St John's Tavern

The roomy Archway pub is one of north London’s most quietly excellent pubs for all things drinking and eating. There’s a classic, comfortable, early 2000s feel about this gastropub—all wooden floorboards, pints, and gooey scotch eggs. But it’s also a cut above the rest. On Sundays it comes into its own, whether you’re in a big group spread out in the dining room, or at a table around the bar. Enormous shoulders of lamb sitting in a shallow pool of glistening, deep brown gravy. Yorkshire puds that you could comfortably wear on your head, alongside slices of beef rump that belong in your mouth. There are the less traditional things your table needs for good measure: a frisbee-sized chicken schnitzel topped with a lemon and caper butter, or rabbit ragu tagliatelle. Combined with its mean ability make a fine martini, this isn’t just a decent place for a pint and a bite, it’s a perfect one.