Junction Tavern, Kentish Town  

On the surface this seemed like another gastropub done by the book, with the book in question being "How to Make a Gastropub in 10 Easy Lessons". A wine list more expensive than local restaurants? Check. Large 'eating only' area? Check. Trendy young things trying to lounge nonchalantly? Check. This one does, however, fare better than some other North London casualties. The exterior and wood panelled drinking area have been left more or less in tact - so there's a dark, luxurious feeling to the place. A large back garden promises a pleasant alfresco experience for the summer and a heated conservatory a compromise for the other 49 weeks of the year. Unusually for a gastropub, not only has the Junction Tavern resisted the temptation to remove one of the nouns from the name and start calling itself a bar, it even has three real ales on tap (and fairly regular mini beer festivals). One annoying trait we've noticed though is the propensity for reserved signs to be liberally scattered about; on our last visit we saw that about three quarters of tables were booked with the cutlery already laid out, none of which is really what being a pub is about.

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