Old White Lion

Was recommended to me by a colleague and it didn’t disappoint. Not too dissimilar to the Bald Faced Stag up the road but that’s not a bad thing. The outdoor area is lush — very cool huts and wooden benches. Can’t wait until Summer hits to use it more. I didn’t actually eat, but from passing the restaurant I had food-​envy because it smelt and looked delicious. It’s right beside the tube too so such an easy spot to find

Slightly disappointed. Visiting from out of the country.
We went, told that this was the best Sunday roast in Finchley, and we had passed up other options at other pubs, earlier in the day, only to find out they’d run out of roast by 5:45 into a dinner service that started at 4pm. I didn’t know when dinner service stopped, but only having enough to serve for less than two hours into a dinner service means that it’s probably popular enough to make more than they did in the future. Just to make a sticking point, whatever your most popular dish is, make sure you have enough of it over a weekend to actually keep it on the menu for most of the night.
They were also out of a few beers on tap with no signs indicating as such.
We ended up going with some other menu items like short rib. Short rib was satisfactory, a little well done, but it was still tender in the middle.
Bartending staff was helpful in finding alternate selections of all our beer options when ones we requested were out.

Amazing Sunday roast. Takes forever but it’s fresh so worth it. I had a vegetarian nut roast and my friend had the chicken. Just do it.

My experience was so bad I felt I needed to write a review.
Woeful bar staff, I got no acknowledgment when I arrived at the bar. The barman had no awareness of who had been standing at the bar for longest (despite being extremely quiet)
Then I was served a truly awful Pint of Guinness (probably the worst I have had in London)
The food.
I had the cottage pie. Absolutely disgusting, I could only eat a few mouthfuls. A tired old looking pile of wrinkled vegetables served next to it.
I’m amazed anyone has said anything positive about this place.
I guess it at least looks nice from the outside.

Great atmosphere. Food was nice, especially the cod and chips. Location is super convenient as it’s right next to the tube station.

Nice beer garden, good atmosphere, decent selection of beers — for a pub that looks like a dodgy dive beside a tube station (which, in my book, is usually a bad sign) this was a pleasant surprise

People like pubs for different reasons. I like the décor and feel — it’s laid back, not pretentious. It has a cool beer garden that is nicely laid out. The food isn’t bad either with a great prix fix menu (2 courses for £10, a deal!)
That said, it’s SLOW. The ongoing joke is that it will take an hour between ordering your food and getting it. A slight exaggeration but not by much! Food is good but can be hit or miss. We ordered some chips but sent them back because they looked like the leftovers from the bottom of the fry vat. That said, those that were cooked right were perfect: steaming hot, crunchy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. The whitebait went down a treat. The gammon was meaty and flavourful but the eggs were overcooked (wherefore art thou, runny yolk??) The desserts came about 45 minutes after they cleared our plates away because they had forgotten about it (luckily, we were pretty well steamed at this point and had forgotten we had even ordered dessert!)
Is it perfect? No. But it ticks enough of the right buttons that the inconsistencies are forgiven.

What can I say? This cozy pub is right next door to «my» Tube station stop (I stayed in East Finchley a few times while visiting London). The beer and ambience was welcome after returning to north London after a day of sightseeing, and although I never ate any food here, I could see the usual pub fare being served. The staff was friendly & I’d definitely stop in again when in the neighborhood. Cheers! :-)

A Sunday roasts should be a pleasurable experience. This was not the case.
Apparently pork is a fatty meat, so said the waiter when I pointed out that I had a «fat roast» rather than finely roasted pig.
Crackling? Where was it? I don’t know about the rest of the world but here in England, roast piggy is not a proper pork roasts without it, and despite having ask for extra I was given none.
You know when roasties have cold down and they’re about 5 hours old, they develop a new characteristic — soggy and soft. Roast potatoes are meant to be crispy on the outside abs delicately fluffy on the inside.
Broccoli is to be blanched not stewed. The difference is easily identifiable by it’s bright green colour rather than brown.
Yorkshire puddings should not be dripping with oil.
Finally, if you are serving pork, apple sauce should be available. Sage and apple jelly is not the same thing.
However they do serve strawberry beer and for that they, a star. Generally it is a nice pub with helpful and friendly bar staff and for that they receive a second star.

No! its horrible, drinks are overpriced and the main bit of the ‘Sunday roast’ is a huge yorkshire pudding!!! and, no extras, like mint sauce etc… just few little half-​empty jars of ‘stuff’ — really bad value imo! Why are the staff so reluctant to give you a receipt when you pay for meals?

Stopped off in here after walking from The Spaniards Inn on Hampstead heath, the beers available are exactly the same as the Spaniards and being as they are unusual (Brooklyn Lager and Kozel spring to mind) Im assuming they are the same brewery. The food looks similar here to the Spaniards, just carvery fare at inflated prices, although I haven’t tried it here so I’ll reserve judgement. I have to agree with Stuffy’s review though, the place seems to have a problem with tiny little fruit flies, I swatted 5 or 6 in the hour or so I was there on Sunday. Its not a bad pub, I quite liked it, the Brooklyn lager didnt taste as nice as it did in the Spaniards up the road though and I suspect the pipes could do with a clean.

