The Springfield Tavern, Bowes Park, N11

Visited 19/05/25 Cask offering from three hand pumps was GK IPA x2 plus Caledonian Deuchars. Keg offering was Fosters, Moretti, Camden Hells, Neck Oil, San Miguel, Guinness, Madri, Aspall, SB original, Carling, Carlsberg and Stella. This is a bare boarded high ceilings venue essentially L shaped with the bar counter along the left-hand wall from near the front to a bit beyond the middle of the venue. The bar counter itself is also an L shape and is quite attractive where most of the punters inside were perched on the stools at the bar counter. The glass frontage on the two exterior sides meant the front part was well illuminated on a sunny evening. The windows had leather studded banquettes thereunder serving regular tables including a raised balustraded area to the immediate right of the entrance. Otherwise, some regular tables and chairs in the middle section and a stone fire grate beneath the preeminent TV in the venue. Beyond the bar counter was a seating area with the same leather banquettes fitted around the window looking out onto the outside seating area and regular tables and chairs. The area lacked atmosphere but was signposted as the dining area. On the right-hand side was a ledge with tall leather backed stools facing a wood panelled wall but each having the attraction of its own power socket. Out the back was a beer garden, largely with covered seating. This wasn't a venue big on TV screens, having enough to cover big events, but despite a decent music soundtrack it was a bit of a damp squib. Adding overall impressions of the postcode area to the alphabetically last pub, this one hardly took much getting round. At least three of the four venues had cask beer, and all had more than one option, albeit all were mainstream choices. For me, the Ranelagh was the best venue for cask fans and the most pleasant venue, but the bar was low in this small postcode area!

This is a late 19th century pub situated on a busy road; a Taylor Walker cannon can still be seen atop the pole sign; I too am not sure if this is a stealth Greene King outlet. I can’t be certain if the interior has had yet another makeover since Steve’s review, but it’s totally modernised with what is in effect a modern ‘Victorian’ interior: gone are the dartboard and pool table, now a greyish modern boarded floor (raised area to the right-hand side), patterned graphite or wacky ‘jungle foliage’ wallpaper, though a very fine cornice to a white ceiling; the rear appears to have more of a cocktail bar/restaurant appearance, all visible on their website. There were multiple screens showing silent horseracing, décor taking the form of those awful ‘portraits’ of humans with dogs’ heads. Customers were few for a Friday at just gone 8.00pm and all examples of your typical British Bloke. There was cask, but not one I’d opt for, with Deuchars or GK IPA, a half of Neck Oil, £3.40 served by a friendly barmaid. This place is a far cry from the Ranelagh down the road, the preferred option in N11.

Facebook page of The Springfield Tavern - www.facebook.com

Official site of The Springfield Tavern - www.thespringfieldtavern.co.uk

Facebook page of The Springfield Tavern - www.facebook.com

Official site of The Springfield Tavern - www.thespringfieldtavern.co.uk

I was slightly worried when approaching this one from the direction of Bowes Park as missing letters would have you believe the pub is called The Pingfield and I wondered if it would have a Fawty Towers vibe inside as well. Fortunately not and it turned out to be a decent enough one room pub. Not sure if it is anything to do with Green King as none of their products were in evidence for my visit and two of the three available hand pumps were badged with Marston’s Pedigree and Brakespears Best and the latter was a decent enough pint. Now one internal opened out space with plenty of comfortable spacing, there were probably too many screens for my liking including one very large dominating pull down one which may just have been for the current Football World Cup. There also a good smart external courtyard area out the back which looks like it was brought up to date recently, presumably as a result of the Covid restrictions.