The pub took the title of the John Smith’s Great British Pub of the Year in 2018, also scooping Best for Wine at the competition.
Seasoned operator Heath Ball was praised by judges for running a pub that ticked all the right boxes, from its food and drink offer, through to its emphasis on superb service, all within a simple but attractive pub setting.
Title to hold
The Google review from Joe Marshall said: “The most boring pub in north London. Rude staff, dirty glasses.”
Licensee Ball hit back at the comments and suggested the reviewer wasn’t a “pub person”.
He replied: “Dear Joe. What a title to hold ‘the most boring pub in north London’.
“I’m sorry if my staff were rude, which is a rare complaint. We’re quite proud of how clean our glasses are. We salt our water softener twice a week to remove limescale from the water, we make sure our machine is taking on the chemicals by marking the bottles to monitor usage.”
Tad boring
He added: “We clean the machine daily and check glasses before pouring a drink. We have a five-star (the highest rating) health rating from the council.
“I took the time to read your other reviews. I must say, who has the time to review Tube stations and garden centres? Hardly an exciting read, a tad boring if I’m honest.
“You give pubs a hard time in all your reviews. Maybe you’re not a pub person? Or maybe you just like being angry?
“I’m not psychiatrist but maybe you need to chat with someone and find out what’s really eating you. Enjoy the Tube stations and garden centres. All the best. Heath.”