When you walk in, sit on the left side. It’s an extension, so it’s newer, fresher. If you go right, well, you’ll smell something funky. And not in that 70s kinda way. In that what-​the-​hell-​just-​went-​up-​my-​nostrils kind of way. I blame the carpet.
If you sit on the left hand side chances are you’ll be staying and it’s not a bad decision. The hubs and I went for Sunday roast and the food came out piping hot and on time, even though the place was busy. I ordered the chicken and it came with all the fixings, including a Yorkshire pudding the size of my face. Needless to say it was a lot of food and well worth the money.
I pass this pub on my way home (it’s next to the East Finchley train station) and it seems to always be quite busy on Fridays. I am tempted to go give it another go. But of course, only sitting on the left side of the place.

this pub is no longer cheap and cheerful. the lagers are now overpriced and sometimes undrinkable. fosters £3.15 a pint. dont know about the food as i wont eat in there cos of the price and you have to compete with fruit flies which swarm around you. And they dont pay. Some of the staff are ok but a couple need a heavy push to serve you at all. Not a good advert for M&B

The Old White Lion is a haunt of one of my mates so from time to time I find myself in here. It’s not a bad pub by any means but neither does it have that je né sais quoi that makes a pub feel right. To my knowledge it’s not a chain pub but it has that chiany puby soulless feel to it. The staff are nice enough people and they do their job but they’re not overly friendly, they smile and nod but they don’t try to engage you in conversation even when the place is a bit on the quiet side, it’s that sort of personal side that makes a pub stand out from a bar.
Food wise this places does some nice stuff but the portions are a bit small and on the pricey side. The Chicken club sandwich is nice enough but is lacking in veg and is a bit ott on the mayo. Tasty all the same.
Drinks wise it’s a standard affair with a few twists, Strawberry beer is the main draw of this place though the prices are a bit on the higher side considering Barnet is just down the road and it’s a fair bit cheaper.
In all I can happily while away the hours here and it’s a good place to stop into if you’ve just got off the train after along day at work.

Two contrasting reviews preceded mine
From ‘not my taste’ to ‘my favourite. devine’
So what about my experience here?
And if you go is there reason to cheer?
Well let us be sensible and think for a minute
Cheering in a pub? I’m not a chav, innit?
But I did go during a thunderstorm
I was quite happy to be dry and warm
But then it’s a building, what d’you expect?
Any pub would have been relief I suspect
So what makes it special? Why four stars?
What marks it out from average bars?
It has a good atmos, a young vibrant crowd
A place for a chat without being too loud
I noticed at least five ales were on tap
And plenty of wines and a choice of nightcap
There’s plenty of seating, both outside and in
They cater for parties in their large kitchen
The pub quiz on Tuesdays sounds like a laugh
So all in all it’s a pretty nice gaff

The Old White Lion is my hands-​down favourite pub in London. It is friendly, warm, and welcoming, with chatty and efficient staff and a whole stack of boardgames for patrons to play (though the games could use a bit of refreshing occasionally, with new pieces and pads of paper being replenished once in awhile). Rainy Sunday afternoons in front of White Lion’s fire, playing Scattergories and munching chips is probably the best thing ever.
The quiz on Tuesday nights is a riot, being one of the best I’ve ever done. The quizmaster, Brian, is funny and inviting, and the categories span all sorts of weird topics (Antipodeans, horror movies, etc.)
The food is quite good, with a killer garlic mayonnaise for your chips and a pretty awesome selection of desserts. They always have a few organic wines on the menu, and they serve pints of Old Rosie. Yay!
Best thing about the Old White Lion:
We were at the quiz during that weird, fluke snow in October, and my husband lost his wedding ring while throwing a snowball at me. We searched for over an hour, and eventually left our phone number with the bar staff in case anyone turned it in. The next morning we got a call that the owner’s girlfriend had found it, that she left early for work so she could have a look in daylight for it! When I went to pick it up, the girl at the bar said «Ooooh, we felt so bad that you’d lost the ring that all of us took turns for the rest of the night going out on our break to kick the snow around and look for it!» I was so touched by the thoughtfulness of their entire staff, and have been singing the praises of The Old White Lion as the best pub in London ever since!

The Old White Lion isn’t looking so old anymore, shortly after the summer it was given an almighty revamp. It looks good. The pub is very welcoming with great staff and plenty of comfortable places to enjoy a pint and a good bit of food. The food being the finest in British pub fare, all the favourites in generous portions for agreeable (london) prices. The beer is large in variety and doesn’t break the bank either, an Amstel is £2.30 I think. There’s also a massive ‘secret’ garden where heaters mean you can enjoy the relatively fresh E. Finchley air all year round.
Don’t miss out on the film screenings every sunday! Grab a sofa, some drinks and your mates and enjoy a favourite movie on the big screen. Perfect.

The style of the Old White Lion is not really my taste. It has old fashioned furniture and art deco lamps sort of 50’s style. In fact it reminds me very much of an antique furniture shop.
They have 3 ales on tap, no surprises though (fullers). Food is nothing special, the portions are abit skimpy but they do have a lot to choose from. You can get all the usual pub food here.
They have a really nice beer garden though but again smokers ruin it when the pub is busy.
All in all this place is not really my taste.

I really like this pub. I’ve been in a couple of times for drinks and once for food and each time had a very pleasant experience.
The staff are always very nice, friendly and polite. The prices are quite reasonable and the food is good. It’s basically just your average pub food and while it isn’t anything spectacular you get exactly what you expect.
The pub itself is very nicely decorated and very comfortable. It has a great beer garden and with it’s heaters if you sit in the right place it’s like being indoors.