Seven Crouch End and Hornsey pubs worth the walk

Crouch End drinks better than most places its size, and none of the seven below asks for more than a twenty-minute walk. Between the Clock Tower and Hornsey High Street there is a Victorian corner house with a courtyard, a Grade II listed tavern from the railway age, a gastropub that would rather the under-12s went home at seven, and a comedy club that has outlasted every other in London. These are the ones we would send a friend to, with a note on what each is for.

The King's Head — 2 Crouch End Hill

A comedy club upstairs since 1981 is not a novelty in Crouch End; it is the furniture. Downstairs at the King's Head bills itself as London's longest-established comedy club. Sunday afternoons belong to Crouch End Jazz, four until seven, free on the door. Ticket holders are handed a token good for 20% off drinks and snacks after the show until closing, which is the kind of detail that keeps a room full after the lights come up. This is the pub to choose when the evening needs a shape. downstairsatthekingshead.com

The Queens — 26 Broadway Parade

The grand Victorian corner pub on the Broadway, run by Brunning & Price, with a sunny courtyard garden behind it. Well-behaved dogs are welcome on the lead, and supervised children and families at lunchtimes and early evenings, which is when the pub says the families come. It is the pub for the occasion that involves other people: a birthday, a Sunday table, in-laws who want somewhere handsome. brunningandprice.co.uk/queens

The Great Northern Railway Tavern — 67 High Street, Hornsey

Built in 1897 and Grade II listed, now a Fuller's house, and the most impressive interior on this list. There is a garden, baby changing, dogs and families welcome, and live sport. The best room of the seven, and the one to pick when there is a match on or a birthday to accommodate. thegreatnorthernrailway.co.uk

The Maynard Arms — 70 Park Road

Built in 1851 and still trading on Park Road, with a spacious beer garden, dogs allowed and children welcome. The garden is what earns it its place: this is the one to aim for on the first warm Saturday, when the Broadway pavements are full and nobody wants to be indoors. maynardarmsn8.co.uk

The Good Reader — 120 Park Road

Villiers Terrace stood here for years; it closed, and the room reopened as an independent gastropub under this name. Children are welcome for food until seven, after which only those aged 12 and over may eat in the dining room, and then with a parent or guardian. The rule is unusually plainly stated, and worth knowing before you book. It is a cashless house, cards only. The grown-up dinner of the seven. thegoodreader.co.uk

The Stapleton Tavern — 2 Crouch Hill

Down at the Stroud Green end of Crouch Hill, the Stapleton is the least ceremonious pub on this list and the most useful for it: a drink rather than a booking, the kind of local that does not require a plan or a table. When the rest of the patch is fully reserved on a Friday, this is where you go.

Small Beer — 22 Topsfield Parade

Trading on Topsfield Parade where the Wishing Well used to be, under a sign that tells you what it is about. Small Beer is the most drink-led room on this list, and the one to choose when the beer is meant to be the point rather than the accompaniment.

How to choose

For a night out with a show attached, the King's Head. For a table with people you want to impress, the Queens or the Great Northern Railway Tavern. For a garden on a warm afternoon, the Maynard Arms. For dinner without a high chair in sight, the Good Reader. For a pint and nothing else asked of you, the Stapleton Tavern. For the beer itself, Small Beer.

Details checked on 10 September 2026.