Harringay Arms
153 Crouch Hill Crouch End London N8 9QH
This is a long-established Crouch End watering-hole, but new management have made attempts to woo a younger hipster crowd with an alternative vibe. They’ve even attached a small café and – blimey – a wine bar. However, in spite of this the Harringay remains defiantly old-fashioned in design-conscious Crouch End. Friendly, and enjoyably scruffy too, a warm cocoon of patterned carpet and old wood whose walls are hung with bygone film posters, album covers and pictures of Irish literary heroes. It is the sort of place where George the cat dozes on seats, and older drinkers mix with indie kids who come for live gigs a couple of times a week (usually Thursday and Sunday) or well-attended vinyl nights on Monday. A genuine, mixed, local boozer, in other words. Just don’t call it retro.