Upstairs, downstairs
The Crown (Highgate)
BARS • First Round
The Skinny: Right at the top of Highgate Hill, The Crown is surrounded by clear air and quiet roads, and boasts one of the finest views in the city from its front door. While the pub is already a favourite Highgate haunt, its beautifully refurbished upstairs dining room is proving popular with locals and destination diners too. Opened in August with food from up-and-coming head chef Charley Samuelson, Upstairs at The Crown feels like its own distinct entity, though it still benefits from pints pulled from the bar downstairs.
The Vibe: In contrast to the downstairs pub with its wooden furnishings, comfy armchairs and charming beer garden, Upstairs at The Crown has a chic, intimate, modern dining room that feels like it’s been there for years, despite the renovation. In this leafy, tranquil corner of London, you may feel like you’re out in the countryside, though in reality, Kentish Town and Highbury and Islington aren’t far.
The Food: If you’re just hoping for a pint and some dinner, the pub has impeccable chips, a banging burger and an exemplary fish bap, but upstairs is where the magic happens. It’s the sort of food that people would be shouting from the hills about in a splashier restaurant from a big-name chef in a glitzier part of town. As it is, Highgate locals can enjoy it before word gets out. It’s big flavours and proper cooking, wonderfully executed.
Elegant dishes like sea trout carpaccio with pickled chilli or peach and stracciatella salad rub shoulders with ballsy classics, like a perfectly seasoned beef tartare with homemade crisps, roast chicken with tomatoes and girolles. Meanwhile, slow-cooked lamb shoulder is perfect for colder months. Having trained for several years at Spring, Samuelson is likely to change her menu as the seasons progress. Among desserts, ice creams (that night, a burnt caramel) are a notable highlight.
The Drink: Beers on tap with a wide selection of crafts and real ales, a wine list to suit all tastes, or a cocktail, if you ask nicely.
The Verdict: A charming space in a lovely part of town with an exciting chef at the helm, Upstairs at The Crown is serving some of the very best food in this corner of North London. –David Bard
→ The Crown (Highgate) • 86 Highgate High St • Mon-Sat 12-11p, Sun 12-10p • Book.