Kye's - fantastic old pub gets a make-over in N14

Calling all those who live in our leafy part of North London - we visited Kye's on Southgate High Street twice in it's first week because it's so nice to see a landmark pub which has been shut for seven months reopen with a new lease of life - sadly a rare event these days....

This used to be the Woolpack and is an imposing Edwardian pub on Southgate High Street down from the college and towards the green. It's now reopened as Kye's (named after the owners son) and has had a complete overhaul to freshen things up a bit. Walls are a mix of white and cranberry, floors wood and polished, and there are large ornate gold mirrors and sparkly crystal chandeliers which is not the norm for pubs in this area which tend to be more traditional, all open fires and bookcases.

There's a nice private garden at the back away from the traffic which is a bonus on a busy road and although this is basically a bar with a kitchen the food is all freshly prepared on site - no microwaved meals like most pubs. Because of this its slightly more expensive (around £10 for a main course) with steaks being around £18. These are very good quality being sourced from one particular farm in Essex (I believe). I had a burger which was homemade from minced steak and was delicious and I have to say the home cooked chips were amongst the best I've had... My partner had pork loin with a crumb topping. This was a tiny bit dry but tasty all the same.

The homemade pate for starter was a triumph and I can see myself coming in just for that and a glass of wine of a lunchtime. Talking of lunches they also do a platter for about £13 where you can choose 6 things for your platter from a list of about 15 - things like salami's, olives etc.
We finished our meal by sharing an alcoholic knickerbockerglory which was yummy!

What makes this place stand out is the service and in particular manager Nick who gives a wonderfully warm welcome and has a sharp eye on checking everyone is well served. It was only our second visit and he had noticed we had drunk Sauvignon Blanc on our first - there was a bottle chilling before we even made it to the bar....
If you live in N14/N13 its worth checking out and I may well be making it my local because of the friendliness and attention to detail which is high for a pub..... oh and apparently they do a lovely roast beef Sunday lunch which I will have to try....

020 8882 8593

52 High Street, Southgate, London, Greater London N14 6EB