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Disappointment of the week with Real Ale Ray
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Detail Pages
Maynard Arms, Crouch End, N8
Crouch End
N8
N8 8SX
Pub Type
Metropolitan Pub Co (Greene King)Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
Steve of N21 left this review about Maynard Arms
The Maynard Arms in Crouch End is a Victorian pub originally built in 1851 by the Maynard family, hence the pub name. However, this is a pub that has clearly been modernised and changed over the years to reflect and address the changing demographic of Crouch End and feels anything but a Victorian corner boozer.
It advertises itself as a Pub, Kitchen and Garden, which is a pretty accurate description of what you find when you enter the front door.
It’s now quite a sizeable interconnected internal space aiming at the Gastro dining pub crowd and has a decor largely described below. The first section you enter into from Park Road is the bar area, with an elevated section to the left and stool, table and comfortable settee seating mainly along the edges.
Then there is a smart dining section in the section beyond and behind the L shaped bar. This then opens out into a very pleasant multi sectioned courtyard garden area to the end of the pub. It clearly has a focus on food, but at 6pm on a Wednesday evening it was reassuring busy with the afterwork drinking crowd and although the dining section was empty, both the bar and garden were full of drinkers only.
This is one that clearly appeals to a younger demographic than your average CAMRA card carrying member, and there were several groups in, but also several singletons working on their PC’s, both in the bar and the garden. I know others mind this type of activity in a pub, but in one of this size I can forgive it, especially as the bar area with its tons of natural light coming through the sizeable front windows must be a better spot than home working on a fine weather day.
The good news for CAMRA members though is that we are accommodated with a couple of decent ales and an offered CAMRA discount. The pub is managed by the Metropolitan Pub Company, the Green King Arm that seems to have a lot more freedom over which beers they serve.
For my visit the available ales were TT Landlord, Signal Brewery Absolutely Fuggled and Crouch End Cask. I swerved the GK brew (you didn’t need a lot of intelligence to work out that the Crouch End Cask was one of theirs) and went for the Signal brew which was a well kept pint, and took it out into the garden to enjoy it.
I thought they got the balance of Gastro food focus and wet sales quite well here and as I have got over any downer on historical pubs that have had to modernise to survive a long time ago I am happy to give The Maynard Arms the rating it deserves.
On 15th August 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2110 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about Maynard Arms
A mid-19th century pub, located midway between the centre of Crouch End and the route out to Muswell Hill.
It’s clear that this place has been substantially fiddled with over the years, even since the last review; I couldn't see anything of the original interior on offer, it really looks quite subjected to gastropub clichés: a part field panelled bar back but with bare brick, huge industrial metal lampshades over the bar, windows lined with fairy lights, a modern floor, fawn coloured high vinyl peripheral banquettes, limited lighting, large rectangular tall tables with tall upholstered chairs, exposed electrical trunking, smoky dark blue walls with a white ceiling and Deacon Blue on the stereo at a reasonable level.
There’s a slightly raised drinking area to the front, with a similarly raised dining area to the rear, which looks more homely.
Service was sluggish, but I was finally served with a decent pint of Hammerton’s N1 on good form and at a pricey £5.20; further options were GK IPA and something called Crouch End Cask, origin unknown.
This isn’t really a great place and as there are several superior pubs in N8, I don’t envisage a return visit, not that I’m a habitué of the area.
On 16th September 2021
- rating: 4
[User has posted 1983 recommendations about 1949 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about Maynard Arms
The Maynard Arms is a corner pub that is painted in the London black colour.
Once inside there is a long oblong shaped room which runs to the rear,the front area is carpeted and has bench seating and settees,there is a small raised area to the front left,the bar is on the right side,this area is bare boarded and has normal tables and chairs,there is a table football opposite the bar,the rear area is up one step and there is a dining room off this to the right.
There was a decent choice of real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Trumans Swift which went down very well,the other beers noted were Porobello Star,Portobello Summer Bloom,Alchemy Blonde and GK IPA.
There was background music playing which was crap.
A decent enough pub to stop off a for a drink while on a pub crawl.
Pub visited 4/8/2016
On 25th September 2016
- rating: 7
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about The Maynard Arms
This large former Greene King pub has undergone a hefty refurbishment (one of many in recent years if reports are anything to go by) and now has more of a Gastro approach. The pub name is conveniently and trendily subheaded “pub, dining and garden” to ensure that it encompasses every possible target customer.
The interior is large and spacious with bare polished wooden floors, high ceilings and large plain windows. Furnishings range from mixed oddments to almost luxurious leather banquettes and chesterfields and tables with the now standard chunky candles glowing in the subdued lighting. The pub does feel a little impersonal due its open plan nature and size.
Although there are a few sections that can be roped off for functions and parties. There is a slightly raised section opposite the bar and to the rear, an extended area culminating in an L-shaped glazed and modern brick conservatory housing a more formal dining area. Behind the pub is a pleasant and quite sizeable, partly decked, secure garden cover and patio heaters.
Now part of the Real Pub chain, the pub is free from its Greene King tie and the beer range is far superior because of it. 4 ales were available on my visit - Doom Bar, Twickenham Sundancer, Old Dairy AK 1911and Hook Norton Old Hooky. Prices quite steep £3.60 for a 4% ale being more than I would expect. There was a sign up for a Meet the Brewer evening and beer festival so the pub does appear to be taking its ales seriously. The food is quite upmarket with main courses around £11-£19 although some cheaper lunchtime options are available.
There was some pretty good background music (Chuck berry, CSN&Y) when I was there and a single TV so I suspect that it isn’t the footie haven that it once was. The staff were friendly and efficient and the customer base appeared to be a good mix. Whilst this isn’t generally my preferred sort of pub, I wouldn’t have a problem returning when in the area.
On 16th February 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Maynard Arms
This is a big Greene King pub serving up IPA, Abbot, Old Speckled Hen and St Edmunds alongside a selection of standard and premium lagers. I found the staff to be ok, but the general ambience in the pub was verging on depressing. There is a plasma screen, but there is no sport advertised so no Sky Sports. I found that the slow jazz music was sucking the life out of me, so thankfully I was able to finish my pint in the reasonably sized paved beer garden out the back of the pub.
This place aspires to be a trendy gastro pub where everyone eats tapas and listens to acoustic sets, but in reality it is bland and forgettable and I can't see myself returning.
On 23rd June 2009
- rating: 4
[User has posted 5228 recommendations about 5196 pubs]