Our news story yesterday on the Junction Tavern’s sale prompted dozens of you to tweet your concerns about the continuing quality of this most famous Kentish Town gastropub. So in the first of a new series, today we pinned down Camden Bars’ Ben McDonald, the new owner, for a quick chinwag.
Where are you from then?
I’m about as local as a Kentish Town local could be, having been born at Royal Free hospital, brought up in Bartholomew Rd and schooled at Torriano and Haverstock. And I’m delighted to be taking over what many consider to be one of the finest public houses in London.
What are the plans for The Junction?
Our initial plan is to try and maintain the high standards set by the previous owners. There will be no immediate or drastic changes especially on the food side, which I understand people are keen to know as this area is so highly thought of. Once we have settled in, over the next month I’ll then be able to make some tweaks – but don’t worry, I have 10 years’ extensive experience at the Lord Stanley & the Crown & Goose, both of which I ran for lengthy periods.
As mentioned, we will be maintaining the gastro food side of the pub with the possibility of extending our menu and offerings in the near future. Looking forward to utilising the lovely garden space too with some exciting BBQ’s.
What do you think about Young’s taking over the Bull & Gate?
Reluctant to answer this until I have a better idea as to their plans, however I do strongly encourage them to maintain the live music roots and history of the venue. Best not to try and replicate a gastro-style pub when we have enough sites doing great work locally already.
Will you do live music like the other bars in the group?
There are no immediate plans for live music but, once settled, I do think this an area we could look at. The conservatory especially lends itself as a beautiful setting for acoustic evenings and more – but again it’s very early days so watch this space.
Who would you like us to spend 2 minutes with? Send any ideas our way – info@kentishtowner.co.uk
15 thoughts on “2 Minutes With: Ben McDonald, New Owner, Junction Tavern”
Best of luck Ben. Having been a patron of The Crown & Goose for the last couple of years I’m extremely happy to know The Junction is in such safe hands.
Will it be any more child friendly?
Surely you can make it to the Tufnell Park Tavern -it’s practically a creche these days -and I say that as a mother of a 3 year old!
I KNEW he was the Crown and Goose guy! Does this mean that place is now up for grabs?
Nope. Junction now owned by Camden Bars, which also owns the Crown & Goose > > http://www.camdenbars.com/
Looks like the JT is in good hands. I hope the excellent staff all stay.
I’m not worried, pretty sure it was Ben who served us a few nights back – very friendly.
as long as the broad range of ales and eggs florentine stay I’m happy!
I was a regular at The Lord Stanley back when Ben was running it and he did a brilliant job. It was the sort of place you felt really lucky to live close to, there was really something special about it. We were sad to see him go and indeed the pub went downhill fast after he left and lost its magic. We now live in Dartmouth Park and are so pleased to see him back at one of our locals. The pub is definitely in very safe hands. Best of luck Ben and see you soon!
Hi Ben
We have been going to JT for over 5 years and returned tonight since your new ownership. On the face of it nothing has changed – except for the olives which are cheap & nasty (possibly Lidl?) compared to the previous ones!
The biggest draw for us locals is the excellent food and knowledgeable and friendly staff so i hope you don’t tweak these, Jess, Jonny, Craig & Albert have made the JT what it is today.
Before any more tweaking I would suggest you speak to the locals first for initial feedback. There are plenty of us!
I look forward to hearing your comments.
Emily
I’ve been lucky enough to have been a customer in most bars under Bens management over the years.
I think it’s fair to say that every tweak, every detail, every change that Ben made during his time at each bar had been made with a view to improve his customers experience in his establishments. I have complete & total trust in every single decision Ben makes & having moved to Tuffnel Park recently i am rubbing my hands with glee that my new local will be a bar run by Ben McDonald.
Cheers!
I hope the junction stays exactly as it is, its perfect. The last owners made it that way, its a real shame they have gone. The staff are brilliant and the food is classy. I hope they dont make it child friendly, this pub is for adults not noisy children.
I also hope that the pub stays the same. As a close neighbour, it’s the noisy adults who make the noise. Children are not allowed in after 7pm.
Any chance of a pub in the area with reasonable prices for ale/food? Both the JT and The Oxford are decent boozers but they are just that, pubs. Both have pretty eye-watering pricing structures for food and beer (and £4.10 for a pint of lager?!).
I appreciate that property prices are insane but surely there’s a gap in the market for a pub which doesn’t take the jimmy roger when it comes to the bill.
Pineapple? £3.40 a pint of guest ale £3.20 Doombar
I’ve been here most weeks since I moved to the neighbourhood some seven years ago. The food offering is excellent and reliable (in particular, my friends and I love that there are always plenty of fish and vegetarian options available). The staff are wonderful — I really hope they stay on and are involved in whatever changes are made.
Ben I overheard news from a group of your mates (one was wearing a red mac) on the Overground on Monday morning. Tell them to keep it down next time 🙂