The Angel Inn, Highgate, N6

Four ales on during my visit on Friday lunchtime – GKIPA, Doom Bar, Broadside, and something called O Garden Pontypridd. The Doom Bar was at a reasonable price of £3 a pint, but everyone else ordering ale was going for the GKIPA – perhaps it was even cheaper. There were also numerous premium lagers available, such as Paulaner, Staropramen, Früli, Kuzel, Leffe Blonde, Erdinger, and Franziskaner. All the tables bore a single sheet menu, but it was fairly extensive nonetheless. Standard main courses are around the £8 - £9 mark, sandwiches around £4.50 - £5 with a portion of chips an extra £1.25. But it seems that the menu is not as extensive as I first thought – a group of ladies came in looking for some soup (no joy), and some foreign bird wanted some camomile tea – also no joy. Just what are pubs coming to these days not doing traditional pub staples like these, eh? But there was a chalkboard advertising some fixed price menus, as well as Sunday roasts. Inside it’s a single room affair, with the bar counter facing the street, and with seating stretching to the back and left of it. Furnishings were mainly normal tables and chairs, but there were the inevitable couple of sofas lurking off to one side near a fireplace. The front of the bar counter was, unusually, painted sky blue (got to be better than the usual black), which will no doubt get a reaction from chums who support the Manchester clubs. But the pub has retained its wood panelled walls, which gives it something of a traditional look. Also, a large potted plant added to the drawing room look, but in contrast the glass panelling near the entrance was plastered with adverts, mostly for local events and activities. This is not the best pub in Highgate, but it is nowhere near being the worst either. I certainly wouldn’t mind patronising this pub again.

Official site of the Angel Inn, contains menu and drinks list - www.theangelhighgate.co.uk

Official site of the Angel Inn, contains menu and drinks list - www.theangelhighgate.co.uk

I had an enjoyable few pints of Heineken in here on Sunday evening. It was pretty busy with a fairly young crowd, but the layout of the pub is good so there was plenty of standing room. One of the bar staff managed to squirt me straight in the eye with water from the drip tray glass rinse. Even though he still had a smirk on his face he did actually apologise. It was over £1 for a packet of crisps, so heaven knows what a full meal costs. I would go back here as it was a good laugh.