Bald Faced Stag, East Finchley, N2

I was in here on Saturday afternoon for the first time in over a year and I think that it has vastly improved. The pool tables at the rear of the pub have gone and been replaced with a dining type area with an open kitchen and serving area. The old no smoking area is now a nice comfy room that has signs up advertising it for hire. Granted the pub has been given an uninspiring lick of paint, but at least the grotty old furniture has been replaced. The drinks available on my visit were Tribute Ale and Otter Ale (also a spare pump not in use) alongside Becks Vier, Heineken and Kronenburg. I found the bar staff to be very friendly although the head on the pints was just on the limit of being too large and if I had not been in a good mood I would have had to ask for them to be topped up each time I went to the bar. All of the bar staff did this, so it must be a management directive to serve short pints… Disgraceful as each one costs £3.30. It also took a while to get served during the early afternoon as there was only one barman and he also had to sort out teas and coffees. A little later in the afternoon another two staff were behind the bar so there was no problem. I'm not a big fan of pubs being ‘gastrofied' but in this case I think that it was well worth it.