We’ve all got history with the St John’s Tavern. It’s always been a ‘thing’, hasn’t it? A little like the Junction in Kentish Town, in fact – even way back in the noughties.
This special quality has something to do with the heritage feel of the space: that curving main bar, the rear dining room furnished in a bohemian way with framed art and rugs. And the food was consistently reliable, if not always dazzling. But it is that cliched thing: an iconic North London watering hole.
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This year it was snapped up Urban Pubs & Bars, apparently London’s largest independent pub group with 60 sites, who have been gulping down boozers aplenty, including the Red Lion in Leytonstone and the George in Wanstead.
Back open today, St John’s has benefited from a £1 million refurbishment. We’re promised the the venue’s distinctive character will remain, while introducing “a refreshed design, updated garden space, and extended lounge area, ensuring the tavern continues to feel both timeless and contemporary,” chirrups the PR blurb.
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The kitchen has been “fully upgraded” and presumably the goal is to match the smash hit Parakeet down the road in its food offer. So there’ll be “local and seasonal produce, starters such as Maldon rock oysters with apple and horseradish vinegar, scallops with leek cream and bacon, and grilled sardines with Kalamata tapenade.”
Mains will comprise pub classics with “refined touches”, including skate wing with caper and parsley butter, pork tomahawk with celeriac and apple slaw, aged Hereford beef burger with skinny fries, and a 28-day rib eye served with triple cooked chips and bearnaise.
Plus, you can expect sharing dishes such as cock-a-leekie pie and slow-cooked lamb shoulder with braised lentils, with desserts like burnt cheesecake with sherry and fig, sticky toffee pudding with clotted cream, and chocolate and Guinness cake with vanilla ice cream. And hearty roasts on Sundays.
The pub will be open seven days a week, with a launch event on Friday 7th November to celebrate the next chapter. Thursday is Oyster Night with fresh Maldon oysters at £2 each, while monthly supper clubs will bring the community together around curated seasonal menus.
Will it still feel bohemian then, but with elevated food? Time will tell.
@stjohnstavern, 91 Junction Road, London, United Kingdom N195QU
