The Highbury Barn Tavern Reviews Summary

Food Quality

Pros:

• "Though a little on the pricey side, the food is good, the wine and beer is decent."
• "The roast here is good and the beef is rare which is delicious and hard to find!"
• "This place has superb food, at not-insane prices."
• "Great drinks and great food!"
• "The Longhorn flat iron steak was delicious, beautifully cooked."
• "The establishment is reasonably priced. I personally had the fish and chips. The fish was massive and the batter was crispy and not oily."
• "I had the chicken liver parfait with red onion marmalade which is an absolutely excellent combination."

Cons:

• "The food is dreadful, some of the worst I have tried in London."
• "The food was not particularly good, beer was a little warm."
• "Real rubbish food, sloppy slow service from inattentive unfriendly staff."
• "The food was in general 'hard'.... the parsnip and carrot felt quite plastic to eat."
• "Totally gone down hill. £88 for 3 roasts which where tiny and burnt!! Chicken was dry, lamb was fatty."
• "The pork was overdone, the crackling was an indestructible shell, which was not edible."
• "Roast was really bad - dry, tough beef, anaemic potatoes and definitely frozen Yorkshire puddings."

Service

Pros:

• "The service and staff made this 5 star! Everything we needed was catered for and we didn't have to wait long either."
• "Staff moving seamlessly between their roles as staff to customer and then back to staff again."
• "Service both outside and in the back restaurant vibe area were both amazing."
• "Staff super friendly and helpful, customers just as nice from the handful of times I've visited as well."
• "Great pub with loads of staff on at busy times."
• "Staff were attentive, smiley and efficient - very good breakfast which was well cooked and presented."
• "Your staff members were attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable about the menu and drink selections."

Cons:

• "Its an absolute nightmare ringing up and booking a table and having the confidence 1 they have your correct details, 2 that you actually have the table booked."
• "However, at no point did the waitress check whether all our food had arrived, ask if everything was ok, ask whether we'd like any additional drinks or condiments or even check whether we were ready to pay; we had to request everything."
• "Now the staff are obnoxious and rude and the food is dire."
• "The worst thing is the really unfriendly and inefficient staff."
• "It took longer than expected to place our order and the waitress failed to ask if we'd like any drinks."
• "Stood at the bar for well over 5 minutes; the only customers waiting to be served."
• "Service: They have one good bartender, the rest are really slow and clueless."

Atmosphere

Pros:

• "Very nice atmosphere, everyone there seems pretty relaxed even when the football is showing."
• "A very pleasant place to sit/drink and watch the world go by."
• "Nice and spacious."
• "Highbury is a nice area for an evening out, as it's safe and still has some character."
• "It's got a premium feel that allows you to flip between your pub & nice restaurant sides."
• "The place looks amazing, it was the opening day of the season and the atmosphere was vibrant."
• "Lovely staff! Nice and spacious. Great drinks and great food!"

Cons:

• "Cramped into a corner of an *rse hole of a pub where you feel as safe as a gazelle in a crock pit."
• "It was dead on a Thursday night."
• "The big issue with this place is that is unwelcoming and unfriendly."
• "Great pub but I was there yesterday 29/12/22 the music seems to playing in the background by the time I finished my pint it took over as the volume got increased significantly unbearable r&b constant."
• "Also beyond me why football has to be streamed 24hrs a day - 7days a week. Really spoils what could be a nice atmosphere."
• "It is not a comfortable welcoming put in the slightest."
• "Great service but the pub doesn't have a cosy atmosphere unfortunately."

Pricing

Pros:

• "Nice place, good beer, prices are mad though."
• "Would visit again even if it was just for the pub food."
• "This place has superb food, at not-insane prices."
• "The establishment is reasonably priced. I personally had the fish and chips. The fish was massive and the batter was crispy and not oily."
• "Kitchen serves great food, reasonably priced, smart dining area, pleasant staff."
• "The flavours of the meal were gorgeous, seasoning was on point and really made up for other shortcomings."
• "Good food though."

Cons:

• "Value: Wouldn't call this a good value pub."
• "I've just been charged £6 - that's SIX POUNDS - for a pint of 3.8% cask ale."
• "Food is nice but a little overpriced…£10 for 5 small croquetas seemed a bit extreme."
• "New staff are inattentive, prices have shot up like crazy."
• "Two drinks came to nearly £20!"
• "I had one pint that cost me 6.25 to say the least I was shocked."
• "Once football orientated turned gastro pub. Unreasonably expensive simply because of the location."