The Junction Tavern, Kentish Town, NW5

CAMRA GBG 2017 Entry. Looked through window and could only see dining tables but it is larger than expected, with bar, conservatory and nice garden around the back. A surprising TT Boltmaker was offer. Genuinely rarely seen outside of Yorkshire. In good nick. A decent pub. Visit blogged at http://bit.ly/2wM3nj2

The Junction Tavern is a typical looking London corner pub which has black painted frontage. You have to enter the pub from the side entrance,once inside the pub is split into two halfs,the bar faces inwards and serves the rear room which is for drinkers,this room is bare boarded and has basic wood benches and pew seats plus normal tables and chairs,the front area is seat aside for diners and all tables here are laid out for them,there is also an open kitchen in the front area. There was a decent choice of real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Reunion Ales Opening Gambit,which was a very nice drink,the other real ales were Taylor Landlord,Ringwood Boondogle,Wye Valley HPA and By the Horns Hop Air Balloon. I thought this was a very pleasant pub to have a drink in with friendly service. Pub visited 2/6/2017

Came across this pub by chance after searching for another local pub.I remember this pub from a few years ago and always liked it.Happy memories of past beer fests in here.Great interior and nice beer garden.Nice atmosphere in here tonight.About 4 or 5 cask beers inc Ghost Ship,Tea,Landlord and By the Horns -Hop air balloon.

Sharps Eden, Skinners Cornish Knocker, Deuchers, Nelson Loose Cannon, good quality except the Nelson which wasn't 100%, glad I had a taster before I'd committed to a pint (all £3). Was a little worried on entry as I headed left and found a ‘modern bistro'(?)/ coffee shop style with all tables taken & nowhere to stand but presumably that is predominently for the food side of things and, as I backtracked, to my relief, I found the bar; nice wood panelled walls, decorative ceiling, old wood floor, large windows, large mirrors to rear, & what I consider to be proper pub furniture – wooden tables & chairs. Until I used the loo I hadn't realised that this style continues around the corner, then gives on to a very pleasant conservatory area and, beyond this, beer garden with picnic sets. Newspapers available on bar.

This is a Victorian street corner pub which now splits the main front and rear rooms into a restaurant and separate drinking room to the rear, this accessed via a door in the side road. Once there would have been an island bar however the restaurant side is now converted to an open kitchen cum servery which probably explains why the dividing bar back looks considerably more recent than the counter. The bar area has a wooden floor and some well preserved and attractive wood panelling with carved detailing interspersed by a series of mirrors. The carved detail is repeated on the square columns either end of the bar and around the fireplace, centrally located opposite the bar. The ceiling has a circular raised pattern with gilded features, ornate glass chandeliers, moulded cornices and frieze and decorative buttresses. The pub has been extended at some time to the rear with another drinking area culminating in a conservatory which leads in turn to a garden with picnic benches. Seating is at standard height, comprising regular style chairs and tables plus a pair of benches. The beer range is decent, of five handpumps, four were clipped offering Otter Ale, Twickenham Sundancer, Sambrooks Wandle and Exmoor Gold (£3.80). A bit of a local/south west split. The pub's earlier life can be seen courtesy of the Courage cockerel remaining on top of the pub sign. It would be easy to dismiss this pub as a gastro only joint if glancing in from Fortess Rd however the rear bar is worth a visit for its fine interior and decent selection of ales. The welcome and service were friendly and the beer was good.

This large street corner pub has a striking Victorian exterior, replete with some old Courage branding which has survived the pub's transformation from traditional boozer to full-on gastro pub experience. The interior thankfully retains some of the splendour of the past, with some intricate panelling in the main room, especially around the fireplace. The ceiling is also very nice, with several chandeliers and a relief frieze running around the room under detailed support pillars. There is a modest amount of standard pub seating in this room, but it feels comfortable enough and I enjoyed nursing my pint in here whilst waiting for the rain to ease outside. A half decent soundtrack playing quietly in the background gave the place a bit of life during a quiet period of the day. The front room however is an entirely different proposition, as it is set up solely for diners and has a large open kitchen along one wall, making it feel much more like a restaurant than a gastro pub. The phone in the main bar was ringing off the hook for much of the time I was there, with people clearly eager to make bookings, so perhaps the food is wonderful. Unfortunately I didn't manage to see a menu, so I can only speculate. A trip to the toilet before departing revealed a very big room to the rear, which I'd not expected at all. There was loads more seating in here, including some in a conservatory area which led in turn to the beer garden. There were four beers available: Timothy Taylor Landlord, Deuchars IPA, Sambrooks Wandle and Adnams Broadside. I tried the Landlord which was in pretty average shape - nothing to write home about. There were loads of people behind the bar, so getting served wasn't too much of an issue. I thought this was an attractive pub and I can't really have any complaints as it served me well as somewhere to duck in to avoid a soaking, but its food led approach will certainly put off anyone hoping for a traditional Victorian street corner pub. Worth a look if you're on a crawl round the area, but there are some far better pubs close by.