Bank of Friendship — Restaurant in London

🚇 Arsenal

The Bank of Friendship is located at the bottom of Blackstock Road, close to Arsenal’s old iconic stadium in Highbury North London. The nearest Tube is Arsenal.

This pub was originally built at the tail-end of the 19th century, then rebuilt for Courage in the 1930’s.

This is a traditional decorated two bar pub which has an oldschool charm about it. The bar on the right is long and narrow with the servery located on the left and an elongated buttoned banquette to the right. There is a nice period fireplace and proper red pub carpet. The bar on the left is an almost mirror image of the other bar. The servery is centrally located, it has an original Courage back bar with a backlit sign, a rare find. One standout feature of this pub is the Liam Brady signed football kit, Liam Brady was a childhood hero of mine. At the back of the pub is a fantastic beergarden with lots of benches and huts.

The beer line up was excellent and offers a broad range of big name beers, local London brews and three cask ales. I decided on a Pillars Pilsner, my pint was great, price point was a tad above average at £6.20. The food option is @yardsalepizza who deliver your order to the pub.

I arrived at 3pm on a warm Monday afternoon in October. I was the first in the door and had a good mooch around the pub. The service was lovely, I was served by a friendly member of the team who was welcoming and courteous. I decided to plot up in the beer garden and reminisced about times spent here over the years. Back in the day my Dad took me here on the way to see The Arsenal, I have followed this tradition and visited many times with my Son.

I must admit, I do have a soft spot for the @bof_n5 , not only is it an outstanding local pub, there are family ties stretching back to the 1970’s. This pub regularly appears in @timeoutlondon Top 50 London pubs, and rightly so. This Independent pub is a must visit.

📅 7th October 2024

More London Pub info...

This is the home to the Legend of the Walking Guiness. The Bank of Friendship is a haven of peace and merriment and is much adored by its good humoured patrons. It is also a pub that treats it's regular clientele very well, thanks to its friendly and professional staff. In short, this pub deserves and lives up to its name. It now also features an attractive, spacious and heated outside garden that is even popular in winter!

If you need sustenance while enjoying your evening here, you can order Yard Sale Pizza, or Thai food from Rabiengs, over the road, both of which are delicious.

The Workman's friend by Flann O'Brien

When things go wrong and will not come right, Though you do the best you can, When life looks black as the hour of night – A pint of plain is your only man.

When money’s tight and hard to get And your horse has also ran, When all you have is a heap of debt – A pint of plain is your only man.

When health is bad and your heart feels strange, And your face is pale and wan, When doctors say you need a change, A pint of plain is your only man.

When food is scarce and your larder bare And no rashers grease your pan, When hunger grows as your meals are rare – A pint of plain is your only man.

In time of trouble and lousey strife, You have still got a darlint plan You still can turn to a brighter life – A pint of plain is...

A large, covered and heated beer garden is this pub's best feature (though not great on sunny summer's days as only a few tables are in the open).. unfortunately (due to local residents on two sides) it closes early and smokers are relegated relatively early to a small sheep-pen that quickly gets crowded.

Under-21s are not welcome (though most of the clientele seem to be in their mid-20s - so it's not meant to be a family-friendly place). Dogs are also not allowed.

Good selection of drinks but they are some of the most expensive in the area. There's no kitchen but arrangements with local eateries (e.g. Yard Sale Pizza) means you can still get food delivered (though you have to pick it up from the delivery rider on the pavement outside).

The ramp to the garden is permanently closed these days, which increases seating capacity but isn't helpful for accessibility reasons.

It's dark and a bit dingy inside and the staff seem permanently bored to tears.

The plexi-glass partitions during the pandemic are gone, and they've clearly spent a bit of money on the beautiful outside area.. but...