The church (as the locals call it) is situated in an area with an atmosphere tantamount to that of a village, giving O’Neills Highgate a real sense of friendliness and authenticity.

The Venue
It was a church. Now it’s a pub. If the prospect of sinking a Jaeger Bomb in a building once frequented by men and women singing All things Bright and Beautiful (Guns ‘n’ Roses being the standard these days) seems rather sacrilegious then this may not be the bar for you. For everyone else, it offers an attractive space for drinking away your woes.

The building in which O'Neills Highgate sits is impressive with as high a ceiling as you’ll see in any pub. A long bar downstairs is accompanied by a smaller bar upstairs that is only opened on busy nights. Much of the seating upstairs takes the form of four-person cubicles that are ideal for taking in such a large space and casting an eye over the often frenzied downstairs. Three huge screens cater for the sports lovers out there. The walls are covered with photographs of Ireland as well as pictures of Bono and Pat Jennings. It may not be the most authentic Irish pub in the world (and God knows there are a lot of them) what with its Guinness memorabilia covering most surfaces, but that doesn’t detract from the fact that this is a decent pub.

The Atmosphere
Weekends can be extremely lively at O’Neills Highgate. Cover bands play on Fridays whereas traditional Irish music is the sound of Sundays. The pub attracts a lot of foreign students from local language schools giving the place a distinctly metropolitan feel. This is nicely balanced with a lot of locals who appear more than happy to welcome newcomers. The bar staff are young and attractive although don’t expect the quickest service. That said, the charm and charisma they show definitely make up for that.

The Food
The food is cheap with a number of dishes costing a mere £3.45. It’s typical pub food with an Irish twist. For example, bangers and mash is transformed into sausage and colcannon but for £3.45 semantic pedantry is allowed. Whilst the menu is generally aimed at the carnivorous, the spinach and lentil burger is a good size and, as with everything on the menu, is affordably priced.

The Drink
There’s a large selection of lager, the most expensive being Peroni (£3.10) and the cheapest being Carling at just £2.55. Stella, Grolsch and Fosters complete the usual suspects on tap. Guinness Red is a sweeter variant of the stout with a texture similar to that of ale, although it’s unlikely to convert regular Guinness drinkers. The Rioja is excellent and, like everything else, is fairly priced at around £3 a glass.

The Last Word
It’s refreshing to enter a chain pub that seems to have a distinct style of its own. The food is cheap and filling, and all types of people seem to have taken O’Neills Highgate to heart. Sunday nights are recommended for the Irish band.

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