out the back which leads to a much bigger grassed area that is dotted with picnic tables. This is a pleasant dining pub that is perfect for families and dates, but I wouldn’t recommend popping in for a few cheeky pints.