Toby Carvery

Replacing Barnet’s only late opening, well established pillar drinking hole of the community with a family friendly, carnivore eatery was a risky move indeed but the Toby Carvery in High Barnet takes advantage of the on-site bar licence, offering drinkers a drink in the forefront section of this bar-restaurant and the rest of the gallant floorspace to meat eaters and their offspring. It has to be said that is not only a new shell on what used to be the Avenue, Dandy Lion, Firkin, Red Lion but a new body entirely. The whole concept means attractive beaming waiting staff, early closures and value-for-money roast dinners. The interior of the place has been swamped with oddments and collectibles, old photos of pop stars and the other usual amenities of a family restaurant.

Overall a shame to see such a famous drinking spot as this be turned into what is essentially a restaurant with a novelty bar - packed out with enough old people to fill its tables and streams of young people arriving at the front doors and walking away realising that it is now longer the crime-attracting boozer it was in the old days but a hearty restaurant none-the-less 6/10

The pubs in Barnet have an incredible heritage, highlighted in Richard Selby’s recent book about Barnet pubs. I have to say this is one of the best books on the history of Barnet and well worth a read.